Abstract
Wheat is a crop with high self-sufficiency and consumption rates worldwide. So, an increase in production and food self-sufficiency due to enhanced seed germination is expected. The seed surface is covered with a hydrophobic lipid layer, and normal germination requires a certain amount of time for water absorption. In this study, we focused on Atmospheric Low-Temperature Plasma (ALTP), which is effective for surface activation/modification and the generation of active species. ALTP irradiation promoted germination and induced hydrophilic functional groups on the seed surface. Therefore, it is considered that ALTP irradiation improved the hydrophilicity of the seed surface and facilitated germination. In this paper, the water contact angle of the seed surface was measured, the seed surface was observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), functional groups were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and the germination enhancement effect and germination rate were evaluated.
