Melatonin stimulates salt tolerance of soybean plants by modulating photosynthetic performance, osmoregulation, and the enzymatic antioxidant defence system

Abiotic stress and climatic changes pose a serious threat to the agricultural sector. So, a pot experiment was performed at the National Research Centre greenhouse, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt, to investigate the influence of foliar spraying of melatonin (1.25, 2.50, 5.0 mM) on soybean plants exposed to ir...

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Main Authors: Mohamed El-sayed El-Awadi, Mervat Shamoon Sadak, Mahmoud Ahmed Khater, Mona Gergis Dawood
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani) 2025-07-01
Series:Acta Biologica Slovenica
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Online Access:https://journals.uni-lj.si/abs/article/view/21635
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author Mohamed El-sayed El-Awadi
Mervat Shamoon Sadak
Mahmoud Ahmed Khater
Mona Gergis Dawood
author_facet Mohamed El-sayed El-Awadi
Mervat Shamoon Sadak
Mahmoud Ahmed Khater
Mona Gergis Dawood
author_sort Mohamed El-sayed El-Awadi
collection DOAJ
description Abiotic stress and climatic changes pose a serious threat to the agricultural sector. So, a pot experiment was performed at the National Research Centre greenhouse, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt, to investigate the influence of foliar spraying of melatonin (1.25, 2.50, 5.0 mM) on soybean plants exposed to irrigation with saline solution (6.25 dS/m). Results show that salinity stress (S1: 6.25 dS/m) significantly decreased vegetative growth parameters, photosynthetic pigments, indole acetic acid (IAA), membrane stability index (MSI), seed yield quantity and quality, accompanied by significant increases in carotenoid, phenolic content, osmolytes, and antioxidant enzymes activity. On the other hand, melatonin treatments at all levels showed the opposite trend of salinity stress. Melatonin treatments significantly improved the growth and productivity of soybean plants, either irrigated with tap water or saline solution (6.25 dS/m), relative to corresponding controls. The optimum treatment was 2.50 mM melatonin. Since, it increased plant dry weight by 2.04 times in plant irrigated with tap water and by 2.79 times in plant irrigated with saline solution (6.25 dS/m) as well as increased seed yield /plant by 116.13% in plant irrigated with tap water (0.23 dS/m) and by 74.64% in plant irrigated with saline solution (6.25 dS/m) relative to corresponding controls. In addition, melatonin treatments increased salinity tolerance of soybean plants via increasing total photosynthetic pigments, IAA, phenolic content, osmolytes contents (free amino acids, proline, total soluble sugar), membrane stability index, activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxide), quality of seed (oil, protein, and carbohydrate contents) and decreasing hydrogen peroxide, malondialdehyde, membrane leakage (ML) either in soybean plants irrigated with tap water (0.23 dS/m)  or saline solution (6.25 dS/m). It could be recommended that melatonin treatments ameliorate the harmful effects of salinity on soybeans.
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publisher University of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani)
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spelling doaj-art-dd516243a3024a4386fa78f23ddca6bd2025-08-20T02:35:50ZengUniversity of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani)Acta Biologica Slovenica1854-30732025-07-0168310.14720/abs.68.3.21635Melatonin stimulates salt tolerance of soybean plants by modulating photosynthetic performance, osmoregulation, and the enzymatic antioxidant defence systemMohamed El-sayed El-Awadi0Mervat Shamoon Sadak1Mahmoud Ahmed Khater2Mona Gergis Dawood3Botany Department, Agriculture and Biological Institute, National Research Centre, 33 El Bohouth St., P.O. 12622, Dokki, Giza, EgyptBotany Department, Agriculture and Biological Institute, National Research Centre, 33 El Bohouth St., P.O. 12622, Dokki, Giza, EgyptBotany Department, Agriculture and Biological Institute, National Research Centre, 33 El Bohouth St., P.O. 12622, Dokki, Giza, EgyptBotany Department, Agriculture and Biological Institute, National Research Centre, 33 El Bohouth St., P.O. 12622, Dokki, Giza, Egypt Abiotic stress and climatic changes pose a serious threat to the agricultural sector. So, a pot experiment was performed at the National Research Centre greenhouse, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt, to investigate the influence of foliar spraying of melatonin (1.25, 2.50, 5.0 mM) on soybean plants exposed to irrigation with saline solution (6.25 dS/m). Results show that salinity stress (S1: 6.25 dS/m) significantly decreased vegetative growth parameters, photosynthetic pigments, indole acetic acid (IAA), membrane stability index (MSI), seed yield quantity and quality, accompanied by significant increases in carotenoid, phenolic content, osmolytes, and antioxidant enzymes activity. On the other hand, melatonin treatments at all levels showed the opposite trend of salinity stress. Melatonin treatments significantly improved the growth and productivity of soybean plants, either irrigated with tap water or saline solution (6.25 dS/m), relative to corresponding controls. The optimum treatment was 2.50 mM melatonin. Since, it increased plant dry weight by 2.04 times in plant irrigated with tap water and by 2.79 times in plant irrigated with saline solution (6.25 dS/m) as well as increased seed yield /plant by 116.13% in plant irrigated with tap water (0.23 dS/m) and by 74.64% in plant irrigated with saline solution (6.25 dS/m) relative to corresponding controls. In addition, melatonin treatments increased salinity tolerance of soybean plants via increasing total photosynthetic pigments, IAA, phenolic content, osmolytes contents (free amino acids, proline, total soluble sugar), membrane stability index, activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxide), quality of seed (oil, protein, and carbohydrate contents) and decreasing hydrogen peroxide, malondialdehyde, membrane leakage (ML) either in soybean plants irrigated with tap water (0.23 dS/m)  or saline solution (6.25 dS/m). It could be recommended that melatonin treatments ameliorate the harmful effects of salinity on soybeans. https://journals.uni-lj.si/abs/article/view/21635Glycine max L.salinity toleranceN-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamineabiotic stress
spellingShingle Mohamed El-sayed El-Awadi
Mervat Shamoon Sadak
Mahmoud Ahmed Khater
Mona Gergis Dawood
Melatonin stimulates salt tolerance of soybean plants by modulating photosynthetic performance, osmoregulation, and the enzymatic antioxidant defence system
Acta Biologica Slovenica
Glycine max L.
salinity tolerance
N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine
abiotic stress
title Melatonin stimulates salt tolerance of soybean plants by modulating photosynthetic performance, osmoregulation, and the enzymatic antioxidant defence system
title_full Melatonin stimulates salt tolerance of soybean plants by modulating photosynthetic performance, osmoregulation, and the enzymatic antioxidant defence system
title_fullStr Melatonin stimulates salt tolerance of soybean plants by modulating photosynthetic performance, osmoregulation, and the enzymatic antioxidant defence system
title_full_unstemmed Melatonin stimulates salt tolerance of soybean plants by modulating photosynthetic performance, osmoregulation, and the enzymatic antioxidant defence system
title_short Melatonin stimulates salt tolerance of soybean plants by modulating photosynthetic performance, osmoregulation, and the enzymatic antioxidant defence system
title_sort melatonin stimulates salt tolerance of soybean plants by modulating photosynthetic performance osmoregulation and the enzymatic antioxidant defence system
topic Glycine max L.
salinity tolerance
N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine
abiotic stress
url https://journals.uni-lj.si/abs/article/view/21635
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