Commercial spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) production is underrepresented in hydroponic production due to inconsistent germination rate, uniformity, and percentage. Seed treatments to enhance germination require tedious decoating of the pericarp or priming with synthetic chemicals. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of plasma activated water (PAW) on spinach seed germination. PAW is generated by applying cold atmospheric plasma to water, resulting in a multitude of direct and indirect chemical reactions at the interface. PAW is rich in reactive nitrogen and oxygen species, and it has been shown to enhance several agricultural processes including seed germination. Seeds of spinach were primed for a set period of time in distilled water (control) or PAW and germinated in petri dishes. After 14 d, seeds that had been primed in PAW for any length of time germinated with greater percentage than control (74.6% and 66.1%, respectively). Optimal priming in PAW was found to be 6 h, yielding a study high germination percentage of 80%. Additionally, seeds primed with PAW improved mean germination time compared to control conditions. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of PAW as a useful tool in seed priming to improve germination.
