Because it has a high demand for sulphur (S), oilseed rape is particularly sensitive to S limitation. However, the physiological effects of S limitation remain unclear, especially during the rosette stage. For this reason a study was conducted to determine the effects of mineral S limitation on nitrogen (N) and S uptake and remobilization during vegetative growth of oilseed rape at both the whole-plant and leaf rank level for plants grown during 35 d with 300 microM (34)SO(4)(2-) (control plants; +S) or with 15 microM (34)SO(4)(2-) (S-limited plants; -S). The results highlight that S-limited plants showed no significant differences either in whole-plant and leaf biomass or in N uptake, when compared with control plants. However, total S and (34)S (i.e. deriving from S uptake) contents were greatly reduced for the whole plant and leaf after 35 d, and a greater redistribution of endogenous S from leaves to the benefit of roots was observed. The relative expression of tonoplast and plasmalemma sulphate transporters was also strongly induced in the roots. In conclusion, although S-limited plants had 20 times less mineral S than control plants, their development remained surprisingly unchanged. During S limitation, oilseed rape is able to recycle endogenous S compounds (mostly sulphate) from leaves to roots. However, this physiological adaptation may be effective only over a short time scale (i.e. vegetative growth).

The Dongting Lake Basin and the Poyang Lake Basin, both located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, provide 30% of the total water volume for the Yangtze River. Under global climate change, precipitation patterns have undergone varying degrees of changes in different regions. Analysing temporal and spatial rainfall variations is important for understanding the variations in capacity of the two lake basins and the water intake variations by the Yangtze River. This study analyses the temporal and spatial variations of the two basins based on 33 rain-gauge data series from 1960-2015, using statistical methods, GIS spatial analysis and the M-K trend test. Our results showed that the annual precipitation generally increased in the Poyang Lake Basin and we found no obvious changes in the Dongting Lake Basin from 1960 to 2015. Seasonal precipitation levels at interannual scales were roughly consistent, but exhibited variability larger by an order of magnitude in the Poyang Lake Basin than in the Dongting Lake Basin. In general, an increasing trend dominated in spring and autumn while a decreasing trend was observed in summer and winter. The increasing trend was significant from the 1990s in the Poyang Lake Basin and from the late 1990s in the Dongting Lake Basin. It was found that annual precipitation with relatively larger anomalies appeared in ENSO (El Niño and Southern Oscillation) years in most cases, such as in 1963, 1997/1998 and 2002, while a few anomalies appeared in the previous or next year around an ENSO year, such as 1971 and 1978. All monthly precipitation periods with relatively larger or smaller anomalies coincided with ENSO events. In addition, El Niño and SOI (Southern Oscillation) events had significant relationships with negative monthly precipitation anomalies. El Niño and the SOI exerted more significant impacts on the Poyang Lake Basin than on the Dongting Lake Basin, which explains the conclusions regarding seasonal precipitation trends as mentioned above.

Waterlogging stress is a common limiting factor for winter rapeseed, which greatly affects the growth and potential production. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of waterlogging with different durations (0day (D0), 6days (D6) and 9days (D9)) and supplemental nitrogen fertilization (N1, 0 kg ha−1; N2, 30 kg ha−1; N3, 60 kg ha−1 and N4, 90 kg ha−1) on the physiological characteristics, dry matter and nitrogen accumulation in winter rapeseed (Chuanyou36). The results showed that the supplementary application of nitrogen fertilizer could effectively improve the physiological indexes of winter rapeseed in both pot and field experiments. The supplemental nitrogen increased the chlorophyll content in leaves, enhanced the activities of SOD, CAT, and POD, and decreased the MDA content in leaves and roots of rapeseed. The chlorophyll contents, the antioxidant enzyme activity of leaves and roots significantly increased under D6N3 and D9N4 conditions in both (pot and field) experiments. However, MDA contents significantly decreased compared with waterlogging without nitrogen application. Moreover, the application of nitrogen fertilizer after waterlogging increased the accumulation of dry matter and nitrogen in rapeseed at different growth stages. Therefore, waterlogging stress significantly inhibited the growth and development of rapeseed, but the application of nitrogen fertilizer could effectively reduce the damage of waterlogging. The N-induced increase in waterlogging tolerance of rapeseed might be attributed to the strong antioxidant defense system, maintenance of photosynthetic pigments and the nutrient balance.

