High Sulfur (S) Supplementation Imparts Waterlogging Tolerance to Oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) Through Upregulating S Metabolism and Antioxidant Pathways

Abstract

Waterlogging significantly impacts plant growth and development by altering nutrient uptake and antioxidant enzyme functions, resulting in reduced yield. Plants need sulfur (S) to produce reduced glutathione (GSH), a thiol compound that combats abiotic stresses. It is hypothesized that supplying S to high S-demanding oilseed rape plants beyond its growth requirements can reduce the adverse effect of waterlogging stress. Therefore, this study evaluated the comparative effect of different S doses (mg kg− 1 soil), i.e., no-S (S0), low-S (S1, 35), medium-S (S2, 70), and high-S (S3, 140) on growth, yield and antioxidant defense systems of normal growing and waterlogged oilseed rape plants. Waterlogging was imposed at the inflorescence emergence stage for 7 days by retaining a 3-cm layer of water above the soil surface. Waterlogged plants supplemented with high-S showed improved growth and higher yield than those supplemented with lower S levels, and this response was associated with improved activity/contents of antioxidants, including ascorbate (AsA), GSH, ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, and dehydroascorbate reductase, with concomitant lowering of hydrogen peroxide, dehydroascorbate and malondialdehyde content. Furthermore, leaf S concentration was enhanced in waterlogged plants treated with high-S, while anions were regulated whereby Cl− uptake was decreased. However, under control conditions, high-S did not provide additional benefits of improved plant growth, yield, and antioxidant activities compared to the medium-S application. Thus, it is concluded that additional S supplementation mitigates the adverse effects of waterlogging stress on oilseed rape, and needs to be employed as a potential strategy to alleviate the negative effects of this abiotic stress.

Deciphering Physio-Biochemical Basis of Tolerance Mechanism for Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) Genotypes under Waterlogging Stress at Early Vegetative Stage

“…Several other reports also confirmed the findings of the current study [ 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 ]. The glutathione levels were observed to exhibit a notable increase in plants subjected to prolonged waterlogging stress lasting four days or more [ 3 ].…”

Does humic acid foliar application affect growth and nutrient status of water‐stressed maize?

“…Despite maize's requirement for substantial quantities of water, it is not tolerant of submergence when soil moisture exceeds 80% (Chen et al, 1988). It was therefore anticipated that the effect on plant growth observed in drought conditions would also be evident in waterlogging conditions, as has been described for various sensitive crops (Araki et al, 2012;Hussain et al, 2022Hussain et al, , 2023Ploschuk et al, 2018;Setter & Waters, 2003;Wollmer et al, 2018aWollmer et al, , 2018b.…”

“…Waterlogging is accompanied by a decrease in soil oxygen level, which is the main factor causing stress and triggering a series of metabolic changes (Horchani et al, 2009). High-yielding crops such as wheat and rapeseed are particularly susceptible to waterlogging, which can reduce yields by up to 60% for wheat and 25% for rapeseed (Hussain et al, 2023;Ploschuk et al, 2018;Wollmer et al, 2018aWollmer et al, , 2018b.…”

“…Taken together, water stress is a serious problem in the context of food security, making it even more important to not only understand plant response mechanisms but also to identify effective strategies to mitigate water stress. Under drought conditions, these strategies include, but are not limited to, root system improvement, osmotic adjustment, and improved nutrient supply by, for example, external potassium or sulfur supply (Hussain et al, 2023;Mostofa et al, 2022;Zörb et al, 2014). Another promising approach to improve growth under drought stress is based on the study by Varanini et al (1993), in which the use of low molecular weight humic acids resulted in the stimulation of the proton ATPase, thereby improving both growth and yield in oats.…”

Oat—an alternative crop under waterlogging stress?

“…Depending on plant species, physiological tolerance, timing, and duration of the waterlogging event, yield losses can largely vary ( Setter and Waters, 2003 ; de San Celedonio et al., 2014 ; Arduini et al., 2016 ; Ploschuk et al., 2018 ). Notably, high-yielding crops such as wheat or rapeseed are more susceptible to waterlogging in later developmental stages ( Araki et al., 2012 ; Wollmer et al., 2018a , b ; Hussain et al., 2022 , 2023 ). According to Pampana et al.…”