SUBOPTIMAL USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES, CHEMICAL RESIDUES FROM FERTILIZERS &AMP; PESTICIDES, PATHOGEN CONTAMINATION AND ASSOCIATED ECONOMIC LOSSES ARE MAJOR CONCERNS FOR FRESH PRODUCE INDUSTRY. RESEARCH ON CLEANER AND SUSTAINABLE FRESH PRODUCE GROWING SYSTEMS USING ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY TECHNOLOGY IS NEEDED.THIS PROJECT WILL USE COLD PLASMA TECHNOLOGIES FOR GROWING HIGH QUALITY AND SAFE FRESH PRODUCE IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY. COLD PLASMA CONSISTS OF CHARGED SPECIES, EXCITED GAS ATOMS AND MOLECULES, AND HIGH ENERGY PHOTONS. PLASMA ACTIVATED WATER (PAW) AND PLASMA ACTIVATED MIST (PAM) GENERATED BY EXPOSING WATER AND WATER DROPLETS TO COLD PLASMA, RESPECTIVELY, HAVE SHOWN PROMISING RESULTS IN ENHANCED PLANT GROWTH AND ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECTS. PAW AND PAM WILL BE EMPLOYED IN SOIL-LESS LAB-SCALE PRODUCTION OF SWEET BASIL. THE EFFECTS ON YIELD, QUALITY, NUTRITIONAL VALUE, SHELF-LIFE, AND MICROBIOLOGICAL SAFETY WILL BE QUANTIFIED. WE WILL SCALE-UP PAW AND PAM SYSTEMS FOR PRODUCTION OF SWEET BASIL AT GREENHOUSE SCALE.WE WILL EXTEND PAW AND PAM TECHNOLOGIES TO URBAN AGRIBUSINESS ENTREPRENEURS AND FARMERS WE WILL EDUCATE THE GENERAL PUBLIC USING WEB-BASED RESOURCES, DEMONSTRATIONS, WORKSHOPS, AND SEMINARS. PRODUCERS/FARMERS/GROWERS WILL BENEFIT FROM PLASMA TECHNOLOGIES DUE TO INCREASED YIELD, HIGHER NUTRITIONAL VALUE, ENHANCED SHELF-LIFE, AND BETTER MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY, WHILE USING NATURAL RECOURSES IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY.THE PROJECT OUTCOME WILL BE DEVELOPMENT AND DEMONSTRATION OF COLD PLASMA-BASED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES FOR PRODUCTION OF HIGH QUALITY AND SAFER FRESH PRODUCE.