ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1621310
Epibrassinolide and melatonin co-treatment enhances salt tolerance in tomato plants by coordinating photosynthetic efficiency, proline accumulation, and antioxidant defense
Provisionally accepted- 1United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates
- 2Integral University, Lucknow, India
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Melatonin (ML) and 24-epibrassinolide (EBL) are both known to help plants cope with abiotic stress. However, their interactive effects on the physiological performance of plants under high salinity have not been fully explored. To address this gap, the present study was conducted to investigate the combined role of ML and EBL in enhancing salt stress tolerance in tomato plants.The effects of ML and EBL, applied individually and in combination, were assessed under high salinity conditions by measuring plant growth, photosynthetic efficiency, stress-related biomarkers, proline metabolism, and antioxidant enzyme activity. The results showed that applying ML before stress and EBL after stress significantly reduced the accumulation of ROS.This effect was achieved by boosting antioxidant activity and regulating key enzymes involved in proline metabolism. These biochemical adjustments, such as enhanced antioxidants and altered proline metabolism, led to reduced lipid peroxidation, lower hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) levels, and decreased electrolyte leakage. Furthermore, the interactive treatment improved photosynthetic efficiency and growth by enhancing the activity of RuBisCO, a key enzyme in carbon fixation.Overall, this study provides novel insights into the synergistic role of EBL and ML in conferring salt stress tolerance through improved proline metabolism, redox regulation, and photosynthetic performance. The findings suggest that the co-application of ML and EBL holds significant potential as an eco-friendly strategy to enhance salinity tolerance in tomato plants, thereby contributing to sustainable agricultural practices under saline conditions.
Keywords: Brassinosteroids, Melatonin, Salinity, RuBisCO, Photosynthesis, Electrolyte leakage,
Received: 30 Apr 2025; Accepted: 08 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yusuf, Khan and Saeed. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Mohammad Yusuf, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates
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