Melatonin Mitigated Salinity Stress on Alfalfa by Improving Antioxidant Defense and Osmoregulation

Melatonin (MT) is a growth regulator and antioxidant that can resist peroxidation damage on plants caused by environmental stresses. In this study, the alleviation effects of melatonin on alfalfa under salt stress were investigated in terms of photosynthesis, antioxidant enzymes, and osmoregulation....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Agronomy (Basel) 2023-06, Vol.13 (7), p.1727
Main Authors: Guo, Xiaoqian, Shi, Yu, Zhu, Guanglong, Zhou, Guisheng
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abiotic stress
Alfalfa
Antioxidants
antioxidase
Catalase
Cell division
Environmental stress
Enzymes
foliar spray
Growth regulators
Leaves
Malondialdehyde
Melatonin
osmolyte
Osmoregulation
Peroxidase
Peroxidation
Photosynthesis
Plant growth
Proteins
Salinity
Salinity tolerance
salt tolerance
Salts
Seedlings
Seeds
Sodium chloride
Superoxide
Superoxide dismutase
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Summary:Melatonin (MT) is a growth regulator and antioxidant that can resist peroxidation damage on plants caused by environmental stresses. In this study, the alleviation effects of melatonin on alfalfa under salt stress were investigated in terms of photosynthesis, antioxidant enzymes, and osmoregulation. The alfalfa seedlings were cultured in 200 mM NaCl Hoagland solution. Five levels of MT (0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 mM) were applied as a foliar spray. Generally, the foliar spray of MT increased root length, root surface area, height, leaf length and width, aerial and root biomass, SPAD readings, the content of proline and soluble protein, and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT). Malonaldehyde (MDA) content was decreased by MT foliar spray. The beneficial effects of MT on alfalfa under salt stress were dosage-dependent, and excessive MT levels inhibited alfalfa growth. The alleviating effects of MT on salt stress were more pronounced at 0.3 mM MT. This study suggested that exogenous MT foliar spray at appropriate levels can ameliorate the adverse effects of salt stress on alfalfa seedlings.
ISSN:2073-4395
2073-4395
DOI:10.3390/agronomy13071727