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Modulations of functional traits of Spinacia oleracea plants exposed to cadmium stress by using H2S as an antidote: a regulatory mechanism

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Abstract

The present study is based on the application of H2S as an exogenous antidote in Spinacia oleracea (spinach) plants grown in Cd-contaminated (50 ppm) soil. The different doses of H2S in the form of NaHS (10, 50, 100, 200, and 500 μM) have been applied as a foliar spray to regulate the physiological attributes under Cd toxicity. Over to control, the plants grown in Cd alone showed a reduction in the fresh biomass by 48% with more production of oxidative biomarkers (H2O2, SOR, and MDA content) and antioxidative enzymes (SOD, POD, APX, and GR). Further, with the exogenous application of H2S, among all the doses the fresh biomass was found to be maximally increased at 100 μM dose by 76%, and the Cd content was reduced significantly by 25% in the shoot compared to plants grown in Cd treated soil alone. With the decrease in Cd content in the shoot, the production of H2O2, SOR, and MDA content was reduced by 52%, 40%, and 38% respectively, at 100 μM compared to the plants grown in Cd-treated soil. The activities of estimated antioxidative enzymes showed a reduction in their activities up to 100 μM. Whereas, Glutathione reductase (GR) and Phytochelatins (PCs) showed different trends with their higher values in plants treated with NaHS in the presence of Cd. At 100 μM the GR and PCs, respectively showed 48% and 37% increment over Cd-treated plants alone. At this dose, the relative expression of SOD, POD, APX, GR, and PCS5 (Phytochelatin synthetase enzyme) genes, and other functional activities (SEM and fluorescence kinetics) supported the best performance of plants at 100 μM. Therefore, among all the doses, 100 μM dose of H2S has significantly reduced the Cd toxicity by maintaining the growth and other functional traits of plants. The correlation analysis also supported the result by showing a relationship between H2S application and Cd uptake. So, with this strategy, the plants grown in metal-contaminated fields can be improved qualitatively as well as quantitatively. With further experimentation, the mode of application could be explored to increase its efficiency and to promote this strategy at a wider scale.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Head, Department of Botany, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India for providing all support during the study. The central Instrumental Lab. Department of Botany, Institute of Science has also been acknowledged for analytical support. We also thank to Prof. N.V. Chalapathi Rao, Department of Geology, B.H.U, for SEM analysis, and to AIIMS, New Delhi for providing TEM facility. The authors A.S and D.K acknowledge IoE, B.H.U. seed grant, Dev. IoE 6031 and IoE 6031 (B) respectively for financial assistance. The authors P.K.Y and A.K are thankful to UGC Non-NET Fellowship (R/Dev/Sch./25437) and CSIR-UGC, New Delhi (UGC- Rf. No. 974), respectively. The author P.P acknowledges the Prime Minister Research Fellowship (PMRF) for providing fellowship. The IoE, B.H.U. has also been acknowledged to provide funds for the instrumental analysis (CPB no. 0064).

Funding

The authors A.S and D.K supported by, IoE , B.H.U., Dev. Scheme 6031 and IoE 6031 (B) respectively. The authors P.K.Y and A.K supported by UGC Non-NET Fellowship (R/Dev/Sch./25437) and CSIR-UGC, New Delhi (UGC- Rf. No. 974), respectively. The author P.P supported by Prime Minister Research Fellowship (PMRF). IoE, B.H.U. (CPB no. 0064) supported instrumental analysis.

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  1. Department of Botany, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, UP, 221005, India

    Pradeep Kumar Yadav, Arun Kumar, Prashasti Pandey, Deepak Kumar & Anita Singh

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Correspondence to Anita Singh.

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Supplementary file 1. Fig S1 Percentage of germination at different concentrations of Cd.

Supplementary file 2. Fig S2 The concentration of Cd in the initial and final soil sample.

Supplementary file 3. Table S3 List of primers used for RT-PCR.

12298_2023_1389_MOESM4_ESM.docx

Supplementary file 4. Table S4 Functional attributes of Spinacea oleracea shoot treated with different doses of NaHS alone as an H2S donor.

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Yadav, P.K., Kumar, A., Pandey, P. et al. Modulations of functional traits of Spinacia oleracea plants exposed to cadmium stress by using H2S as an antidote: a regulatory mechanism. Physiol Mol Biol Plants 29, 2021–2033 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-023-01389-3

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