PlasSeed: Gas Plasma for Seed Disinfection
Lead Research Organisation:
Royal Holloway University of London
Department Name: Biological Sciences
Abstract
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Technical Summary
Low temperature plasmas are ionised gases containing cocktails of electrons, ions, radicals, excited species and photons under conditions that are far from thermodynamic equilibrium. As a result, plasmas can generate reactive environments at low temperature to initiate and catalyse chemical processes. Semiconductor fabrication, large area displays and energy-efficient lighting are examples of technologies that have been enabled by advances in plasma physics and engineering.
In recent years, advancements in the generation of nonthermal plasmas at atmospheric pressure has revolutionised plasma technology, opening up a host of new applications in biology and medicine. In particular, the capacity for microbial decontamination of a wide range of biotic materials (e.g. disinfection of wounds) has been amply demonstrated (Lu, X et al. 2016 Phys. Rep. 630, 1).
PlasSeed extends the use of this technology to the disinfection of seeds. This is a timely development that will address the pressing need for a scalable, effective, dry and chemical-free technology for seed disinfection. In collaboration with national and international industry partners, PlasSeed will develop plasma seed reactors and assess their efficacy in disinfecting a range of naturally contaminated seeds.
PlasSeed will perform experiments on batches of seed of large enough quantity (>30000 seeds) to warrant proper statistical results and naturally contaminated seeds will be used to overcome the shortcomings of artificial inoculation. The project will assess the efficacy of the treatment against epiphytic (superficial) and endophytic (deep-seated) pathogens, studying physical and biochemical changes triggered in the seeds and any long term effect on the growing plantlets.
In recent years, advancements in the generation of nonthermal plasmas at atmospheric pressure has revolutionised plasma technology, opening up a host of new applications in biology and medicine. In particular, the capacity for microbial decontamination of a wide range of biotic materials (e.g. disinfection of wounds) has been amply demonstrated (Lu, X et al. 2016 Phys. Rep. 630, 1).
PlasSeed extends the use of this technology to the disinfection of seeds. This is a timely development that will address the pressing need for a scalable, effective, dry and chemical-free technology for seed disinfection. In collaboration with national and international industry partners, PlasSeed will develop plasma seed reactors and assess their efficacy in disinfecting a range of naturally contaminated seeds.
PlasSeed will perform experiments on batches of seed of large enough quantity (>30000 seeds) to warrant proper statistical results and naturally contaminated seeds will be used to overcome the shortcomings of artificial inoculation. The project will assess the efficacy of the treatment against epiphytic (superficial) and endophytic (deep-seated) pathogens, studying physical and biochemical changes triggered in the seeds and any long term effect on the growing plantlets.
Planned Impact
The anticipated beneficiaries of this work include:
- Society: PlasSeed addresses an urgent problem faced by seed companies and contributes towards addressing the increasing pressure on global agriculture, food security and the environment. These are areas of global concern in which the government and UK funding bodies are strategically investing in. Successful completion of PlasSeed will contribute towards a sustainable future by providing an environmentally-friendly disinfection process for crop seeds that will have benefits on the health and quality of life of future generations.
- PlasSeed academic partners: Given the incipient state of the field of plasma agriculture, the proposed project pushes the current frontiers of gas plasma technology for the disinfection of seeds. Any breakthrough will create opportunities to lead in this rapidly growing field and will be welcome by the community. The academic partners will also establish a long-lasting collaboration in which complementary expertise held by each group will be combined to address more efficiently larger scientific and technological challenges in the future.
- PlasSeed industrial partners: With increasingly stringent regulations around the use of fungicides and concerns over xenobiotic residues in food production, seed companies are in urgent need of an innovative chemical-free disinfection process that can achieve its objectives without damaging the germination potential of seeds. PlasSeed promises one such solution and moreover, early access to and adoption of the technology by Elsoms Seeds and Bejo Zaden would give them an advantage over their competitors, positioning a UK company at the global forefront of seed disinfection.
- PlasSeed partners: All parties are committed to secure and exploit any intellectual property (IP) arising throughout the duration of the project. This could potentially provide another revenue stream for both the industrial partners and the academic institutions.
- Society: PlasSeed addresses an urgent problem faced by seed companies and contributes towards addressing the increasing pressure on global agriculture, food security and the environment. These are areas of global concern in which the government and UK funding bodies are strategically investing in. Successful completion of PlasSeed will contribute towards a sustainable future by providing an environmentally-friendly disinfection process for crop seeds that will have benefits on the health and quality of life of future generations.
