Institute of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science Ewald Schnug Luit J. de Kok (Eds.) Proceedings of the 1st Sino-German Workshop on Aspects of Sulfur Nutrition of Plants 23 - 27 May 2004 in Shenyang, China Published as: Landbauforschung Völkenrode Sonderheft 283 Braunschweig Federal Agricultural Research Centre (FAL) 2005 Sonderheft 283 Special Issue Proceedings of the 1st Sino-German Workshop on Aspects of Sulfur Nutrition of Plants 23 - 27 May 2004 in Shenyang, China edited by Luit J. De Kok and Ewald Schnug Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Bibliothek Die Deutsche Bibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available in the Internet at http://dnb.ddb.de . Die Verantwortung für die Inhalte der einzelnen Beiträge liegt bei den jeweiligen Verfassern bzw. Verfasserinnen. 2005 Landbauforschung Völkenrode - FAL Agricultural Research Bundesforschungsanstalt für Landwirtschaft (FAL) Bundesallee 50, 38116 Braunschweig, Germany [email protected] Preis / Price: 11 € ISSN 0376-0723 ISBN 3-86576-007-4 Table of contents Aspects of sulfur nutrition of plants; evaluation of China's current, future and available resources to correct plant nutrient sulfur deficiencies – report of the first Sino-German Sulfur Workshop Ewald Schnug, Lanzhu Ji and Jianming Zhou 1 Pathways of plant sulfur uptake and metabolism – an overview Luit J. De Kok, Ana Castro, Mark Durenkamp, Aleksandra Koralewska, Freek S. Posthumus, C. Elisabeth E. Stuiver, Liping Yang and Ineke Stulen 5 Advances in sulfur fertilizer requirement and research for Chinese agriculture: Summary of field trial data from TSI's China project from 1997 to 2003 Ming Xian Fan and Donald L. Messick 15 Sulfur and baking-quality of bread making wheat Ingo Hagel 23 Relationship between sulfur deficiency in oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) and its attractiveness for honeybees Silvia Haneklaus, Anja Brauer, Elke Bloem and Ewald Schnug 37 Influence of drought and flooding on sulfur nutrition of deciduous trees at the whole plant level Cornelia Herschbach 45 Chemical behavior of soil sulfur in the rhizospere and its ecological significance Zhengyi Hu, Silvia Haneklaus, Zhihong Cao and Ewald Schnug 53 Measuring fluxes of reduced sulfur gases Beate Huber and Werner Haunold 61 The global sulfur cycle and China's contribution to atmospheric sulfur loads Jürgen Kesselmeier 67 Sulfur-rich proteins and their agrobiotechnological potential for resistance to plant pathogens Cordula Kruse, Ricarda Jost, Helke Hillebrand and Rüdiger Hell 73 Crop response to sulfur fertilizers and soil sulfur status in some provinces of China Shutian Li, Bao Lin and Wei Zhou 81 The sulfur cycle in the agro-ecosystems in southern China Chongqun Liu and Xiaohui Fan 85 An Agricultural Sulfur Information System for China Youhua Ma, Hongxiang Hu, Qiang Wang, Xiaoli Liu, Yanping Zhao, Hongxia Liang and Zhaoming Zhu 91 Global sulfur requirement and sulfur fertilizers Donald L. Messick, Ming Xian Fan and C. de Brey 97 Sulfur in organic farming Hans Marten Paulsen 105 Sulfur nutrition and its significance for crop resistance – a case study from Scotland Ioana Salac, Silvia Haneklaus, Elke Bloem, Elaine J. Booth, Karene G. Sutherland, Kerr C. Walker and Ewald Schnug 111 Metabolic background of H2S release from plants Ahlert Schmidt 121 The role of sulfur in sustainable agriculture Ewald Schnug and Silvia Haneklaus 131 Metabolism and catabolism of glucosinolates Dirk Selmar 137 Regulation of glutathione (GSH) synthesis in plants: Novel insight from Arabidopsis Andreas Wachter and Thomas Rausch 149 Ecological significance of H2S emissions by plants – a literature review Pia Wickenhäuser, Elke Bloem, Silvia Haneklaus and Ewald Schnug 157 Sulfur status of Chinese soils and response of Chinese cabbage to sulfur fertilization in the Beijing area Liping Yang, Ineke Stulen and Luit J. De Kok 163 The role of sulfur fertilizers in balanced fertlization Yiming Zhou, Defang Wang, Jinghua Zhu, Qingshan Liu and Ming Xian Fan 171 Landbauforschung Völkenrode, Special Issue 283, 2005 1 Aspects of sulfur nutrition of plants; evaluation of China’s current, future and available resources to correct plant nutrient sulfur deficiencies - report of the first Sino-German Sulfur Workshop Ewald Schnug 1, Lanzhu Ji2 and Jianming Zhou3 Abstract 1 pathogenesis related (PR) proteins of the thionin- type, and H2S released from Cys. As activated sul- Sulfur is an essential plant nutrient that must be sup- fate (APS) and Cys are also basic components of plemented through fertilizer application when primary metabolism and structural compounds (sul- quantities in the soil are insufficient or when other folipids, proteins), plants had to develop strategies natural inputs are not available. Besides