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Exogenous application of melatonin mitigates the adverse effects of drought stress on morpho-physiological traits and secondary metabolites in Moldavian balm (Dracocephalum moldavica)

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Abstract

Melatonin has emerged as an important signaling molecule that regulates plant responses to environmental stresses. In this research, melatonin was used to alleviate the adverse effects of oxidative stress induced by water deficit in Moldavian balm (Dracocephalum moldavica) plants and morpho-physiological traits were investigated. This experiment was conducted as a factorial arrangement based on completely randomized design with four replications. Treatments included foliar melatonin application at four levels 0 (distilled water), 50, 100 and 150 μM and drought stress 100 (control), 80, 60 and 40% of field capacity (FC). Higher levels of drought stress at 60% and 40% FC, caused the reduction of plant height, shoot fresh and dry weight, root length, root fresh and dry weight, photosynthetic pigments and protein content. Increased amount of soluble sugar content, malondialdehyde content and lipoxygenase activity, non-enzyme antioxidants (including flavonoid, polyphenol compounds and anthocyanin), phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and polyphenol oxidase enzymes activities were also observed at 60% and 40% FC. Melatonin at 100 µM improved morphological parameters, photosynthetic pigments and protein content under moderate and severe drought stress. The obtained results suggested that foliar application of 100 μM melatonin also alleviated oxidative burst and malondialdehyde production in Moldavian balm plant under moderate and severe drought stress probably through regulation of secondary metabolism and the enzymes activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and polyphenol oxidase.

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Abbreviations

Car:

carotenoids

Chl:

chlorophyll

llDW:

dry weight

FC:

field capacity

LOX:

lipoxygenase

MDA:

malondialdehyde

Mel:

melatonin

PAL:

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase

PPO:

Polyphenol oxidase

RDW:

root dry weight

RFW:

root fresh weight

RL:

root length

ROS:

reactive oxygen species

SDW:

shoot dry weight

SFW:

shoot fresh weight

TBARS:

thiobarbituric acid reactive substance

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agronomy and Plant Breeding Department, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran

    Mehdi Naghizadeh

  2. Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran

    Rozita Kabiri, Ali Hatami & Zahra Tahmasei

  3. Department of Ecology, Institute of Science and High Technology and Environmental Sciences, Graduate University of Advanced Technology, Kerman, Iran

    Hakimeh Oloumi

  4. Biology Department, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran

    Fatemeh Nasibi

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  1. Mehdi Naghizadeh
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  2. Rozita Kabiri
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  3. Ali Hatami
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  4. Hakimeh Oloumi
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  5. Fatemeh Nasibi
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Contributions

A.H., H.O. and F.N. equally design experiments; M.N. provided greenhouse, laboratory and experimental materials; H.O. and M.N. supervised the laboratory work; R.K. performed analytical measurement, accomplished statistical analyses and contributed to manuscript writing; Z.T. helped in statistical analyses; H.O. revised the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mehdi Naghizadeh.

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Naghizadeh, M., Kabiri, R., Hatami, A. et al. Exogenous application of melatonin mitigates the adverse effects of drought stress on morpho-physiological traits and secondary metabolites in Moldavian balm (Dracocephalum moldavica). Physiol Mol Biol Plants 25, 881–894 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-019-00674-4

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