The secret of H₂ S to keep plants young and fresh and its products

Recently, accumulating evidence has shown that hydrogen sulphide (H₂ S), a newly determined gasotransmitter, plays important roles in senescence, which is an essential biological process for plant fitness and an important agricultural trait that is critical for the yield and quality of farm produce. Here, in this review, we summarize the roles of H₂ S in senescence, both before and after the harvesting of agricultural products, and the underlying mechanism is also discussed. During the plant growth process, the function of H₂ S in the leaf senescence process has been studied extensively, and H₂ S plays roles during the whole process, including the initiation, reorganization and terminal stages. While during the postharvest stage, H₂ S can prevents farm products from deterioration resulting from over-ripening, pathogen attack and incorrect storage. The underlying H₂ S-related mechanisms during different stages of the senescence process are summarized and compared. The most prominent interaction occurs between H₂ S and reactive oxygen species, and the molecular mechanism is explored. Additionally, the conserved action mode of H₂ S in different life processes and different species is also discussed. In the future, multi-omics analyses over time will be needed to investigate the detailed mechanisms of H₂ S, and a safety attribute analysis of H₂ S is also required before it can be used in agricultural production.