Most growers aim to improve efficiency by producing more crop for the same (or less) cost. In this regard, bigger is better. This could mean higher overall yields or reduced crop cycle times, both without affecting quality or yield.
It’s no secret that Zayndu’s cold plasma treatment enables seeds to germinate quicker. With or without this head start in germination, we also demonstrate that plants derived from treated seeds develop and grow faster. As a result, growers see larger harvest weights and, therefore, more revenue.
With the use of ActivatedAir™, growers get more without having to alter their growing conditions.
But what about quality?
How ActivatedAir™ improves output means that quality is unaffected. The origin of the yield improvements lies in the increased germination speed and consistency. It gets the seed up and away quicker but still utilises the same metabolic processes in the plant, so flavour and plant architecture are unaffected.
We are so confident this is the case that we have plans to begin blind taste testing of treated and untreated plants. There will be more on this in future editions of In the Lab.
Below are some examples of how Zayndu’s ActivatedAir™ has achieved this boost in plant height…
Tomato


Tomato seeds treated with ActivatedAir™ outperformed their untreated counterparts. The increased growth rate can be seen consistently throughout the experiment. For example, treated seedlings reach 40 mm at Day 19—this is 4 days before untreated seedlings arrive at the same height on Day 23. By the end of the experiment, plants from treated seeds reach a height of ~88 mm, whereas plants from untreated seeds just arrive at ~80 mm—a 10% increase in plant height!
Basil



Both treated and untreated basil plants were grown in soil, with their heights measured regularly. Initially, the growth rates were similar; however, basil from treated seeds began to show significant advantages starting at the three-week mark. This trend continued through to the end of the experiment on Day 32, where basil from treated seeds averaged 146 mm in height, compared to an average of 128 mm for the untreated seeds, resulting in a 14% increase.
In certain situations, crops must meet specific requirements regarding weight or height before they can be harvested. With ActivatedAir™, the accelerated germination and growth rates lead to shorter crop cycle times—enabling plants to reach these specifications more quickly, as seen with the basil mentioned above.
This time efficiency allows growers to fit more crop cycles into each year, resulting in increased annual output and revenue.
Peas


Untreated and treated pea seeds were analysed using cellulose pleated sheets, with a primary focus on germination rates. The heights of the seedlings were measured regularly after they emerged from the pleats. Seeds treated with ActivatedAir™ demonstrated faster germination, and the seedlings showed accelerated growth thereafter, as illustrated in Figure 3 above.
Find out more
If you want to learn more about how Zayndu’s ActivatedAir™ system can improve your germination rates, email us at info@zayndu.com. Or, find out if you’re eligible for the ‘Try Before You Buy’ here.
Written by: Alberto Campanaro and Sam Gee