Drought tolerant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can confer drought tolerance in plants, when inoculated, and this effect can be more pronounced by their combined application with silicon oxide nanoparticles (SiO NPs). In this research, drought-tolerant and plant growth-promoting rhizobacterial strains were isolated from the rhizospheric soil of wheat plants growing in the arid region of Pakistan. Out of 30 isolated strains, three rhizobacterial strains were selected based on their drought tolerance, higher phytohormones (indole acetic acid (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA), and cytokinin (CK), and osmolyte (proline and sugar) production ability. These strains were identified as Bacillus sp. Azospirillum lipoferum and Azospirillum brasilense by 16S rRNA sequencing and accession numbers (MT482404, MT742664, and MT 742666, respectively) were obtained. Inoculation of these strains, alone and in combination, improved the germination attributes of wheat seeds under drought stress conditions. However, the combination of all three bacterial strains gave the best results. SiO NPs were prepared from silicon dioxide and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-rays pattern (EDX), and UV-visible spectrum. The effect of SiO NPs was also tested on wheat seeds under drought stress and it was observed that SiO NPs (150 mg/L) create pronounced drought ameliorative potential in wheat seedlings. In the pot experiment, the combined application of SiO NPs and PGPR exhibited a synergistic role and improved the growth and yield of wheat. The interaction between SiO NPs and bacterial combination improved biomass (fresh and dry weight), and chlorophyll-a, b content by 138.78%, 65.70%, 128.57%, and 283.33% respectively as compared to untreated but drought exposed plants. They also improved relative water content (71.66%), gas exchange attributes, increased nutrients uptake, and osmolytes production of wheat. Up-regulation of antioxidant enzymes; superoxide dismutase (60.49%), peroxidase (55.99%), and catalase (81.69%) was also observed. This research work suggested that the application of SiO NPs and PGPR strains induced drought tolerance in wheat by modulating different physiological and metabolic processes in plants which ultimately improved the growth and yield of wheat under drought stress.Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Waterlogging is expected to increase as a consequence of global climate change, constraining crop production in various parts of the world. This study assessed tolerance to 14-days of early-or late-stage waterlogging of the major winter crops wheat, barley, rapeseed and field pea. Aerenchyma formation in adventitious roots, leaf physiological parameters (net photosynthesis, stomatal and mesophyll conductances, chlorophyll fluorescence), shoot and root growth during and after waterlogging, and seed production were evaluated. Wheat produced adventitious roots with 20-22% of aerenchyma, photosynthesis was maintained during waterlogging, and seed production was 86 and 71% of controls for early-and late-waterlogging events. In barley and rapeseed, plants were less affected by early-than by late-waterlogging. Barley adventitious roots contained 19% aerenchyma, whereas rapeseed did not form aerenchyma. In barley, photosynthesis was reduced during early-waterlogging mainly by stomatal limitations, and by non-stomatal constraints (lower mesophyll conductance and damage to photosynthetic apparatus as revealed by chlorophyll fluorescence) during late-waterlogging. In rapeseed, photosynthesis was mostly reduced by non-stomatal limitations during early-and late-waterlogging, which also impacted shoot and root growth. Early-waterlogged plants of both barley and rapeseed were able to recover in growth upon drainage, and seed production reached ca. 79-85% of the controls, while late-waterlogged plants only attained 26-32% in seed production. Field pea showed no ability to develop root aerenchyma when waterlogged, and its photosynthesis (and stomatal and mesophyll conductances) was rapidly decreased by the stress. Consequently, waterlogging drastically reduced field pea seed production to 6% of controls both at early-and late-stages with plants being unable to resume growth upon drainage. In conclusion, wheat generates a set of adaptive responses to withstand 14 days of waterlogging, barley and rapeseed can still produce significant yield if transiently waterlogged during early plant stages but are more adversely impacted at the late stage, and field pea is not suitable for areas prone to waterlogging events of 14 days at either growth stage.

