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Impact of Atmospheric Sulfur Deposition on Sulfur Metabolism in Plants: H 2 S as Sulfur Source for Sulfur Deprived Brassica oleracea L.
Author(s) -
Kok L. J.,
Elisabeth C.,
Stuiver E.,
Rubinigg M.,
Westerman Sue,
Grill D.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
botanica acta
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.871
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1438-8677
pISSN - 0932-8629
DOI - 10.1111/j.1438-8677.1997.tb00657.x
Subject(s) - sulfur , shoot , sulfate , brassica , chemistry , sulfur metabolism , brassica oleracea , nitrate , botany , metabolism , horticulture , environmental chemistry , biochemistry , biology , organic chemistry
Brassica oleracea L. was rather insensitive to atmospheric H 2 S: growth was only negatively affected at ≥0.4 μl I −1 . Shoots formed a sink for H 2 S and the uptake rate showed saturation kinetics with respect to the atmospheric concentration. The H 2 S uptake rate was high in comparison with other species, which may reflect the high sulfur need of Brassica . The net uptake of sulfate by roots of hydroponically grown plants was substantially reduced after one week of exposure to 0.25 μl l −1 H 2 S, indicating that plants switched in part from sulfate to H 2 S as sulfur source for plant growth. Plants were sulfur deficient after two weeks of sulfur deprivation, illustrated by reduced growth, which was more pronounced for shoots than for roots, and in enhanced shoot dry matter content. The latter could for the greater part be attributed to enhanced levels of soluble sugars and starch. Sulfur deficiency was further characterized by a low pigment content, extremely low levels of sulfate and water‐soluble non‐protein thiols, and by enhanced levels of nitrate and free amino acids, particularly in the shoots. Furthermore, sulfur deficient plants contained a lower total lipid content in shoots, whereas its content in roots was unaffected. The level of sulfolipids was decreased in both roots and shoots. When sulfur deprived plants were exposed to 0.25 μl I −1 H 2 S for one week, all sulfur deficiency symptoms were abolished and growth was restored. Furthermore, plants were able to grow with 0.4 μl I −1 H 2 S as the sole sulfur source. Water‐soluble non‐protein thiol content was enhanced in both shoots and roots of H 2 S exposed plants, irrespective of the sulfate supply to the roots, whereas plants grown with H 2 S as sole sulfur source contained very low sulfate levels. The interaction between atmospheric and pedospheric sulfur nutrition in plants is discussed.