Melatonin-Mediated Alleviation of Heavy Metal Toxicity in Horticultural Crops

Muhammad Mohsin Altaf; Muhammad Shahid; Hafiz Saqib Hayat; Sidra Sohail; Muhammad Anwar; Sahrish Ashraf

Авторы

Muhammad Mohsin Altaf College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Muhammad Shahid School of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry (School of Agricultural and Rural, School of Rural Revitalization), Hainan University, China.
Hafiz Saqib Hayat Department of Agronomy, Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture (MNSUAM), Multan, Pakistan
Sidra Sohail State Key laboratory of soil and water conservation and desertification control. College of soil and water conservation science and engineering, northwest agriculture and forestry university, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
Muhammad Anwar School of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry (School of Agricultural and Rural, School of Rural Revitalization), Hainan University, China.
Sahrish Ashraf Department of Agricultural Engineering, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, Pakistan

Ключевые слова:

Melatonin, Heavy metals, Photosynthesis, Root growth, Contaminated soil

Аннотация

Human activities have caused heavy metal (HM) pollution to become a major agricultural and environmental challenge worldwide. Scientists worldwide investigate strategies to decrease the toxicity of HMs in agricultural land and their detrimental effects on plant growth. Melatonin (MT), a multifunctional molecule with strong antioxidant properties, has gained recognition as a stress-alleviating agent that works particularly well against HM-induced stresses. MT functions as a recently recognized signaling molecule and plant growth regulator that plays an essential role in strengthening plant resistance against abiotic stress. MT effectively mitigates HM stress in horticultural crops as scientists identify it as a promising solution to manage HM contamination in plant species. The review article evaluates MT's function in decreasing HM toxicity levels in horticultural plants through the identification of associated physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms and minimizing rhizosphere HM concentrations and MT-mediated metal sequestration while maintaining nutrient levels and activating defense systems and hormone pathway involvement. This review article establishes a theoretical framework for regulating HM ion accumulation in horticultural plants grown in contaminated soils.