Learning Opportunity: The Potential of Plasma-Activated Water

By Nick Matysik|July 14, 2025

Plasma-activated water (PAW) is a tool currently being tested and used for its floriculture applications in crop production and pest management. However, as an untapped innovation, the science and its practical applications within the industry are a mystery to many. So, what exactly is plasma-activated water, and how can it become a useful tool for growers?

American Floral Endowment‘s upcoming webinar on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, as part of its ongoing Grow Pro series, will cover an exploration of PAW technology and how its unique properties can be applied within floriculture. Topics of the webinar will include:

Availability and use of PAW systems for sustainable production practices.
How PAW can be integrated into pest management strategies.
PAW’s effects on seed germination, seedling vigor, and crop health.
The science behind how PAW is created.

The featured speaker for “Plasma Activated Water for Floriculture Production” is Dr. Christian Nansen, an Associate Professor in the Department of Entomology and Nematology at the University of California, Davis, specializing in:

Host plant stress detection
Host selection by arthropods
Insect ecology
Integrated pest management (IPM)
Pesticide performance
Remote sensing
Use of reflectance-based imaging

Nansen completed his Ph.D. in zoology at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark prior to joining the UC Davis faculty. His prior work experience includes holding faculty positions at Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and the University of Western Australia.

Willing participants can register for the webinar directly through Zoom or by visiting the Grow Pro Webinar series page on the AFE website, where information on future webinars in the series can be found. Recordings of all past Grow Pro webinars can also be found on the AFE’s YouTube channel. Additionally, the full calendar schedule of the Grow Pro Webinar Series can be viewed below: