Plasma‐activated water to improve the stress tolerance of barley.

It is shown that plasma‐activated water (PAW) improves tolerance against combined low temperature and hypoxia stresses during germination. Due to PAW's effect on the antioxidant system, PAW pretreatment mitigates the reducing effect on plant growth of the hydroponically applied NaCl. PAW pretreatment reduces the salt‐stress‐induced decrease of the cysteine and γ‐glutamylcysteine content and improves the plant's recovery after NaCl stress. PAW pretreatment also modifies the NaCl‐induced changes in carotenoid content, especially, β‐carotenes and xanthophylls. These compounds, together with glutathione can reduce salt‐induced damage through the removal of excess reactive oxygen species, which could be the basis of the protective effect of PAW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]