Cold Plasma Seed Treatment to Improve Seed Health, Emergence, and Disease Outcomes in Organic Crops

Commodities

• Agronomic: hemp, wheat
• Vegetables: beans, greens (leafy), peppers

Practices

• Education and Training: extension, on-farm/ranch research
• Pest Management: integrated pest management, prevention, sanitation

PROJECT FOCUS

Farmers and regional seed suppliers in the Northeast face escalating losses from seedborne fungal and bacterial pathogens that reduce germination, weaken stand establishment, and lead to costly replanting or rejection of seed lots. Under USDA organic regulations, most synthetic chemical seed treatments are prohibited unless specifically allowed on the National List, leaving growers with limited seed sanitation options that are inconsistent across crops, difficult to scale or damaging to seed vigor. In the humid Northeast climate, where disease pressure is high and seed costs continue to rise, poor seed health has become a critical economic and production bottleneck for farmers.

Although peer-reviewed studies indicate that cold plasma can suppress surface-associated microorganisms, farmers and seed suppliers lack crop- and seed-type-specific guidance on whether plasma treatment reliably reduces disease risk without compromising seed performance. Without validated data and practical decision tools, growers and seed companies must absorb significant uncertainty and financial risk when selecting seed sanitation strategies.

SOLUTION AND APPROACH

This project evaluates cold plasma as a non-chemical, organic-compatible seed sanitation tool tailored to Northeast farming systems. Working directly with farmer and seed-company partners, we will test plasma treatments on real-world seed lots and focus on outcomes that matter to growers: pathogen suppression, seed viability, storage stability, and field performance.

Partner-supplied seed lots will include five representative crops, beans, hemp, pepper, wheat, and arugula, spanning soft-, hard-coated, oil-rich, smooth, rough, seed types common in the region. Each seed lot will be diagnostically confirmed to harbor three economically relevant seedborne pathogens, including both fungal and bacterial agents with internal and external localization.

Seeds will be treated with cold plasma at four intensities (low, mid, high, and maximum tolerable dose) and compared with untreated controls. Outcomes will be assessed using culture-based diagnostics, qPCR, seedling grow-out assays, standard germination and vigor testing, short-term storage evaluations, and on-farm field trials. Farmer engagement is integrated throughout the project, from sanitation priorities to interpretation of results.

Project outputs will include a seed-type feasibility matrix enabling farmers and seed suppliers to determine when plasma treatment is beneficial, marginal, or unsuitable. Results will be shared through Extension meetings, fact sheets, and on-farm demonstrations.

ALIGNMENT WITH PRIORITIES

By improving seed health and stand establishment, this project supports NE-SARE Priority 1 by promoting healthier seedlings, stronger root systems, and more resilient soil-plant interactions while reducing soil disturbance associated with replanting. As a non-chemical, non-residue technology, cold plasma also advances NE-SARE Priorities 2 and 3 by reducing reliance on synthetic seed treatments and fungicides, minimizing risks of runoff, leaching, and water contamination. Finally, by eliminating chemical handling and disposal, the project supports Priority 4 by improving safety for farmers and seed handlers.

HYPOTHESIS

This project tests the hypothesis that cold plasma, applied at optimized dosages, will suppress both internal and external seedborne fungal and bacterial pathogens in specific seed types while maintaining acceptable levels of germination and seedling vigor.

RESEARCH

We will evaluate cold plasma as a novel, non-chemical seed sanitation approach compatible with organic seed systems in the Northeast. Farmer-partner seed lots representing five distinct seed morphologies will be treated at four plasma dosages. Efficacy will be determined through diagnostically confirmed pathogen suppression, followed by assessment of germination, seedling vigor, emergence and grow-out performance to identify dosage-seed-type combinations that are effective and adoption-ready.

EXPECTED OUTCOME

The expected outcome is a validated decision framework that enables Northeast farmers and seed suppliers to determine when cold plasma is a feasible, organic-compatible seed sanitation option, for which seed types and pathogen types it is most effective, and which plasma dosages achieve pathogen suppression while maintaining seed quality and field performance.

BENEFITS TO GROWERS

Northeastern Growers will benefit from reduced losses associated with contaminated seed lots, replanting, and poor stand establishment, along with decreased reliance on chemical disease control inputs, improving profitability, seed marketability, and organic system resilience.