Melatonin in horticultural crops: roles in stress tolerance and agronomic applications
Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) has emerged as a key bioactive molecule in plants, extending far beyond its well-known role in animals. In horticultural crops, melatonin contributes to physiological regulation, stress mitigation, and improved agronomic performance. This review synthesizes c...
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| Format: | Artículo |
| Language: | Inglés |
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Ediciones INTA
2025
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/24624 https://doi.org/10.58149/amm7-6914 |
| _version_ | 1855487367033389056 |
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| author | Castañares, Jose Luis |
| author_browse | Castañares, Jose Luis |
| author_facet | Castañares, Jose Luis |
| author_sort | Castañares, Jose Luis |
| collection | INTA Digital |
| description | Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) has emerged as a key bioactive molecule in plants, extending far beyond its well-known role in animals. In horticultural crops, melatonin contributes to physiological regulation, stress mitigation, and improved agronomic performance. This review synthesizes current evidence on melatonin’s biosynthesis, physiological roles, and its effects on tolerance to abiotic stressors such as drought, salinity, and temperature extremes. The review further discusses its application in species including lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and broccoli, with a focus on seed treatment, foliar application, and irrigation. Despite promising outcomes, challenges remain in standardizing doses, validating field efficacy and integrating melatonin into commercial horticulture. Future directions highlight the need for omics-based studies, field-level validations and exploration of melatonin-based technologies to support sustainable crop production. |
| format | Artículo |
| id | INTA24624 |
| institution | Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina) |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Ediciones INTA |
| publisherStr | Ediciones INTA |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | INTA246242025-12-18T11:41:52Z Melatonin in horticultural crops: roles in stress tolerance and agronomic applications Castañares, Jose Luis Hortalizas Melatonina Estrés Abiótico Tolerancia Productividad Vegetables Melatonin Abiotic Stress Tolerance Productivity Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) has emerged as a key bioactive molecule in plants, extending far beyond its well-known role in animals. In horticultural crops, melatonin contributes to physiological regulation, stress mitigation, and improved agronomic performance. This review synthesizes current evidence on melatonin’s biosynthesis, physiological roles, and its effects on tolerance to abiotic stressors such as drought, salinity, and temperature extremes. The review further discusses its application in species including lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and broccoli, with a focus on seed treatment, foliar application, and irrigation. Despite promising outcomes, challenges remain in standardizing doses, validating field efficacy and integrating melatonin into commercial horticulture. Future directions highlight the need for omics-based studies, field-level validations and exploration of melatonin-based technologies to support sustainable crop production. La melatonina (N-acetil-5-metoxitriptamina) ha emergido como una molécula bioactiva clave en las plantas, extendiéndose mucho más allá de su conocido papel en los animales. En los cultivos hortícolas, la melatonina contribuye a la regulación fisiológica, la mitigación del estrés y la mejora del rendimiento agronómico. Esta revisión sintetiza la evidencia actual sobre la biosíntesis de la melatonina, sus roles fisiológicos y sus efectos en la tolerancia a estresores abióticos como la sequía, la salinidad y las temperaturas extremas. La revisión aborda además su aplicación en especies como la lechuga, el tomate, el pepino y el brócoli, centrándose en el tratamiento de semillas, la aplicación foliar y la irrigación. A pesar de que los resultados son prometedores, persisten desafíos en la estandarización de las dosis, la validación de la eficacia en campo y la integración de la melatonina en la horticultura comercial. Las direcciones futuras resaltan la necesidad de estudios basados en ómicas, validaciones a nivel de campo y la exploración de tecnologías basadas en melatonina para apoyar la producción de cultivos sostenible. Gerencia de Comunicación e Imagen Institucional, DNA SICC, INTA Fil: Castañares, José Luis. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Departamento de Ciencias Básicas. Laboratorio de Fisiología Vegetal; Argentina 2025-12-18T11:39:52Z 2025-12-18T11:39:52Z 2025-12 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/24624 0325-8718 1669-2314 https://doi.org/10.58149/amm7-6914 eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) application/pdf Ediciones INTA RIA 51 (3) : 171-181. (diciembre 2025) |
| spellingShingle | Hortalizas Melatonina Estrés Abiótico Tolerancia Productividad Vegetables Melatonin Abiotic Stress Tolerance Productivity Castañares, Jose Luis Melatonin in horticultural crops: roles in stress tolerance and agronomic applications |
| title | Melatonin in horticultural crops: roles in stress tolerance and agronomic applications |
| title_full | Melatonin in horticultural crops: roles in stress tolerance and agronomic applications |
| title_fullStr | Melatonin in horticultural crops: roles in stress tolerance and agronomic applications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Melatonin in horticultural crops: roles in stress tolerance and agronomic applications |
| title_short | Melatonin in horticultural crops: roles in stress tolerance and agronomic applications |
| title_sort | melatonin in horticultural crops roles in stress tolerance and agronomic applications |
| topic | Hortalizas Melatonina Estrés Abiótico Tolerancia Productividad Vegetables Melatonin Abiotic Stress Tolerance Productivity |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/24624 https://doi.org/10.58149/amm7-6914 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT castanaresjoseluis melatonininhorticulturalcropsrolesinstresstoleranceandagronomicapplications |