Biochemical and physiological impacts of zinc sulphate, potassium phosphite and hydrogen sulphide in mitigating stress conditions in soybean

• Published in: Physiologia plantarum Vol. 168; no. 2; pp. 456 - 472
• Main Authors: Batista, Priscila Ferreira, Müller, Caroline, Merchant, Andrew, Fuentes, David, Silva‐Filho, Robson de Oliveira, Silva, Fábia Barbosa, Costa, Alan Carlos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-02-2020; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Amino acids; Antioxidants; Cell membranes; Crop yield; Design of experiments; Developmental stages; Drought; Droughts; Enzymatic activity; Enzyme activity; Experimental design; Glycine max - drug effects; Glycine max - physiology; Hydrogen sulfide; Hydrogen Sulfide - pharmacology; Metabolism; Ontogeny; Phosphites - pharmacology; Photosynthesis; Physiology; Plant Leaves; Potassium; Potassium Compounds - pharmacology; Proline; Protein sources; Seeds; Soybeans; Stress, Physiological; Sugar; Sulfates; Water; Water deficit; Water stress; Water treatment; Zinc; Zinc Sulfate - pharmacology
• ISSN: 0031-9317; 1399-3054
• DOI: 10.1111/ppl.13034

Soybean is the most widely grown oilseed in the world. It is an important source of protein and oil which are derived from its seeds. Drought stress is a major constraint to soybean yields. Finding alternative methods to mitigate the water stress for soybean is useful to maintain adequate crop yields. The aim of this study was to evaluate the morpho‐physiological, biochemical and metabolic changes in soybean plants in two ontogenetic stages, under exposure to water deficit and treatment with zinc sulphate (ZS), potassium phosphite (PP) or hydrogen sulphide (HS). We carried out two independent experiments in the V4 and R1 development stages consisting of the following treatments: well‐watered control (WW, 100% maximum water holding capacity, MWHC), water deficit (WD, 50% MWHC), PP + WW, PP + WD, HS + WW, HS + WD, ZS + WW and ZS + WD. The experimental design consisted of randomized blocks with eight treatments with five replicates. Morphological, physiological and metabolic analyses were performed 8 days after the start of the treatments for both experiments. We identified two tolerance mechanisms acting in response to compound application during water stress: the first involved the upregulation of antioxidant enzyme activity and the second involved the accumulation of soluble sugars, free amino acids and proline to facilitate osmotic adjustment. Both mechanisms are related to the maintenance of the photosynthetic parameters and cell membrane integrity. This report suggests the potential agricultural use of these compounds to mitigate drought effects in soybean plants.