Table 1.
Selected studies on the roles played by melatonin in the response of plants to abiotic stresses.
| Abiotic Stress | Plant Specie | Regulated Element | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salinity with alcalinity | Leymus chinensis | antioxidant systems, photosynthetic activity, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal growth | [108] |
| Tomato (S. lycopersicum L.) | photosynthetic activity, lipid peroxidation, capacity of the AsA –GSH cycle, balance of K+ and Na+ | [48] | |
| Potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) | homeostatic balance of Na+ and K+ | [49] | |
| Malus hupehensis | cell membrane damage, root system architecture, SOD, POD, CAT, PAs synthesis | [106] | |
| Salinity | Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) | ROS levels, PET, D1 protein. | [136] |
| Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) | stomatal closure, light energy absorption, PET in photosystem II, activities of antioxidant enzymes | [107] | |
| Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) | scavenging ROS, activities of antioxidant enzymes | [105] | |
| (Fragaria × ananassa) | antioxidant enzymes, ABA | [109] | |
| Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) | NR and NOA1- dependent NO concentration | [123] | |
| Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) | SOD isoforms (Cu/Zn SOD and Mn SOD), NO | [104] | |
| Sunflower (H. annuus L.) | GR (glutathione reductase) activity, GSH content | [47] | |
| Tomato (S. lycopersicum L.) | Na+ accumulation, uptake K+, antioxidant enzyme activity, AsA–GSH detoxification capacity, NO | [32] | |
| High temperature | Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) | H2O2 and Pro content, AsA levels, activity of several antioxidant enzymes, GST | [53] |
| Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) | ROS level, EL, membrane lipid peroxidation, MDA, Chl, total protein, antioxidant enzyme activities | [110] | |
| Maize (Zea mays L.) | MDA and EL levels, GR, CAT, AsA, GSH, methylglyoxal detoxification, osmoregulation system | [52] | |
| Tomato (S. lycopersicum L.) | activity of APX and CAT | [50] | |
| Tomato (S. lycopersicum L.) | ROS levels, RuBisCo activity | [143] | |
| Tomato (S. lycopersicum L.) | ROS accumulation in the anthers, activity of antioxidant enzymes, heat shock protein | [111] | |
| Tomato (S. lycopersicum L.) | antioxidant defense mechanisms, AsA-GSH cycle, PAs metabolic pathway, NO | [51] | |
| Low temperature | Arabidopsis thaliana | CBFs/DREBs, COR15a, CAMTA1, ZAT10, ZAT12. | [31] |
| Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) | levels of AsA and GSH, SOD, APX, MDHAR, DHAR, GR in the AsA–GSH cycle | [112] | |
| Cucumber (C. sativus L.) | antioxidant enzymes especially SOD and GSSG-R, synthesis of glutathione, GSH/GSSG ratio | [142] | |
| Elymus nutans | ABA, downstream cold-responsive genes such as EnCBF9, EnCBF14, and EnCOR14a | [142] | |
| Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) | photosynthetic capacity, antioxidant potential, redox homeostasis | [95] | |
| Tomato (S. lycopersicum L.) | accumulation of ROS, lipid peroxidation | [36] | |
| Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) | arginine pathway activity, PAs, electolyte, MDA, NO accumulation | [145] | |
| Drought | Cucumber (C. sativus L.) | photosynthetic rate, Chl degradation, SOD, POD, CAT | [118] |
| Naked oat (Avena nuda L.) | levels of H2O2 and O2−., SOD, POD, CAT and APX activities, MAPKs, TFs (WRKY1, DREB2 and MYB) | [115] | |
| Maize (Z. mays L.) | photosynthetic efficiency, activities of antioxidants enzymes, soluble proteins, Pro | [113] | |
| Maize (Z. mays L.) | D1 protein, photosynthesic activities, antioxidantive defense system | [116] | |
| Soybean (Glycine max L. | photosystem II efficiency, leaf area index, activity of SOD, POD, CAT, MDA. | [117] | |
| Chinese hickory (Carya cathayensis) | ROS scavenging activity, photosynthetic activity, soluble sugars, Pro | [33] | |
| Moringa oleifera L. | photosynthetic pigments phenolic, antioxidant enzyme systems, MDA content | [98] | |
| Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) | SOD, GR, CAT, APX, NR, NadDe | [114] | |
| High light stress | A. thaliana | scavenging ROS, antioxidant enzymes | [55] |
| A. thaliana | photosystems efficiency, oxidative damage | [138] | |
| Malus hupehensis | photosynthetic parameters, Chl fluorescence parameters, stomatal apertures, APX, CAT, POD | [102] | |
| Waterlogging stress | Malus baccata | photosynthesis, oxidative damage | [119] |
| Alfalfa plants (Medicago sativa L.) | ethylene production, PA content | [122] | |
| Fe deficiency | A. thaliana | remobilizing cell wall Fe, chlorosis | [144] |
| N deficiency | Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) | N contents and nitrate levels, NR and GS activities | [146] |
| S deficiency | Tomato (S. lycopersicum L.) | ROS content, ChI content, photosynthesis, enzymes involved in S transport and metabolism | [141] |
| Salinity+high temperatre stress combination | Tomato (S. lycopersicon) | antioxidant capacity, photosynthesis parameters, APX, GR, GPX, Ph-GPX | [10] |
| Low temperature+ droght stress combination | Rice (Oryza sativa) | several transporter proteins, Pro content, mitochondrial structure | [18] |
| High light + N deficiency stress combination | Haematococcus pluvialis | astaxanthin, cAMP signaling pathway, signaling cascade of NO-mediated MAPK. | [120] |
| Fe deficiency + salinity stress combination | Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) | NO, H2S | [121] |