Impact of Melatonin on Growth and Antioxidant Activity of Cicer arietinum L. Grown under Arsenic Stress

The ability of melatonin to regulate number of physiological and biochemical processes under different environmental stresses has been widely studied in plants. So, this investigation was done to study the protective roles of melatonin on Cicer arietinum L. grown under arsenic stress. Subjecting Cicer arietinum L. seeds to arsenic stress caused significant decreases in germination percentage, radicle growth, biomass accumulation, protein content and activities of antioxidant enzymes. On the other hand, melatonin treatment significantly increased growth parameters and protein quantity via improving antioxidant enzyme systems as compared with their corresponding untreated controls.