Melatonin alleviates lead-induced stress in rice through physiological regulation and molecular defense mechanisms
摘要
This study investigates how melatonin (Mel) supplementation mitigates Lead (Pb) toxicity in rice by evaluating plant growth, physiology, and molecular responses. Pb stress markedly reduced root and shoot lengths by 63% and 33%, respectively, compared to control plants; however, Mel supplementation effectively mitigated this inhibition, enhancing root and shoot lengths by 100% and 47%, respectively, relative to Pb-stressed plants after 10 days. Furthermore, prolonged Mel application under Pb stress sustained growth improvement, increasing root and shoot lengths by 36% and 35%, respectively, compared to Pb-stressed plants. We observed a 19.5% increase in plant height with Mel treatment, along with improvements in yield-related traits such as panicle length and seed weight. Beyond morphological traits, Mel reduced Pb-induced oxidative stress by decreasing