Waterlogging significantly impacts plant growth and development by altering nutrient uptake and antioxidant enzyme functions, resulting in reduced yield. Plants need sulfur (S) to produce reduced glutathione (GSH), a thiol compound that combats abiotic stresses. It is hypothesized that supplying S to high S-demanding oilseed rape plants beyond its growth requirements can reduce the adverse effect of waterlogging stress. Therefore, this study evaluated the comparative effect of different S doses (mg kg− 1 soil), i.e., no-S (S0), low-S (S1, 35), medium-S (S2, 70), and high-S (S3, 140) on growth, yield and antioxidant defense systems of normal growing and waterlogged oilseed rape plants. Waterlogging was imposed at the inflorescence emergence stage for 7 days by retaining a 3-cm layer of water above the soil surface. Waterlogged plants supplemented with high-S showed improved growth and higher yield than those supplemented with lower S levels, and this response was associated with improved activity/contents of antioxidants, including ascorbate (AsA), GSH, ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, and dehydroascorbate reductase, with concomitant lowering of hydrogen peroxide, dehydroascorbate and malondialdehyde content. Furthermore, leaf S concentration was enhanced in waterlogged plants treated with high-S, while anions were regulated whereby Cl− uptake was decreased. However, under control conditions, high-S did not provide additional benefits of improved plant growth, yield, and antioxidant activities compared to the medium-S application. Thus, it is concluded that additional S supplementation mitigates the adverse effects of waterlogging stress on oilseed rape, and needs to be employed as a potential strategy to alleviate the negative effects of this abiotic stress.

To scientifically evaluate and utilize high-oleic acid rape germplasm resources and cultivate new varieties suitable for planting in the Hunan Province, 30 local high-oleic acid rape germplasms from Hunan were used as materials. The 12 personality indices of quality, yield, and resistance were comprehensively evaluated by variability, correlation, principal component, and cluster analyses. The results of variability showed that except for oleic acid, the lowest coefficient of variation was oil content, which was 0.06. Correlation analysis showed that oil content was positively correlated with main traits such as yield per plant and oleic acid, which could be used in the early screening of high-oleic rape germplasm. The results of principal component analysis showed that the 12 personality indicators were integrated into four principal components, and the cumulative contribution rate was 62.487%. The value of comprehensive coefficient ‘F’ was positively correlated with the first, second, and fourth principal components and negatively correlated with the third principal component. Cluster analysis showed that 30 high-oleic rape germplasms could be divided into four categories consisting of 9 (30%), 6 (20%), 7 (23%), and 8 (27%) high-oleic rape germplasms, each with the characteristics of \"high disease resistance\", \"high yield\", \"high protein\", and \"more stability\". This study not only provides a reference basis for high-oleic rape breeding but also provides a theoretical basis for their early screening.

During the growth period of rapeseed, if there is continuous rainfall, it will easily lead to waterlogging stress, which will seriously affect the growth of rapeseed. Currently, the mechanisms of rapeseed resistance to waterlogging stress are largely unknown. In this study, the rapeseed (Brassica napus) inbred lines G230 and G218 were identified as waterlogging-tolerant rapeseed and waterlogging-sensitive rapeseed, respectively, through a potted waterlogging stress simulation and field waterlogging stress experiments. After six days of waterlogging stress at the seedling stage, the degree of leaf aging and root damage of the waterlogging-tolerant rapeseed G230 were lower than those of the waterlogging-sensitive rapeseed G218. A physiological analysis showed that waterlogging stress significantly increased the contents of malondialdehyde, soluble sugar, and hydrogen peroxide in rape leaves and roots. The transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis showed that the differential genes and the differential metabolites of waterlogging-tolerant rapeseed G230 were mainly enriched in the metabolic pathways, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, flavonoid biosynthesis, and vitamin B6 metabolism. Compared to G218, the expression levels of some genes associated with flavonoid biosynthesis and vitamin B metabolism were higher in G230, such as CHI, DRF, LDOX, PDX1.1, and PDX2. Furthermore, some metabolites involved in flavonoid biosynthesis and vitamin B6 metabolism, such as naringenin and epiafzelechin, were significantly up-regulated in leaves of G230, while pyridoxine phosphate was only significantly down-regulated in roots and leaves of G218. Furthermore, foliar spraying of vitamin B6 can effectively improve the tolerance to waterlogging of G218 in the short term. These results indicate that flavonoid biosynthesis and vitamin B6 metabolism pathways play a key role in the waterlogging tolerance and hypoxia stress resistance of Brassica napus and provide new insights for improving the waterlogging tolerance and cultivating waterlogging-tolerant rapeseed varieties.

