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Hydrogen sulfide alleviates the aluminum-induced changes in Brassica napus as revealed by physiochemical and ultrastructural study of plant

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Abstract

In the present study, ameliorating role of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) was studied with or without application of H2S donor sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) (0.3 mM) in hydroponic conditions under three levels (0, 0.1 and 0.3 mM) of aluminum (Al). Results showed that addition of H2S significantly improved the plant growth, photosynthetic gas exchange, and nutrients concentration in the leaves and roots of B. napus plants under Al stress. Exogenously applied H2S significantly lowered the Al concentration in different plant parts, and reduced the production of malondialdehyde and reactive oxygen species by improving antioxidant enzyme activities in the leaves and roots under Al stress. Moreover, the present study indicated that exogenously applied H2S improved the cell structure and displayed clean mesophyll and root tip cells. The chloroplast with well-developed thylakoid membranes could be observed in the micrographs. Under the combined application of H2S and Al, a number of modifications could be observed in root tip cell, such as mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, and golgi bodies. Thus, it can be concluded that exogenous application of H2S under Al stress improved the plant growth, photosynthetic parameters, elements concentration, and biochemical and ultrastructural changes in leaves and roots of B. napus.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (2011AA10A206, 2013AA103007), the Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest (201303022), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31170405), and the Science and Technology Department of Zhejiang Province (2012C12902-1). We thank Nianhang Rong and Junying Li from the Center of Analysis & Measurement, Zhejiang University for their assistance during the Transmission Electron Microscope analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Crop Science and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Basharat Ali, Ping Qian, Muhammad A. Farooq, Rafaqat A. Gill, Jian Wang & Weijun Zhou

  2. Agricultural Experiment Station, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Rui Sun

  3. Institute of Fruit Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Muhammad Azam

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  1. Basharat Ali
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Correspondence to Weijun Zhou.

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Responsible editor: Elena Maestri

Basharat Ali and Ping Qian co-first authors contributed equally to this work.

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Ali, B., Qian, P., Sun, R. et al. Hydrogen sulfide alleviates the aluminum-induced changes in Brassica napus as revealed by physiochemical and ultrastructural study of plant. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 3068–3081 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3551-y

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