Sodium Nitroprusside Helps Tomato Plants Manage Stress from Drought

Greg Howard
29th May, 2024

Sodium Nitroprusside Helps Tomato Plants Manage Stress from Drought

Image Source: Natural Science News, 2024

Key Findings

  • The study from Harran University explored how sodium nitroprusside (SNP) can help tomato plants cope with drought stress
  • Drought stress significantly reduced plant growth, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic efficiency, and water content, while increasing stress markers like hydrogen peroxide and proline
  • SNP treatment reduced oxidative stress markers and increased nitric oxide and hydrogen sulfide levels, enhancing the plant's stress response and antioxidant capacity
Drought stress is a significant challenge for agriculture, particularly for crops like tomatoes. Recent research from Harran University has explored how sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a nitric oxide (NO) donor, can mediate drought stress responses in tomatoes by modulating nitrosative and oxidative pathways[1]. This study sheds light on the intricate interplay between NO, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and antioxidant systems, offering potential strategies for enhancing drought tolerance in crops. The study investigates how SNP can mitigate the effects of drought stress (DS) on tomato plants. Drought stress was simulated using polyethylene glycol (PEG), which reduces water availability to the plants. The results showed that DS significantly reduced total plant dry weight, chlorophyll a and b, Fv/Fm (a measure of photosynthetic efficiency), leaf water potential, and relative water content. However, it also increased levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), proline, and NO, indicating a stress response. SNP treatment was found to reduce DS-induced H2O2 generation by decreasing thiol (-SH) and carbonyl (-CO) groups, which are markers of oxidative stress. Additionally, SNP increased NO levels and the activity of L-cysteine desulfhydrase (L-DES), an enzyme responsible for generating H2S. This suggests that NO and H2S interact to enhance the plant's stress response. Previous studies have shown that NO and H2S are versatile signaling molecules that play multiple roles in plant growth and stress responses[2]. For instance, in tomato seedlings under hexavalent chromium stress, NO-induced internal H2S was found to confer tolerance by maintaining better photosynthesis and plant growth[2]. Similarly, another study demonstrated that NO and H2S donors could improve drought tolerance in Medicago sativa by modifying reactive oxygen and nitrogen species signaling and metabolism[3]. These findings align with the current study's observation that SNP-mediated NO and H2S interactions are crucial for drought stress responses. The study also found that SNP treatment led to decreases in S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) and NADPH oxidase (NOX) activity. This suggests a potential regulatory mechanism where S-nitrosylation (the formation of S-nitrosothiol, SNO) may influence protein function and signaling pathways during drought stress. Moreover, SNP improved levels of ascorbate (AsA) and glutathione (GSH), while reducing oxidized glutathione (GSSG) levels. This indicates an enhanced antioxidant capacity, which is vital for mitigating oxidative damage under stress conditions. The interaction between NO and H2S, mediated by L-DES activity, appears to be a critical cross-talk mechanism impacting plant responses to drought stress. This interaction is consistent with earlier findings that H2S acts downstream of NO in the signaling cascade during tomato response to salt stress[4]. In this context, NO stimulates H2S accumulation, which then helps mitigate oxidative stress, thereby enhancing the plant's tolerance to adverse conditions. In summary, the study from Harran University provides valuable insights into how SNP-mediated NO and H2S interactions can enhance drought tolerance in tomatoes. By modulating nitrosative and oxidative pathways, SNP improves the antioxidant capacity of plants, reduces oxidative damage, and promotes better growth under drought conditions. These findings build on previous research, highlighting the potential of using NO and H2S donors as priming agents to develop more resilient crops[2][3][4][5]. Understanding these signaling interactions is crucial for developing innovative strategies to enhance drought tolerance in agriculture.

AgricultureBiochemPlant Science

References

Main Study

1) Sodium nitroprusside modulates oxidative and nitrosative processes in Lycopersicum esculentum L. under drought stress.

Published 28th May, 2024

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-024-03238-3

Related Studies

2) Exogenous nitric oxide requires endogenous hydrogen sulfide to induce the resilience through sulfur assimilation in tomato seedlings under hexavalent chromium toxicity.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2020.07.003

3) Exploring the Potential of Nitric Oxide and Hydrogen Sulfide (NOSH)-Releasing Synthetic Compounds as Novel Priming Agents against Drought Stress in Medicago sativa Plants.

Journal: Biomolecules, Issue: Vol 10, Issue 1, Jan 2020

4) NO, hydrogen sulfide does not come first during tomato response to high salinity.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.niox.2017.09.008

5) Proline-stimulated signaling primarily targets the chlorophyll degradation pathway and photosynthesis associated processes to cope with short-term water deficit in maize.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-020-00727-w


Related Articles

An unhandled error has occurred. Reload 🗙