Non-thermal plasma technology is gaining increasing attention for numerous applications in agriculture. Water activated by non-thermal plasma discharge has been shown to promote plant growth and alleviate environmental stress, by improving plant tolerance to abiotic stresses and pre-alerting plant defence responses. Calcium is known to play a key role as an intracellular messenger in various plant signal transduction pathways, including sensing of plasma-activated water (PAW). In this work we analysed the effect of plant treatment with PAW on the transient elevations in intracellular Ca2+ levels triggered by the subsequent challenge with different abiotic and biotic stresses. PAW was found to alter the cytosolic Ca2+ signals induced by salinity, drought, and the pathogen-derived peptide elicitor flg22 in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings that stably express the bioluminescent Ca2+ reporter aequorin in the cytosol. By uncovering stimulus-specific changes in intracellular Ca2+ signatures associated with environmental stresses, the obtained data provide insights into the mechanisms underlying PAW-induced stress tolerance. A mechanistic understanding of PAW effects on plants may allow the fine-tuning of this promising technology and its application for a more sustainable agriculture.
Shaping intracellular calcium signatures associated with environmental stresses by plasma-activated water in Arabidopsis thaliana
De Stefani D.;Navazio L.
2025
Abstract
Non-thermal plasma technology is gaining increasing attention for numerous applications in agriculture. Water activated by non-thermal plasma discharge has been shown to promote plant growth and alleviate environmental stress, by improving plant tolerance to abiotic stresses and pre-alerting plant defence responses. Calcium is known to play a key role as an intracellular messenger in various plant signal transduction pathways, including sensing of plasma-activated water (PAW). In this work we analysed the effect of plant treatment with PAW on the transient elevations in intracellular Ca2+ levels triggered by the subsequent challenge with different abiotic and biotic stresses. PAW was found to alter the cytosolic Ca2+ signals induced by salinity, drought, and the pathogen-derived peptide elicitor flg22 in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings that stably express the bioluminescent Ca2+ reporter aequorin in the cytosol. By uncovering stimulus-specific changes in intracellular Ca2+ signatures associated with environmental stresses, the obtained data provide insights into the mechanisms underlying PAW-induced stress tolerance. A mechanistic understanding of PAW effects on plants may allow the fine-tuning of this promising technology and its application for a more sustainable agriculture.
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