Water stress combined with sulfur deficiency in pea affects yield components but mitigates the effect of deficiency on seed globulin composition.

Water stress and sulfur (S) deficiency are two constraints increasingly faced by crops due to climate change and low-input agricultural practices. To investigate their interaction in the grain legume pea (Pisum sativum), sulfate was depleted at the mid-vegetative stage and a moderate 9-d water stress period was imposed during the early reproductive phase. The combination of the stresses impeded reproductive processes in a synergistic manner, reducing seed weight and seed number, and inducing seed abortion, which highlighted the paramount importance of sulfur for maintaining seed yield components under water stress.