- PlasSeed academic partners: Given the incipient state of the field of plasma agriculture, the proposed project pushes the current frontiers of gas plasma technology for the disinfection of seeds. Any breakthrough will create opportunities to lead in this rapidly growing field and will be welcome by the community. The academic partners will also establish a long-lasting collaboration in which complementary expertise held by each group will be combined to address more efficiently larger scientific and technological challenges in the future.
- PlasSeed industrial partners: With increasingly stringent regulations around the use of fungicides and concerns over xenobiotic residues in food production, seed companies are in urgent need of an innovative chemical-free disinfection process that can achieve its objectives without damaging the germination potential of seeds. PlasSeed promises one such solution and moreover, early access to and adoption of the technology by Elsoms Seeds and Bejo Zaden would give them an advantage over their competitors, positioning a UK company at the global forefront of seed disinfection.
- PlasSeed partners: All parties are committed to secure and exploit any intellectual property (IP) arising throughout the duration of the project. This could potentially provide another revenue stream for both the industrial partners and the academic institutions.
Organisations
- Royal Holloway University of London (Lead Research Organisation)
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (Co-funder)
- LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY (Collaboration)
- Tozer Seeds (Collaboration)
- Bejo Zaden (Collaboration)
- ETHIOPIAN INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH (Collaboration)
- KWS Saat (Collaboration)
People |
ORCID iD |
Gerhard Leubner (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Grainge G
(2022)
Gas-Plasma-Activated Water Impact on Photo-Dependent Dormancy Mechanisms in Nicotiana tabacum Seeds.
in International journal of molecular sciences
Grainge G
(2022)
Molecular mechanisms of seed dormancy release by gas plasma-activated water technology.
in Journal of experimental botany
Steinbrecher T
(2022)
Xyloglucan remodelling enzymes and the mechanics of plant seed and fruit biology.
in Journal of experimental botany
Fatelnig L
(2024)
Seed priming with gas plasma-activated water in Ethiopia's "orphan" crop tef (Eragrostis tef)
in Planta
Description | BB/S016112/1 - PlasSeed BBSRC IPA project together with Loughborough University, Bejo and Elsoms Seeds: Gas plasma is considered to be the fourth state of matter. Current applications for gas plasma involve cleaning and treating manufactured surfaces for a variety of industrial and medical processes. Gas plasmas are associated with the formation of a myriad of free radicals which can react with macromolecules in their proximity. With non-thermal (cold) atmospheric-pressure gas plasma (NTAGP) technologies, this is achieved without heat generation and at atmospheric pressure allowing for the treatment of sensitive biological tissues. This property has been proven useful in developing new medical applications for dentistry and oncology, and additionally provide an excellent sterilization tool for food and food packaging. New trends of sustainable agricultural applications of NTAGP, including plant, seed, and food treatments, are currently emerging as a rapidly developing innovative field called "plasma agriculture". This includes the inactivation of seed-borne microorganisms, as well as the stimulation of seed germination and seedling growth by NTAGP treatment. Royal Holloways objective was to conduct workpackage 4 "Biological responses - Physiological and biochemical alterations in the seeds for optimum plasma treatment conditions). Key findings are: (a) Microscopical investigation of seed coat (in treated and untreated seeds) showed no physical alteration of the seed coat (Control vs. 1 up to 4 runs in the Plasma Treater) (b) Classical seed disinfection techniques significantly altered the seed germination speed (untreated seeds germinated slower) (c) Gas plasma has been shown to have the potential to alter the dormancy status of treated dormant seeds (d) Storability of the treated seeds is not negatively influenced by the seed treatment technique an has been quantified through accelerated-aging assays (e) An improved Plasma machine was finally developed towards project end (manufacturing was delayed by the pandemic) which in contrast to the initial version is powerful enough to provide seed disinfection |
Exploitation Route | Data is currently analysed and evaluated for further publications in peer-reviewed open-access Journals. Interaction with several seed companies are ongoing. Follow-up project meetings are planned to access data and impact after the project is ongoing. Funding possibilities for a follow-up project are actively monitored. |
Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Environment |
URL | https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FS016112%2F1 |
