Recent advances and mechanistic interactions of hydrogen sulfide with plant growth regulators in relation to abiotic stress tolerance in plants

Adverse environmental constraints such as drought, heat, cold, salinity, and heavy metal toxicity are the primary concerns of the agricultural industry across the globe, as these stresses negatively affect yield and quality of crop production and therefore can be a major threat to world food security. Recently, it has been demonstrated that hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which is well-known as a gasotransmitter in animals, also plays a potent role in various growth and developmental processes in plants. H2S, as a potent signaling molecule, is involved in several plant processes such as in the regulation of stomatal pore movements, seed germination, photosynthesis and plant adaptation to environmental stress through gene regulation, post-translation modification of proteins and redox homeostasis. Moreover, a number of experimental studies have revealed that H2S could improve the adaptation capabilities of plants against diverse environmental constraints by mitigating the toxic and damaging effects triggered by stressful environments. An attempt has been made to uncover recent development in the biosynthetic and metabolic pathways of H2S and various physiological functions modulated in plants, H2S donors, their functional mechanism, and application in plants. Specifically, our focus has been on how H2S is involved in combating the destructive effects of abiotic stresses and its role in persulfidation. Furthermore, we have comprehensively elucidated the crosstalk of H2S with plant growth regulators.

Automated summary

Adverse environmental factors such as drought, heat, cold, salinity, and heavy metal toxicity pose major threats to global food security as they negatively impact crop yield and quality. Recent studies have shown that hydrogen sulfide (H2S), known as a gasotransmitter in animals, also plays a significant role in plant growth and development. H2S acts as a signaling molecule involved in various plant processes, including the regulation of stomatal movement, seed germination, photosynthesis, and plant adaptation to stress. It has been found that H2S can enhance plant resilience against environmental constraints by mitigating toxic effects and damage caused by stressful conditions. This study aims to explore the biosynthetic pathways of H2S, its physiological functions in plants, as well as its interaction with plant growth regulators.