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Sulfur alleviates cadmium toxicity in rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings by altering antioxidant levels

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Abstract

We investigated changes in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant levels in rice (Oryza sativa L. cv ‘Dongjin’) seedlings treated with toxic cadmium (Cd) and/or sulfur (S). Exposure of rice seedlings to 30 μM Cd inhibited plant growth and resulted in increased levels of superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and malondialdehyde (MDA), and induced Cd uptake by the roots, stems, and leaves. Application of S to Cd-stressed seedlings ameliorated Cd-induced oxidative stress by increasing the capacity of the glutathione (GSH)-ascorbate (AsA) cycle, promoting S assimilation by increasing cysteine, GSH, and AsA content in treated plants, and decreasing Cd transfer from the roots to the stems and leaves. Therefore, these results indicate that S application represents a viable strategy of alleviating Cd-induced growth inhibition and oxidative damage by restricting Cd translocation from the roots to the stems and leaves, thereby maintaining sufficient levels of GSH and AsA by sustaining homeostasis of the GSH-AsA cycle.

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Abbreviations

AsA:

ascorbate

Cys:

cysteine

GSH:

glutathione

MDA:

malondialdehyde

ROS:

reactive oxygen species

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Soil and Fertilizer, National Institute of Agricultural Science, RDA, Wanju, 55365, Republic of Korea

    Ha-il Jung, Mi-Jin Chae, Myung-Suk Kong, Chang-Hoon Lee & Yoo-Hak Kim

  2. Department of Animal Science, Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology, College of Agriculture and Life Science, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea

    Bok-Rye Lee

  3. R&D Coordination Division, RDA, Jeonju, 54875, Republic of Korea

    Seong-Soo Kang

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  1. Ha-il Jung
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  2. Bok-Rye Lee
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  3. Mi-Jin Chae
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  4. Myung-Suk Kong
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  5. Chang-Hoon Lee
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  6. Seong-Soo Kang
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  7. Yoo-Hak Kim
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Correspondence to Yoo-Hak Kim.

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Jung, Hi., Lee, BR., Chae, MJ. et al. Sulfur alleviates cadmium toxicity in rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings by altering antioxidant levels. J. Crop Sci. Biotechnol. 20, 213–220 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12892-017-0072-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12892-017-0072-0

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