Hydrogen sulfide effect released by dibutyldithiophosphates on Solanum tuberosum, Raphanus sativus and Phaseolus vulgaris

Abstract

Agriculture production faces many climatic and economic challenges nowadays. Enhancing crop traits such as yield and plant growth by the application of external products is key. Dibutyldithiophosphates (DBDTPs) release Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) in the presence of water and promote plant growth. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of DBDTP rates and application methods on the growth and development of potatoes, radishes, and bush beans. Results from tissue culture experiments on potatoes showed that DBDTP significantly increased root length at all tested concentrations. The phytotoxicity assessment indicated that foliar application of 0.5 mM DBDTP could be suitable for future trials on potatoes, as this concentration did not cause foliar damage. In contrast, the same concentration in radishes resulted in significant phytotoxicity, indicating that concentrations below 0.5 mM need to be tested. Moreover, the treatments 0.025 mM and 0.1 mM DBDTP showed significant improvements in survival rates after three weeks of heat stress in potatoes, suggesting that continuous application of these treatments can benefit plants under heat stress conditions. Finally, greenhouse yield results for radishes indicated that applying DBDTP as a seed treatment at 12.5 mM, followed by a drench treatment at 0.5 mM, could increase fresh weight by over 4.4% under both 100 ppm and 0 ppm NPK conditions. Field experiments in potatoes also revealed that applying 0.5 mM DBDTP could enhance yield by more than 5%. In radishes and bush beans, yields increased by 7.2% and 10.48% at 25 mM DBDTP respectively. This study demonstrates the potential of DBDTPs to enhance plant growth, yield, and survival under stress conditions in various crops. It highlights DBDTP as a multiple-functional crop booster, offering growers an option not only to increase yield or biomass but also to protect plants in challenging weather conditions.