A rotten-egg gas helps plants survive being flooded
Telara Y, Akter S, Flashman E, Giuntoli B
Plant Signaling
If your garden beds or a nearby farm field have ever turned into a swamp after heavy rain, this research points toward crops and plants bred to shrug off waterlogged roots instead of rotting.
When soil floods, plant roots get cut off from oxygen and start to suffocate. Researchers found that hydrogen sulfide, the same gas that gives rotten eggs their smell, acts as a signal inside plant cells that helps them cope with low oxygen by protecting their internal machinery and fine-tuning stress hormones. Understanding this could help scientists breed crops that bounce back better from floods and waterlogging.
Key Findings
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) helps plants cope with low-oxygen stress by modulating antioxidant defenses, mitochondrial function, and hormonal signaling
H2S acts mainly through persulfidation, a chemical modification of proteins, and interacts with nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species to influence cell survival
H2S turnover is tied to oxygen availability and appears to be a conserved stress-response mechanism across different domains of life, not just plants
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists are learning how a smelly gas, hydrogen sulfide, helps plants survive flooding by protecting cells when oxygen runs low. Harnessing this natural defense could help breed crops that survive waterlogged fields as flooding becomes more common.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
The role of H2S and its derivatives in plant responses to low O2.
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a gasotransmitter molecule that regulates essential plant biological processes. In the context of climate change and increasing flooding events, its role in plant response...
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