Abstract
Although the impact of sulfur (S) availability on the seed yield and nutritional quality of seeds has been demonstrated, its impact coupled with nitrogen (N) availability remains poorly studied in oilseed rape. A deeper knowledge of S and N interactions on seed yield components and seed quality could improve S and N fertilization management in a sustainable manner. To address this question, our goals were to determine the effects of nine different S fertilization management strategies (i) in interaction with different levels of N fertilization and (ii) according to the timing of application (by delaying and fractionating the S inputs) on agronomic performances and components of seed yield. The impact of these various managements of S and N fertilizations was also investigated on the seed quality with a focus on the composition of SSPs (mainly represented by napins and cruciferins). Our results highlighted synergetic effects on S and N use efficiencies at optimum rates of S and N inputs and antagonistic effects at excessive rates of one of the two elements. The data indicated that adjustment of S and N fertilization may lead to high seed yield and seed protein quality in a sustainable manner, especially in the context of reductions in N inputs. Delaying S inputs improved the seed protein quality by significantly increasing the relative abundance of napin (a SSP rich in S-containing amino acids) and decreasing the level of a cruciferin at 30 kDa (a SSP with low content of S-amino acids). These observations suggest that fractionated or delayed S fertilizer inputs could provide additional insights into the development of N and S management strategies to maintain or improve seed yield and protein quality. Our results also demonstrated that the S% in seeds and the napin:30 kDa-cruciferin ratio are highly dependent on S/N fertilization in relation to S supply. In addition, we observed a strong relationship between S% in seeds and the abundance of napin as well as the napin:30 kDa-cruciferin ratio, suggesting that S% may be used as a relevant index for the determination of protein quality in seeds in terms of S-containing amino acids.
Highlights
Sulfur (S) is an essential element for growth and metabolic functioning in plants (Leustek and Saito, 1999)
Influence of S and N Availability on Biomass Partitioning and Seed Yield Significant S, N, and S×N effects were detected in total plant biomass (Table 1A)
Compared to the highest S and N fertilization (30S_HN), the whole plant dry matter (DM) was significantly lower for all the other treatments and was strongly reduced under 0S_HN and 30S_LN conditions, reaching about 28.7 g per plant (Table 1B)
Summary
Sulfur (S) is an essential element for growth and metabolic functioning in plants (Leustek and Saito, 1999). In order to prevent S deficiency, the recommendations from the technical center for oilseed production in France (Terres Inovia) are to provide about 30 kg of S ha−1 once at the bolting stage (GS32, Lancashire et al, 1991). S-inputs can range from 15 to 60 kg S ha−1 depending on the environment (soil type, previous crops, etc.) (Grant et al, 2012). It is difficult to recommend adequate S inputs because of the lack of indicators of soil and/or plant S status that can be used in the field
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