Recommendable! Long article! TL;DR
"... Plasma is remarkably common. In fact, most matter seen in the known universe — more than 99.9 percent, according to astrophysicists — is in a plasma state. ...
For decades, scientists have known that exposure to plasma can safely kill pathogenic bacteria, fungi and viruses. Small studies in animals also suggest that plasma can prompt the growth of blood vessels in skin. ...
Experiments conducted in the last decade or so have tested a mix of ways to apply plasma to seeds, seedlings, crops and fields. These include plasma generated using noble gases, as well as plasma generated from air. In some cases, plasma is directly applied through plasma “jets” that stream over the seeds or plants. Another approach uses plasma-treated water that can do double duty: irrigation and fertilization. Some studies have reported a range of benefits, from helping plants grow faster and bigger to resisting pests. ...
Recent advances became possible ... largely because in the 1990s and early 2000s, scientists developed efficient and cost-effective ways to generate cold plasmas by streaming high-energy electrons into a gas. Those electrons would collide with gas molecules, knocking off electrons and producing charged particles. Since then, he says, there’s been something of a rush to test plasma on plants at all stages of growth and with a range of strategies."
Cold plasma could transform the sustainable farms of the future | Science News How the fourth state of matter can make a greenhouse greener — and boost plant growth
