Foliar-applied sulfur is supplemental to soil application in alleviating waterlogging stress through the mitigation of oxidative stress and ion homeostasis in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.)

Abstract

Waterlogging has appeared as a major issue for agricultural production and has an adverse effect on rapeseed growth. A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of soil and/or foliar applied S in alleviating the waterlogging stress in rapeseed (Brassica napus L. cv. Campino). The experiment treatments included, no soil S application (-SS), soil S fertilization (SS, 70 mg S kg−1 soil as MgSO4), foliar S application (FS, 300 ppm MgSO4) and both soil and foliar application of S (SS+FS). All the treatments were subjected to normal soil water (control) and waterlogged condition. Foliar S was applied two days prior to the onset of waterlogging treatment, which was imposed at vegetative stage (BBCH-31) for 7 days. The results demonstrated that without foliar S application, both unfertilized (-S) and S-fertilized (+S) waterlogged plants showed elevated level of hydrogen peroxide (35 % and 15 %) and malondialdehyde (84 % and 101 %) and reduced nutrients uptake, net photosynthesis and plant growth compared to their non-waterlogged counterparts. Although all S treatments alleviated the suppressing effects of waterlogging stress, the alleviative effect of soil plus foliar applied S was higher than these individual treatments. It increased dry matter by 17 %, superoxide dismutase activity by 15 %, catalase activity by 15 %, glutathione reductase activity by 14 %, ascorbate peroxidase activity by 18 %, ascorbate content by 19 %, glutathione content by 28 %. The increase in the growth and antioxidant activities of the soil plus foliar S supplemented plants was attributed to the increase in the contents of some nutrients (S 8 %, P 18 %, Mg 9 %, Zn 13 %) and net photosynthesis rate (19 %), whereas decrease in hydrogen peroxide (15 %), malondialdehyde (20 %), oxidized glutathione content (9 %), dehydroascorbic acid content (5 %) compared with untreated (without foliar-S) waterlogged plants. Collectively, the study concludes that foliar-S application supplements soil S fertilization in alleviating waterlogging stress in rapeseed plants, through inducing physiological and biochemical resistance, and improving homeostasis as well.