Description | BB/S016112/1 - PlasSeed BBSRC IPA project together with Loughborough University, Bejo and Elsoms Seeds: Currently ongoing, interactions with several seed companies. Also due to the Covid-caused delays it is to early to have the impact unfolding. Needs follow-up work, but then the Gas-Plasma Agri-Technologies have the potential to contribute to a sustainable future "Plasma Agriculture" important for the bio economy and clean environment. |
First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Electronics,Environment |
Impact Types | Societal Economic |
Description | BBSRC CTP iCASE PhD studentship with Croda/Incotec - PhD student Bernice Mitchener - Crop seed quality refinement with beneficial microbes |
Amount | £123,879 (GBP) |
Funding ID | BB/T508913/1 |
Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2020 |
End | 05/2024 |
Description | Enabling precision-agriculture in Ethiopia's "orphan" teff crop by seed pelleting and coating (GCRF - International Collaboration Awards with Ethiopian partners) |
Amount | £29,900 (GBP) |
Organisation | Royal Holloway, University of London |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2021 |
End | 07/2021 |
Description | Industrial CASE Studentship BBSRC - SeedGasPlasma - Giles Grainge - Gas plasma treatment as a novel seed technology to release dormancy and improve germination uniformity of vegetable seeds. |
Amount | £109,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | BB/M01651X/1 |
Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2015 |
End | 09/2021 |
Description | KWS seed industry: Improving Crop Seed Quality with Gas Plasma Activated Water (EPOWER1) - Leubner, Steinbrecher, Fatelnig. |
Amount | £16,934 (GBP) |
Organisation | KWS Saat |
Sector | Private |
Country | Germany |
Start | 07/2021 |
End | 01/2022 |
Description | KWS seed industry: Improving Crop Seed Quality with Gas Plasma Activated Water (EPOWER2) - Leubner, Steinbrecher, Fatelnig. |
Amount | £18,950 (GBP) |
Organisation | KWS Saat |
Sector | Private |
Country | Germany |
Start | 12/2022 |
End | 05/2023 |
Description | Living Sustainably Catalyst PhD studentship co-funded by KWS "Biologicals as sustainable agri-technology for climate-resilient crop production", PhD student Joseph King. |
Amount | £100,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Royal Holloway, University of London |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2023 |
End | 06/2027 |
Description | Novel gas-plasma and heat-shock priming technologies to improve seed quality and enhance vegetable food production sustainability |
Amount | £9,519 (GBP) |
Organisation | Royal Holloway, University of London |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 04/2022 |
End | 08/2022 |
Description | Studying the impact of novel seed treatments on crop seeds |
Amount | £6,500 (GBP) |
Organisation | Eden Research |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 08/2022 |
End | 09/2023 |
Title | Expansion of seed and food biomechanics technology platform by a nano indentation device |
Description | A Bruker TS 77 Select Nanoindentation System (ca. £130k) was acquired 2021/22 as capital equipment to expand the seed and food biomechanics technology platform. This is a key expertise of Dr Tina Steinbrecher. Nanoindentation is an established tool to determine mechanical properties of materials, such as hardness and elastic modulus, on a nano- to micrometer length scale. The main advantage of this technique is the high spatial resolution while only a small probe size is required. Nanoindentation has been shown to be a valuable tool to examine even complex biological samples. In recent years the application of nanoindentation methods in the areas of soft tissues and biological materials has increased significantly. |
Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Expansion of generic core technology platforms enable strengthening research. Securing unique staff expertise and expanding capabilities in multidisciplinary cross-cutting technology platforms to address the challenges across the Plant, Seed and Food Supply Chain Security and Sustainability. The vulnerability of food supply chains was exposed by COVID-19 (Garnett et al, Nature Food 1:315-318) and by the Climate Crisis. Food supply chain security and sustainability depends on quality crop seeds (input), environmental-friendly crop production and food processing. |
Title | Expansion of seed and food imaging technology platform by a VideometerLab Multispectral Imaging device |
Description | MultiSpectral Imaging (MSI) will be conducted with a VideometerLab4 device possessing 19 high power LED sources with a range from 365 nm to 970 nm. An integrating sphere provides a homogeneous and diffuse illumination, allowing spectral imaging in 5-10 seconds. For an automated reliable image analysis to distinguish between infested and 'clean' seeds, an optimised downstream analysis is needed. Nondestructive method for detecting and diagnosing seed-borne pathogens in crop seed batches |
Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Acquired additional funding. Expansion of generic core technology platforms enable strengthening research. Securing unique staff expertise and expanding capabilities in multidisciplinary cross-cutting technology platforms to address the challenges across the Plant, Seed and Food Supply Chain Security and Sustainability. The vulnerability of food supply chains was exposed by COVID-19 (Garnett et al, Nature Food 1:315-318) and by the Climate Crisis. Food supply chain security and sustainability depends on quality crop seeds (input), environmental-friendly crop production and food processing. |
Title | Expansion of seed technology platform by a commercial-scale seed drum-priming device. |
Description | Innovative crop seed priming technologies to develop knowledge exchange with industry and in strategic collaboration networks. Seed priming is an environmentally-friendly refinement technology which improves seed quality by metabolic activation. High-quality primed seed germinates fast and uniform with enhanced seedling performance and crop establishment even upon stress (heat, chilling, flooding, drought, salinity). Gas-plasma activated water seed priming is a novel environmental-friendly technology developed by us to improve the quality of agricultural and horticultural commercial crop seeds. |
Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Our patent for using gas-plasma activated water for seed priming is being applied to vegetable, sugar beet, and cereal seeds. It provided expanding our company network. |
Title | Strategic Investment by Royal Holloway College into Seed Technology Equipment to support research and impact into Food Supply Chain Resilience (2023) |
Description | Seed Technology specialist equipment include the Multifunctional Seed Priming Cabinet for Protocol Development, the professional Laboratory Seed Dryer, and the Seed/Particle Counter Model. These devices support and expand our innovative seed priming technology with gas plasma activated water (UKRI, GCRF and industry funding) and for developing novel biopriming technologies with biologicals (metabolites and beneficial microorganisms). The Seed Dryer allows seed lot drying in a controlled manner and higher speed as required for industrial applications. Controlled seed drying at defined rate and temperature is important in seed industry to preserve the highest quality. |
Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
Year Produced | 2023 |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | Seed Technology specialist equipment crucial for our research and impact strategy into sustainable and environmental-friendly seed agri-technologies. The strategic importance of these devices support and expand our innovative seed priming technology with gas plasma activated water (UKRI, GCRF and industry funding) and for developing novel biopriming technologies with biologicals (metabolites and beneficial microorganisms). Controlled seed treatment (priming, drying) is important in seed industry to preserve the highest quality. |
Title | Molecular mechanisms of seed dormancy release by gas plasma activated water technology |
Description | Supporting raw data for results in "Molecular mechanisms of seed dormancy release by gas plasma activated water technology" |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Raw dats for publication: Grainge G, Nakabayashi K, Steinbrecher T, Kennedy S, Ren J, Iza F, Leubner-Metzger G (2022). Molecular mechanisms of seed dormancy release by gas plasma activated water technology. Journal of Experimental Botany 73(12):4065-4078. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erac150 |
URL | https://royalholloway.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Molecular_mechanisms_of_seed_dormancy_release_by... |
Description | Enabling precision-agriculture in Ethiopia's "orphan" teff crop by seed priming and seed pelleting |
Organisation | Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research |
Country | Ethiopia |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Enabling precision-agriculture in Ethiopia's "orphan" teff crop by seed pelleting and coating. Prof Gerhard Leubner and Dr Tina Steinbrecher (RHUL), Dr Solomon Chanyalew, Director, Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Centre (DZARC), part of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and Prof Zerihun Tadele (DZARC/EIAR and University of Berne, Switzerland), technician Lena Fatelnig. We did gas-plasma activated water seed priming and seed ageing assays. |
Collaborator Contribution | The Ethiopian partner did seed pelleting as well as field and glasshouse tests of primed seeds. |
Impact | Primed teff seed and manuscript in preparation |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | Gas plasma as a novel seed technology |
Organisation | Loughborough University |
Department | Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Interdisciplinary collaboration between Dr Felipe Iza (electrical engineering, gas plasma engineer) from Loughborough University. We at Royal Holloway are providing molecular seed physiology (my expertise and most of my groups expertise) as well as seed biomaterial engineering and seed technology (Dr Tina Steinbrecher, biomaterial engineer). |
Collaborator Contribution | Interdisciplinary collaboration between Dr Felipe Iza (electrical engineering, gas plasma engineer) from Loughborough University. They are providing the engineering part of gas plasma devices for several collaboration activities. |
