Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been identified to be produced in small quantities in plants and animals. H2S has been shown to have numerous benefits including improving the tolerance of plants to a variety of stressors and improving the harvest yields of plants. Because of the ever-increasing population of the planet, it is necessary to grow more food and increasing the yield of a harvest is essential to do that. GYY-4137, a H2S donor, releases H2S very slowly in water but released it much faster with organic solvents and soil. The long-term growth of plants with GYY-4137 was investigated for 6 weeks with radishes, peas, and lettuce.
Dithiophosphosphates were investigated as H2S donors to be used to improve the growth of crops. These donors were studied to determine their degradation rates in water and organic solvents. Rates of H2S release were compared at various concentrations in water and contrasted with the release of H2S from GYY-4137. Dialkyldithiophosphates have not been used in prior work as H2S donors to improve crop yields. Maize was grown for 4 weeks with dibutyldithiophosphate ammonium salt and the plants showed up to 38% increase in weight. These results show that dibutyldithiophosphate releases H2S at a similar rate to that of GYY-4137 and can have a significant benefit to increase the weight of maize.