Exogenous application of melatonin alleviates salt stress-induced decline in growth and photosynthesis in Glycine max (L.) seedlings by improving mineral uptake, antioxidant and glyoxalase system

Basmah M. Alharbi, Abeer Hamdy Elhakem, Ghalia S.H. Alnusairi, Mona H. Soliman, Khalid Rehman Hakeem, Md. Mahadi Hasan and Magdi T. Abdelhamid
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Basmah M. Alharbi: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
Abeer Hamdy Elhakem: Department of Biology, College of Sciences and Humanities in AlKharj, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, AlKharj, Saudi Arabia
Ghalia S.H. Alnusairi: Department of Biology, College of Science, Jouf University, Sakaka, Saudi Arabia
Mona H. Soliman: Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
Khalid Rehman Hakeem: Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Md. Mahadi Hasan: State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, P.R. China
Magdi T. Abdelhamid: Botany Department, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt

Plant, Soil and Environment, 2021, vol. 67, issue 4, 208-220

Abstract: Soybean plants grown under NaCl were foliar sprayed twice with melatonin (MLT). Results revealed that salt stress reduced growth, biomass accumulation, photosynthesis, mineral uptake, the content of δ-aminolevulinic acid, chlorophylls, carotenoids and PSII efficiency. However, MLT application enhanced pigment synthesis and PSII activity. MLT up-regulated the antioxidant system and glyoxalase function resulting in reduced accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Reduced ROS in MLT-treated plants protected membrane functioning by reducing lipid peroxidation, electrolyte leakage and lipoxygenase activity. Nevertheless, MLT application reduced methylglyoxal accumulation while increased the content of reduced glutathione and ascorbic acid. It could be concluded that exogenous MLT mitigated the salt stress damage in soybean plants by improving photosynthesis, antioxidant systems, controlling ion homeostasis and minimising excessive ROS accumulation.

Keywords: salinity tolerance mechanisms; osmolyte; malondialdehyde; phytohormone; secondary metabolites; ascorbate (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:67:y:2021:i:4:id:659-2020-pse

DOI: 10.17221/659/2020-PSE

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