A team of five high school students from Türkiye, known as Team Ceres, has developed an innovative plasma-powered device called Plantzma to combat the devastating effects of drought on crops. The team, consisting of Diyar, Adar, Dilvin, Mir Baran, and Beyza, was motivated by their personal experiences after witnessing the destructive impact of a drought in their region.
Their region recently experienced a 40% decline in precipitation rates, with rising pollution exacerbating the situation, leading to an 80% crop loss and a significant food shortage.
This crisis disproportionately affected vulnerable communities, prompting Team Ceres to develop a scalable solution to address both local and global food scarcity challenges. “In Türkiye, we are living the effects of climate change. This region was Mesopotamia, where agriculture and civilization were born, but now people are struggling with climate change and drought,” Beyza explained.
The issue of crop failures is a global concern. The World Economic Forum predicts a sharp rise in global crop failures, estimating that by 2030, crop failures could be 4.5 times higher than current rates, potentially increasing to 25 times higher by 2050.
The Plantzma device utilizes low-temperature plasma to enhance crop resilience and enrich irrigation water. “It can be used by just clicking two or three buttons,” explained Beyza. By exposing seeds to plasma before cultivation, the device improves germination rates and growth potential while also increasing resistance to diseases and environmental stressors.
Treating irrigation water with plasma creates an environmentally friendly, nitrogen-enriched fertilizer that provides essential nutrients for plant growth. “Since we are not able to change the climate – the problem itself – we are trying to solve the effects of it,” expressed 18-year-old Diyar.
Plasma, often referred to as the fourth state of matter, is essentially supercharged ionized air. Its superheated particles have immense energy, enabling it to easily conduct electricity. While rare on Earth, plasma is abundant in space and can be created using a gas, a discharge system with electrodes, and a voltage system.
The Plantzma device utilizes the power of low-temperature plasma in two ways: direct treatment of seeds and indirect treatment of irrigation water. This innovative approach reduces reliance on chemical fertilizers, enhances crop yields, and promotes sustainable agriculture practices. The team’s inspiration for using plasma technology stemmed from Beyza’s interest in exoplanets and NASA’s research on plasma applications.
Priced at $191, the Plantzma device is designed to be affordable and user-friendly, making it accessible to farmers in rural communities with limited access to modern technologies. “When we interviewed farmers, they were happy to hear about this product,” Beyza expressed.
The significance of Team Ceres’ innovation led them to register their Plantzma solution into The Earth Prize, a global environmental sustainability competition for students, where they were named runners-up.
By Impact Lab
