Frontiers in Plant Science (Apr 2022)

Melatonin Rescues Photosynthesis and Triggers Antioxidant Defense Response in Cucumis sativus Plants Challenged by Low Temperature and High Humidity

  • Bakht Amin,
  • Muhammad Jawaad Atif,
  • Muhammad Jawaad Atif,
  • Huanwen Meng,
  • Muhammad Ali,
  • Shuju Li,
  • Hesham F. Alharby,
  • Hesham F. Alharby,
  • Ali Majrashi,
  • Khalid Rehman Hakeem,
  • Khalid Rehman Hakeem,
  • Khalid Rehman Hakeem,
  • Zhihui Cheng

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.855900
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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Environmental factors such as low temperature (LT) and high humidity (HH) hinder plant growth and development in plastic tunnels and solar greenhouses in the cold season. In this study, we examined the effect of melatonin (MT) on shoot-based tolerance to LT and HH conditions in cucumber (Cucumis sativus) seedlings and explored its underlying mechanism. LT and HH stress inhibited growth and biomass accumulation, produced leaf chlorosis, led to oxidative stress, lowered chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, reduced photosynthetic and photosystem II (PSII) activities, and increased the level of intercellular carbon dioxide and the non-photochemical quenching of photosystem I (PSI) and PSII. However, foliar application of MT significantly improved the morphological indices and photosynthetic efficiency of cucumber seedlings, which entailed the elevation of electrolyte leakage, lipid peroxidation, and reactive oxygen species accumulation by boosting the antioxidant enzyme defense system under LT and HH conditions. Additionally, the measurement of nitrogen (N), magnesium (Mg), and iron (Fe) contents in roots and leaves showed that MT significantly augmented the nutrient uptake of cucumber seedlings exposed to LT and HH stresses. Furthermore, MT application increased the transcripts levels of genes encoding antioxidant enzymes under LT and HH conditions, whereas treatment with LT and HH suppressed these genes, suggesting that MT application increases the LT and HH tolerance of cucumber seedlings. Overall, our results suggest that MT application increases the tolerance of cucumber seedlings to LT and HH stress by enhancing the plant morphometric parameters, regulating PSI and PSII, and activating the antioxidant defense mechanism. Thus, the exogenous application of MT could be potentially employed as a strategy to improve the LT and HH tolerance of cucumber.

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