# Applications of Plasma Produced with Electrical Discharges in Gases for Agriculture and Biomedicine
## 4 Summary and Prospects  
The antimicrobial properties of plasmas in the case of decontamination of water, ambient air and surfaces, as well as in biomedical treatment, is widely proven, as evidenced by numerous scientific publications, but also by the many examples of practical and, in the case of biomedicine, clinical applications.  
AOTS using ozone in combination with other strong active species, such as hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radicals, and UV radiation, can be successfully applied to combat bactericidal pollution of soils and allow for a synergetic effect. The contamination of soils in public grounds and in agriculture with various microorganisms, including parasite eggs from pets and wild animals, in both developing and developed countries, raises public concern. The influence of ozone in the air and soil on seed and plant development has been broadly investigated. Ozone injected into previously oversaturated soil was reported to be beneficial for the growth of tomatoes and certain fungi, as well as for the treatment of seeds and bulbs, causing 15-20% disease immunity enhancement of cotton plants and an improvement in the morpho-biological and technological parameters of cotton fibre, 12-15% higher grain yield with better quality of corn grain, and over 60% improvement in bean seed germination. After-flood agricultural soil should not be cultivated for three or more years to prevent crop contamination. However, the application of AOT-based treatment techniques significantly shortened this period.  
The use of non-thermal plasma in biomedical applications is very promising and has aroused great interest in recent years. Non-thermal plasma has been explored for its potential use in wound healing, skin cancer treatment and viral, bacterial, and fungal sterilisation. The advantage of plasma technology is its high degree of versatility and adaptability. Non-thermal plasma can be generated in a wide range of energies, in a variety of gases, and using an increasing variety of generators. This multitude of parameters related to plasma production allows for fine-tuning of the nature, quality, and intensity of the produced plasma to specific biomedical needs. Plasma reactors generating plasma at atmospheric pressure can be built in various shapes and sizes, with the use of various types of electrical discharges (i.e., DBD, APPJ, CD, PN, ARC and GAD, PT, and MWD).  
Plasma biomedicine and agriculture are newly discovered, promising, and rapidly developing areas of science and engineering. Plasma in biomedicine focuses on the mechanisms of plasma agent interaction with cells and cellular structures. A deeper understanding of this topic should bring new results in tumour and skin disease, dental sciences, wound healing, antimicrobial treatments, dermatology, and oncology.  
Cold atmospheric plasma demonstrates great potential for applications in seed germination, seed decontamination, plant disease control, water cleaning, water activation with minerals, and soil purification. In the food industry, plasma can contribute to inactivating different pathogens in food products, increasing lipid oxidation and acidity of products, reducing colour intensity, and increasing fruit firmness.  
For the last 20 years, interdisciplinary teams have been working on plasma and its potential to solve agricultural and biomedical problems. They include scientists in the field of chemistry and physics, chemical technology, environmental engineering, agricultural engineering, biochemistry, microbiology, medicine, bioengineering, metrology, materials, and electrical engineering.  
This research was funded by Lublin University of Technology grants numbers FD-20/EE-2/416, FD-20/EE-2/401 intended for research activities within the \"Automatics, Electronics and Electrical Engineering\" scientific discipline.  
Not applicable.  
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.  
The authors declare no conflict of interest.