Seed priming with cold plasma mitigated the negative influence of drought stress on growth and yield of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.)

This research sought to explore how cold plasma influences the morphology, yield, and seed oil content of rapeseed ( Brassica napus L.), along with the related physiological processes under drought stress. While cold plasma has demonstrated efficacy in seed priming for germination enhancement, its potential to improve plant drought resistance remains unexplored. Rapeseed seeds were pretreated with cold plasma of 100 W and subsequently subjected to drought stress. Drought stress significantly impeded seedling growth, diminished seed yields and oil content, and resulted in increased membrane lipid peroxidation, while also impairing root activity, photosynthesis and nitrogen (N) metabolism. In contrast, cold plasma treatment significantly alleviated these stress-induced impairments by reducing malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, enhancing superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities, and increasing osmoprotectant (soluble sugar) levels. These physiological improvements restored root activity, enhanced photosynthetic performance, and promoted nitrogen assimilation, ultimately leading to better growth and yield outcomes. The findings suggest that cold plasma pretreatment enhances drought tolerance by coordinated modulating oxidative stress responses, osmotic adjustment, and metabolic processes. This study highlights cold plasma pretreatment as a sustainable strategy for enhancing crop performance under water-limited conditions. • Cold plasma enhances growth and seed yield under drought stress. • Cold plasma increases photosynthetic efficiency and nitrogen uptake. • Cold plasma improves antioxidant activity under drought stress. • Cold plasma stimulates osmoprotectant accumulation under drought stress.