just being to reconcile S availability and S demand during involved in producing yield, sulfur-containing com- plant development with the requirements of different pounds are responsible for numerous aspects of crop stress responses. A major goal of the recent research quality and the natural resistance of plants. As a carried out by a DFG research group in Germany is result of increasing crop yields and removal, grow- to develop a model for the coordination of S assimi- ing use of sulfur-free fertilizers and increased atten- lation with the synthesis of GSH, glucosinolates, S- tion to air quality standards leading to continuing rich defense proteins and H2S, using an integrated reductions in atmospheric sulfur contributions, the approach based on the tools of molecular physiology need for the application of plant nutrient sulfur is and cell biology. The comparative approach with accelerating in China. In order to stimulate network- plants of different physiotype (Arabidopsis thaliana, ing between plant sulfur-related research initiatives Brassica napus/juncea, Populus tremula/alba) will in China and Germany, the first Sino-German allow to address general and species-specific Workshop on "Aspects of sulfur nutrition of plants; mechanisms, in particular the role of a luxuriant evaluation of China’s current, future and available secondary metabolism (glucosinolates) and the im- resources to correct plant nutrient sulfur deficien- pact of different growth patterns (herbaceous versus cies", was held on May 24-29, 2004 in the Institute non-herbaceous). The use of transgenic plants with of Applied Ecology, Shenyang, China. During the changed expression of single genes will allow to workshop the China’s current, future, and available assess their contribution to the overall stress re- resources to correct plant nutrient sulfur deficiencies sponse. The integration of field experiments will were evaluated. help to evaluate the relevance of S nutrition- mediated defense reactions for resistance under field Keywords: Crop yield, crop quality, food quality, conditions. Sulfur deficiency, sulfur fertilization, sulfur metabo- China accounts for one-fifth of the world popula- lism, sulfur nutrition tion, but has only 7% of the world’s agricultural land mass. Thus, the country faces a significant challenge to meet food demands for its 1.3 billion Introduction inhabitants. China’s economic and agricultural policies have changed dramatically over the last 20 Sulfur is one of the mineral elements essential for years. Seeking to expand its agricultural sector, plant life. Starting from the amino acid cysteine China has increased importation of fertilizers as well (Cys), higher plants synthesize a complex spectrum as increased domestic production. Chinese con- of S compounds with diverse physiological func- sumption of the three major nutrients nitrogen (N), tions. Among these are the tripeptide glutathione phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) has expanded (GSH), which is central to the response against significantly at annual growth rates averaging 4, 7, abiotic stressors (reactive oxygen species, heavy and 10 percent, respectively. Concurrently, agricul- metals). In addition, there are several sulfur- tural production has made considerable gains. As containing pathogen-directed defense compounds: N, P, and K demands have been increasingly met, Glucosinolates as secondary S metabolites, rich deficiencies of other nutrients have arisen and sulfur has become of increasing interest since it is typically required in quantities ranking fourth behind N, P, 1 Institute of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, Federal and K. Agricultural Research Center (FAL), Braunschweig, This paper reports on the objectives, presentations Germany and topics of the first Sino-German Workshop on 2 Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Science, Shenyang, China "Aspects of sulfur nutrition of plants; evaluation of 3 Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Science, China’s current, future and available resources to Nanjing, China correct plant nutrient sulfur deficiencies", May 24- 2 L.J. De Kok and E. Schnug (eds.), Sino-German Workshop on Aspects of Sulfur Nutrition of Plants 29, 2004, Institute of Applied Ecology, Shenyang, Speakers from the German DFG-Research Group China. 383 (Sulfur metabolism in plants): Prof. Dr. Ruediger Hell, University, Heidelberg, E- mail: [email protected] Objectives of the workshop Dr. Cornelia Herschbach, University, Freiburg, E-mail: [email protected] The goals of this workshop were: Prof. Dr. Thomas Rausch: University, Heidelberg, x To discuss fundamental, agronomic and environ- E-mail: [email protected] mental aspects of sulfur in higher plants, to promote Dipl.-Chem. Joana