Excess sulfur supplementation improves photosynthesis and growth in mustard under salt stress through increased production of glutathione

Sulfur (S) assimilation leads to synthesis of reduced glutathione (GSH), a thiol compound known for its involvement in abiotic stress tolerance. In this study, the influence of sufficient-S (100 mg S kg(-1) soil) and excess-S (200 mg S kg(-1) soil) was studied on photosynthesis and growth of mustard (Brassica juncea L.) plants grown with or without 100 mM NaCl. Both the S levels equally promoted photosynthesis and growth of plants under no salt stress, while excess-S more conspicuously alleviated the negative effects of salt stress and improved photosynthesis and growth compared to the control plants. Excess-S mediated increase in photosynthesis and growth of salt grown plants was through increased production of GSH. The exogenous 1 mM GSH treatment and excess-S produced similar results on photosynthesis and growth of plants establishing that excess-S improves photosynthesis and growth under salt stress through increased GSH production. Thus, excess-S/GSH may be used as potential tool for alleviation of salt stress in mustard plants. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.