Waterlogging occurs because of poor soil drainage and/or excessive rainfall and is a serious abiotic stress affecting plant growth because of declining oxygen supplied to submerged tissues. Although cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is sensitive to waterlogging, its ability to generate adventitious roots facilitates gas diffusion and increases plant survival when oxygen concentrations are low. To understand the physiological responses to waterlogging, a 10-day waterlogging experiment was conducted. The objective of this study was to measure the photosynthetic and key metabolites of cucumber plants under waterlogging conditions for 10 days. Plants were also harvested at the end of 10 days and analyzed for plant height (ht), leaf number and area, fresh mass (FM), dry mass (DM), chlorophyll (Chl), carotenoid (CAR), proline, and soluble sugars. Results indicated that cucumber plants subjected to the 10-day waterlogging stress conditions were stunted, had fewer leaves, and decreased leaf area, FM, and DM. There were differences in physiological performance, Chl, CAR, proline, and soluble sugars. Overall, waterlogging stress decreased net photosynthesis (A), having a negative effect on biomass accumulation. However, these decreases were also dependent on other factors, such as plant size, morphology, and water use efficiency (WUE) that played a role in the overall metabolism of the plant.

\n\n The effect of different durations of waterlogging and subsequent drainage is described for 3‐wk‐old wheat (Triticum aestivum) plants.

Global climate change and associated adverse abiotic stress conditions, such as drought, salinity, heavy metals, waterlogging, extreme temperatures, oxygen deprivation, etc., greatly influence plant growth and development, ultimately affecting crop yield and quality, as well as agricultural sustainability in general. Plant cells produce oxygen radicals and their derivatives, so-called reactive oxygen species (ROS), during various processes associated with abiotic stress. Moreover, the generation of ROS is a fundamental process in higher plants and employs to transmit cellular signaling information in response to the changing environmental conditions. One of the most crucial consequences of abiotic stress is the disturbance of the equilibrium between the generation of ROS and antioxidant defense systems triggering the excessive accumulation of ROS and inducing oxidative stress in plants. Notably, the equilibrium between the detoxification and generation of ROS is maintained by both enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant defense systems under harsh environmental stresses. Although this field of research has attracted massive interest, it largely remains unexplored, and our understanding of ROS signaling remains poorly understood. In this review, we have documented the recent advancement illustrating the harmful effects of ROS, antioxidant defense system involved in ROS detoxification under different abiotic stresses, and molecular cross-talk with other important signal molecules such as reactive nitrogen, sulfur, and carbonyl species. In addition, state-of-the-art molecular approaches of ROS-mediated improvement in plant antioxidant defense during the acclimation process against abiotic stresses have also been discussed.

Plants are exposed to various biotic and abiotic environmental stresses, resulting in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). One of the enzymes responsible for neutralizing excess ROS is catalase (CAT), which breaks down hydrogen peroxide (HO). However, the regulation of CAT in mediating HO homeostasis remains unclear. Here, we report that the DUF1644-containing protein OsFIP1 modulates HO homeostasis and positively regulates rice immunity. Overexpression (OE) of OsFIP1 leads to enhanced resistance against rice blast disease, accompanied by upregulation of defense-related genes, enhanced chitin-induced ROS burst and HO accumulation. Furthermore, OsFIP1 interacts with OsCatA. OE of OsFIP1 dramatically reduces accumulation of OsCatA in cytoplasm. Presence of OsFIP1 reduces OsCatA's tetramerization and CAT activity. Consistently, the knockout (KN) of OsCatA leads to enhanced resistance to rice blast. The E3 ligase OsFBX388 interacts with and ubiquitinates OsFIP1 for degradation. KN of OsFBX388 leads to overaccumulation of OsFIP1 and reduced CAT activity, thereby resulting in enhanced ROS burst and blast resistance. These findings highlight the crucial role of the OsFBX388-OsFIP1-OsCatA module in mediating ROS homeostasis and disease resistance, offering new insights into the mechanisms underlying immunity.© 2025 The Author(s). New Phytologist © 2025 New Phytologist Foundation.