Enhancing crop resilience with melatonin seed treatment in horticulture crops

Abstract

Recent shifts in climate patterns have exerted a profound impact on farmers’ earnings, resulting in diminished crop yields. To counteract these diverse environmental stressors, novel strategies have been developed to enhance plants’ ability to tolerate stress. Among them, the application of phytohormones to plants under stress conditions has gained significant importance recently. This necessitates the utilization of phytohormones or biostimulators in agricultural practices, which demonstrate a positive influence on plant growth regulation and fortification of resilience through augmentation of a various biochemical, physiological, and molecular processes. Hence, exploring the effects and mechanisms of these phytohormones is of paramount importance for cultivating enhanced stress tolerance. Among these phytohormones, melatonin (MT) has shown substantial evidence of bolstering seed germination even under various abiotic stressors. Additionally, MT seed treatment has been observed to enhance root morphology, seed germination, photosynthesis, seedling growth, delay leaf senescence, boost antioxidant efficiency, facilitate fruit maturation, and promote cellular and tissue-level histogenesis. Consequently, this study aims to delve into the impacts of MT seed treatment on its augmentation of seed germination under abiotic stress conditions, focusing on the modification of hormonal and genetic expressions. Our primary objective is to investigate the comprehensive spectrum of effects triggered by MT in enhancing seed germination, establishing seedlings, promoting plant development, and maintaining homeostasis amid abiotic stress conditions.