Cold plasma treatment as a strategy to mitigate salt stress in cucumber germination

Authors: EKINCI, MELEK - Ataturk University; ORS, SELDA - Ataturk University; YILDIRIM, ERTAN - Ataturk University; AKAN, TAMER - Eskisehir Osmangazi University; Ferreira, Jorge

Submitted to: New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/11/2026
Publication Date: 6/4/2026
Citation: Ekinci, M., Ors, S., Yildirim, E., Akan, T., Ferreira, J.F. 2026. Cold plasma treatment as a strategy to mitigate salt stress in cucumber germination. New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science. 54(2). Article e70186. https://doi.org/10.1002/nzc2.70186.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/nzc2.70186

Interpretive Summary: Cucumbers are among the most consumed fresh vegetables in the United States and worldwide. However, soil and water salinity represent a major problem for producers in semi-arid regions of the world, including California. New technologies have been tested to improve the germination of vegetable seeds, like cucumber, when facing environmental adversities. One of the technologies gaining traction in agriculture is called “cold plasma”, which consists of treating seeds with an ionized gas that was submitted to an electrical charge to form reactive oxygen species in the form of ions. When cucumber seeds were submitted to this ionized plasma, their germination and seedling parameters improved significantly. High salinity decreased all germination and seedling parameters significantly. However, seeds pretreated with cold plasma had improved germination and seedling parameters when compared to non-treated seeds. When crops cultivated under salinity stress have boosted germination and seedling development, these benefits may persist into later stages of plant development. The cold plasma pre-planting treatment is affordable, innocuous to plants and the environment, and ought to be tested in other seeded crops at salinities lower than those tested here. This technology has the potential to benefit crop cultivation in semi-arid regions in soil affected or not by salts.

Technical Abstract: Cold plasma technology has become widely used in agriculture, either alone or integrated with other technologies. It offers numerous advantages, particularly in agricultural production, where it is especially popular for seed treatments. In this study, we evaluated the effects of cold plasma treatments on the germination parameters of cucumber seeds under salt stress. To assess these effects, germination percentage, germination index, mean germination time, mean daily germination, germination peak value, germination value, root length, hypocotyl length, root dry and fresh weight, and hypocotyl fresh and dry weight were measured under control and saline stress conditions. Cold plasma treatments were applied for 0, 15, 30, and 60 seconds under control or under 100 mM NaCl. Cucumber germination parameters and seedling growth decreased significantly under salinity compared to no-salt control. Under saline conditions, salinity's deleterious effects on germination were reduced, often significantly, by using the cold plasma technique, particularly when applied for 30 seconds. Our results demonstrated that cold plasma technology boosted seed germination without salinity, often significantly, under high salinity. Germination is one of the first and most important stages of plant cultivation, especially in saline soils. Enhanced seed germination under salinity promotes healthy seedling development, which has positive effects on plants' overall growth and later development stages.