Impact | Multi-disciplinary collaboration/partnership including molecular seed biology, seed biomechanics, gas plasma and electrical engineering. |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Improving crop seed quality with gas plasma activated water |
Organisation | KWS Saat |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Gas plasma treatment as a novel seed technology to release dormancy and improve germination uniformity of crop seeds |
Collaborator Contribution | Provided crop seeds and conduct seed quality assays |
Impact | Crop seed primed with gas plasma activated water |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | Improving vegetable crop seed quality with gas plasma activated water |
Organisation | Tozer Seeds |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Gas plasma treatment as a novel seed technology to release dormancy and improve germination of vegetable crop seeds |
Collaborator Contribution | Provided vegetable seeds including expensive hybrid seed |
Impact | Vegetable crop seeds primed with gas plasma activated water |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | Vegetable Seed Health Research with Bejo |
Organisation | Bejo Zaden |
Country | Netherlands |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Vegetable seed health and quality research into gas plasma as novel technology for seed lot disinfection |
Collaborator Contribution | Provision of vegetable crop seed lots with defined contamination with seed-borne pathogens |
Impact | Too early to say |
Start Year | 2019 |
Title | GAS PLASMA ACTIVATED WATER SEED TREATMENT |
Description | The disclosure relates to a seed priming technology which retains seed storage resilience without the need for an additional post-priming treatment. This allows the primed seeds to be stored for longer, whilst still retaining good seed vigour. There is provided a method for priming seeds, the method comprising the steps of imbibing a seed in gas plasma activated water and drying the seed. Seed priming is a process of controlled hydration of a seed which permits pre-germinative metabolic activity to proceed but prevents actual emergence of the radicle. |
IP Reference | WO2021094755 |
Protection | Patent application published |
Year Protection Granted | 2021 |
Licensed | Commercial In Confidence |
Impact | Collaborations and services in gas-plasma activated water seed priming treatments with several partners/clients including KWS, other vegetable seed companies and the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research. |
Description | GCRF Online Workshop September 2021, Keynote Talk "The roles of "coats" and hormones for crop seed quality, weed emergence and innovative precision agri-technologies" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Organised Workshop on "Tef (Eragostis tef) and other Ethiopian "orphan" crops, focus on using seed technologies to improve tef seed quality." Talk "The roles of "coats" and hormones for crop seed quality, weed emergence and innovative precision agri-technologies". Interdisciplinary workshop was with UK, Swiss and Ethiopian researchers and practitioners and students. It was a programme bringing together work with crops and weeds, and included also social scientist to discuss Sustainable Development Goals related to the Food Chain. Programme: 12:00UK = 14:00ET Welcome by Meeting Chair Dr Tina Steinbrecher (RHUL) 12:10UK Prof Gerhard Leubner (RHUL) & Dr Said Mohammed Hassen (GCRF Project Lead, Debre Berhan University, Ethiopia) - "The roles of "coats" and hormones for crop seed quality, weed emergence and innovative precision agri-technologies" 12:40UK Dr Solomon Chanyalew Kassa (Director, Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Centre, DZARC, Ethiopia) "Tef in Ethiopia - an Overview" 13:00UK Dr Erica Rowan (RHUL) "import and export of cereals and other goods from North Africa" 13:15UK Short break 13:20UK Lena Fatelnig (RHUL) "Tef seed priming and ageing" (RHUL-DZARC results) 13:40UK Dr Solomon Chanyalew Kassa & Coworkers (DZARC) "Tef seed pelleting and field emergence" (RHUL-DZARC results) 14:00UK Dr Stephanie Swarbreck (University of Cambridge, UK) "Exploring tef root and shoot phenotypes to select for improved fied performance" 14:20UK Dr Naomi Nakayama (Imperial College London, UK) "Resilience priming of cereal crops for sustainable agricultural improvement in Ethiopia" 14:40UK Short break 14:50UK Prof Zerihun Tadele (University Berne, Switzerland and DZARC, Ethiopia) "Food security and environmental stress resilience of the Ethiopian cereal crop tef" 15:15UK Discussion of results and collaborations 16:00UK End of meeting |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Invited Speaker at the 9th Dutch Seed Symposium |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Dr Steinbrecher was an Invited Speaker at the 9th Dutch Seed Symposium 'For all seed women and men and all companies who care about the heritage of all time: The Seed.' on October 6th 2021 at WICC Wageningen. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://plantum.nl/dutchseedsymposium/ |