摘要
Atmospheric pressure plasma treatment on seeds has recently become a valuable technique to improve germination. This work treated Mesembryanthemum crystallinum (ice plant) seeds by the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) atmospheric pressure plasma at room temperature. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicate that after plasma treatment, the N&null stretching vibration of proteins (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$sim$</tex-math> </inline-formula>3340 cm<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{-1})$</tex-math> </inline-formula> is introduced into the seed surface, increasing the nitrogen content on the surface of the ice plant. Therefore, the seed germination rate increased significantly by 15.2%. However, prolonged plasma treatment reduces seed germination. Because the operating surrounding temperature increases with the treatment time, the wax on the surface of the seed is evaporated, resulting in a significant increase water uptake of seeds. Excess water uptake hinders oxygen diffusion to the embryo, affecting germination. A feasible mechanism and effects of plasma treatment on ice plants are proposed in this study. DBD plasma-treated ice plants significantly increase germination rates, showing excellent potential in the agricultural field.