Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Environmental Science and Pollution Research https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-28471-3 RESEARCH ARTICLE Efect of seed priming by taurine on growth and chromium (Cr) uptake in canola (Brassica napus L.) under Cr stress Muhammad Arslan Ashraf 1  · Sobhy M. Ibrahim 2  · Rizwan Rasheed 1  · Muhammad Rizwan 3  · Iqbal Hussain 1  · Shafaqat Ali 3,4 Received: 29 March 2023 / Accepted: 23 June 2023 © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2023 Abstract Taurine is a recently recognized plant growth regulator under abiotic stress. However, the information on taurine-mediated plant defense responses is scarce, particularly on taurine-mediated regulation of the glyoxalase system. There is currently no report available on the use of taurine as seed priming under stress. Chromium (Cr) toxicity considerably subsided growth characteristics, photosynthetic pigments, and relative water content. Furthermore, plants encountered intensifed oxidative injury due to a signifcant increase in relative membrane permeability, H 2 O 2 , O 2 •‒ , and MDA production. The amount of antioxidant compounds and the functioning of antioxidant enzymes rose, but imbalance due to over ROS generation fre- quently depleted antioxidant compounds. Taurine seed priming (50, 100, 150, and 200 mg L ‒1 ) notably diminished oxidative injury, strengthened the antioxidant system, and conspicuously subsided methylglyoxal levels through enhanced activities of glyoxalase enzymes. The accumulation of Cr content was minimal in plants administered taurine as seed priming. In conclusion, our research demonstrates that taurine priming efectively mitigated the adverse efects of Cr toxicity on canola. Taurine reduced oxidative damage, leading to improved growth, enhanced chlorophyll levels, optimized ROS metabolism, and enhanced methylglyoxal detoxifcation. These fndings highlight the potential of taurine as a promising strategy to enhance the tolerance of canola plants to Cr toxicity. Keywords Chromium toxicity · Glyoxalase system · Glutathione · Osmoprotectants · Membrane integrity · Oxidative defense Introduction Chromium, which is categorized as a heavy metal, is among the most harmful contaminants present in the environ- ment, and it has the potential to greatly hinder the growth of plants and agricultural output. Chromium (Cr) stress is particularly alarming for developing countries where agri- culture is the backbone of the economy and livelihoods of millions depend on it. The sources of Cr contamination are both natural and anthropogenic, with industrial activi- ties, tannery wastes, mining, and fertilizers being the most prominent human-made sources of Cr in the soil and water (Qureshi et al. 2020; Sharma et al. 2023; Fu et al. 2023). In plants, Cr afects various vital physiological and biochemical processes, leading to reduced growth, chlorosis, necrosis, and even death. Chromium interferes with photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration and creates oxidative stress by producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) (Kumar et al. 2019). The accumulation of Cr in plant tissues also alters the ion balance, which further aggravates the stress symp- toms (Seleiman et al. 2020). Developing countries, with poor environmental regulations, weak monitoring and enforce- ment, and inadequate waste management infrastructure, are more vulnerable to the harmful efects of Cr contamination. This is particularly true for rural areas where farmers lack Responsible Editor: Gangrong Shi * Shafaqat Ali shafaqataligill@yahoo.com 1 Department of Botany, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan 2 Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia 3 Department of Environmental Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan 4 Department of Biological Sciences and Technology, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan