Plasma and plasma-activated water applications in agriculture: Recent advances and implications for Nepal

This review focuses on the use of non-thermal plasma technologies in agriculture, with particular attention to Nepal. Recent studies on local crops such as radish, wheat, barley, tomato, cauliflower, leafy vegetables, Basmati rice, and oyster mushroom have reported clear benefits using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and gliding arc discharge (GAD). Both direct plasma treatment and plasma activated water (PAW) have been found to improve germination, vigor index, chlorophyll content, and early plant growth. Despite these promising laboratory results, several challenges remain, including limited infrastructure, lack of funding, and insufficient large scale field studies. This review highlights these gaps and suggests possible ways forward, such as developing low-cost PAW systems, conducting multi season field trials, and establishing a national Plasma Agriculture Research Hub. Overall, plasma technology shows strong potential for supporting sustainable and climate resilient agriculture in Nepal.