Gas plasma treatment of plant seeds

A method for the treatment of plant seeds prior to planting comprising the steps of:

• providing a tubular gas plasma discharge chamber having axially spaced apart annular electrodes exterior to and generally coaxial with said chamber;
• placing plant seeds to be treated in said chamber between said electrodes;
• supplying an inorganic gas or mixture of inorganic gases to said chamber at a pressure of 0.05 Torr to 5 Torr;
• and
• applying high frequency electrical power to said electrodes for generating a low temperature plasma discharge between said electrodes for a treatment time ranging from 5 seconds to 300 seconds.

A method for the treatment of plant seeds prior to planting comprising the steps of:

• providing a gas plasma discharge chamber having spaced apart electrodes;
• placing plant seeds to be treated in said chamber between said electrodes;
• supplying an inorganic gas selected from the group consisting oxygen, atmospheric air, and mixtures of nitrogen and oxygen with a concentration of nitrogen ranging from 0% to 80% to said chamber at a pressure of 0.05 Torr to 5 Torr;
• and
• applying high frequency electrical power in the range of 1 MHz to 40 MHz to said electrodes for generating a low temperature plasma discharge at a specific power of 0.003 to 1.5 W/cm3 between said electrodes for a treatment time ranging from 5 seconds to 300 seconds.