A new preparation designed to protect crops from bacterial diseases using cold atmospheric plasma has been patented by the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland, the University of Gdańsk’s Technology Transfer Centre reports.
Developed by scientists from the University of Gdańsk and Wrocław University of Science and Technology, the solution is designed to combat diseases including bacterial speck of tomato, bacterial wilt of solanaceous crops and brassica black rot. Based on aqueous solutions of inorganic salts, the method eliminates pathogens and offers an eco-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides.
Bacterial infections cause significant production losses in crops and, in the case of the most dangerous pathogens subject to mandatory control measures, can lead to the immediate destruction of an entire crop, according to the release.
The liquid preparation is produced by exposing a mineral salt solution to cold plasma, triggering the formation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species with antimicrobial properties. Its composition and activation method can be tailored to specific bacterial species. Because the resulting compounds are unstable, the preparation does not cause toxic residues to accumulate in the environment.
Research coordinator Wojciech Śledź, PhD, from the University of Gdańsk, said the team’s goal was to develop a new method of combating plant diseases.
“To this end, we used cold atmospheric plasma, which allows us to impart antimicrobial properties to simple aqueous solutions of mineral salts. It is particularly important to us that the resulting preparations effectively inhibit the proliferation of several significant plant-pathogenic bacteria, including pathogens subject to mandatory control measures,” said the scientist, quoted in the press release.
The team is now seeking industry partners interested in conducting field trials and commercialising the technology, Śledź said.
Agata Motyka-Pomagruk, PhD, from the University of Gdańsk, said the technology is part of long-term research conducted by the two universities.
“The approaches we are developing involve both direct and indirect applications of cold atmospheric plasma in agriculture, medicine, dentistry, and environmental protection,” she said.
Katarzyna Gronowska, Director of the University of Gdańsk Technology Transfer Office, said the patent is the ninth invention related to plant growth stimulation, seed protection and pathogen elimination to receive patent protection through collaborative research between Professor Ewa Łojkowska’s team and researchers from Wrocław University of Science and Technology. (PAP)
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