Application of dielectric barrier plasma for depositing plant extract on soybeans: a sustainable approach to seed treatment

• Grant number: 25/15854-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: December 01, 2025
• End date: November 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Physics of Fluids, Plasma Physics and Electrical Discharge
• Principal Investigator: Nilson Cristino da Cruz
• Grantee: Gabriela Fiori da Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia. Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Sorocaba. Sorocaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Brazil, being the world's leading soybean producer and owner of vast planting areas, is also the country that consumes the most pesticides in the world. The global demand for food and, consequently, for grains is increasing, and seed treatment is gaining prominence because it protects seeds during germination and seedling emergence from pest attacks. However, the use of insecticides and fungicides not only harms the environment but also causes damage to human health. Among the diseases that affect soybean crops, the fungus Macrophomina phaseolina, which causes charcoal rot desease, can infect the roots of the plant from the beginning of germination and can cause the death of seedlings before and after emergence. As an alternative to chemicals, the use of cold plasma at atmospheric pressure in seed treatment is an economical and sustainable option. Given this scenario, the present study aims to develop a new method for coating soybean seeds, using atmospheric dielectric barrier discharge plasma to promote the deposition of plant extract with antimicrobial characteristics on the surface of the seeds, aiming the emergence of healthy seedlings and pathogen control.