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Exogenous melatonin alleviates damage from drought stress in Brassica napus L. (rapeseed) seedlings

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Abstract

This study investigated the ability of exogenous melatonin (MT) to alleviate drought stress in Brassica napus L. (rapeseed) seedlings. Seedling traits under control condition, drought stress, and drought stress with exogenous MT were evaluated. The results indicated that 0.05 mmol/L exogenous MT had the greatest protective effect against simulated drought stress. Exogenous MT alleviated the seedling growth inhibition under drought stress and significantly increased the leaf area and fresh and dry weights of roots and shoots compared to stress conditions lacking MT. In addition, although the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content increased under drought stress, it was decreased by exogenous MT. Moreover, antioxidant enzyme activities were increased in response to drought stress, and the activities of catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and peroxidase were significantly enhanced by exogenous MT. The results also showed that solute accumulation under stress was enhanced with exogenous MT through increases in the contents of soluble sugars and proteins. These results suggest that exogenous MT can alleviate the negative effects of drought stress and improve the growth of seedlings. The findings indicate that MT possesses antioxidative, osmotic activity-adjusting, and growth-inducing properties, thus making it beneficial for drought acclimatization.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (31371663), Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program of CAAS, Canola Key Industrial Innovation Team of Xiaogan, and the Hubei Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Center.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, 430062, China

    Jingjing Li, Liu Zeng, Yong Cheng, Guangyuan Lu, Guiping Fu, Xuekun Zhang & Xiling Zou

  2. Hubei Engineering University, Xiaogan, 432000, China

    Jingjing Li & Chunsheng Li

  3. The Agricultural Bureau of Xishui County, Huanggang, 438200, China

    Haiqing Ma & Qingyun Liu

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  1. Jingjing Li
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  2. Liu Zeng
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Correspondence to Xiling Zou or Chunsheng Li.

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Communicated by W Zhou.

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Li, J., Zeng, L., Cheng, Y. et al. Exogenous melatonin alleviates damage from drought stress in Brassica napus L. (rapeseed) seedlings. Acta Physiol Plant 40, 43 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-017-2601-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-017-2601-8

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