In a new study led by Zebus Sehar and her team, findings suggest that melatonin (MT) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) can enhance the heat stress tolerance of wheat plants. Published in 2023, the research offers hope for addressing the growing challenge of climate change on agricultural productivity.
Melatonin and methyl jasmonate play crucial roles in helping plants adapt to various stress factors by adjusting their stress tolerance mechanisms. Therefore, the research focused on the effect of these compounds on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), a staple crop worldwide.Â
The researchers exposed wheat plants to 40°C for six hours a day over 15 days and then allowed them to recover at 28°C. As expected, this heat stress resulted in enhanced oxidative stress and antioxidant metabolism, increased activity of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase (ACS) and ethylene production, and decreased photosynthetic performance.
However, the team found that applying melatonin and methyl jasmonate exogenously or from outside the plant had a dramatic impact. These compounds reduced oxidative stress and improved sulfur assimilation by 73.6%, boosted the antioxidant defense system by 70.9% (SOD), 115.8% (APX), 104.2% (GR), and 49.5% (GSH), optimized ethylene level to 58.4%, and improved photosynthesis by 75%.
In addition, using p-chlorophenyl alanine, a melatonin biosynthesis inhibitor, combined with methyl jasmonate under heat stress conditions reduced photosynthetic performance, ATP-S activity, and GSH content. This observation underscores the essential role of melatonin in the methyl jasmonate-induced photosynthetic response of plants under heat stress.
These findings suggest that methyl jasmonate stimulates the plant’s ability to withstand heat stress by regulating sulfur assimilation, the antioxidant defense system, and ethylene production. Moreover, the improvement in photosynthetic performance was dependent on melatonin.
This research offers potential strategies for enhancing wheat and other crops’ resilience to heat stress, a challenge likely to become increasingly significant with global warming. In addition, these findings provide a new perspective on plant physiology and could pave the way for improved agricultural practices in a warming world.
Photo by Maddi Bazzocco on UnsplashÂ
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