Improved growth of pea, lettuce, and radish plants using the slow release of hydrogen sulfide from GYY-4137. Completed Grant Report

Abstract

<p>Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is a key gasotransmitter in agriculture and has been reported to increase the growth of plants in the first two weeks and to mitigate the effects of environmental stressors. GYY-4137 is widely used in these studies because it slowly releases H₂S, but there is disagreement as to whether it requires enzymes to release H₂S. In this article we describe the release of H2S in water without enzymes and that it releases H₂S faster in organic solvents than in water or when mixed in topsoil. Furthermore, we describe the long-term effect of dosing pea, radish, and lettuce plants with GYY-4137 for up to six weeks. The effect of GYY-4137 on plant growth for six weeks was either positive or negative depending on the loading of GYY-4137 and how it was applied to plants. The addition of GYY-4137 to lettuce plants via potting mix resulted in reduced growth and death of the plants. In contrast, application of GYY-4137 to the leaves of lettuce plants increased the harvest weight of the leaves by up to 86%. Our results demonstrate that GYY-4137 can have a positive, important effect on the growth of plants but that this effect is dependent on several factors.</p>