Role of Melatonin in Plant Growth, Metabolism, and Abiotic Stress Tolerance

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 577

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Unidad de Biología Integrativa, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Calle 43, #130, x 32 and 34, Mérida 97205, Yucatán, Mexico
Interests: melatonin; environmental stress; salinity; habanero pepper; proline metabolism; oxidative stress

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Unidad de Biología Integrativa, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Calle 43, #130, x 32 and 34, Mérida 97205, Yucatán, Mexico
Interests: melatonin; environmental stress; salinity; habanero pepper; proline; glutamate receptor; melatonin receptor and oxidative stress

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Melatonin is an indole molecule (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) first discovered in animals, recognized for its role in regulating the sleep and circadian rhythms. However, in plants called phytomelatonin, it was detected in 1995, and more recent research has revealed that this molecule appears in roots, leaves, fruits, and seeds, where it plays vital roles in mitigating adverse environmental stress conditions. The MT molecule plays an important role in a number of physiological processes in plants, ranging from germination, root and shoot growth, photosynthesis, stomatal closure, osmoregulation, secondary metabolism, leaf senescence, regulation of the circadian cycle, flowering and fruit set, and even protection against biotic and abiotic factors. It plays an important role in increasing the antioxidant capacity of plant cells, with this being one of its most studied functions. Identified in Arabidopsis thaliana, the first melatonin receptor reported for plants, called PHYTOMELATONIN RECEPTOR 1 (AtPMTR1), has been fundamental for the recent consideration of melatonin as a plant hormone, and it has been clearly shown that this molecule is distributed universally, being identified in prokaryotic bacteria and in higher plants, being a molecule with a high level of conservation at the phylogenetic level. In the context of climate change, pollution, and an increase in extreme events, the study of plant melatonin has become very relevant. This Special Issue will explore the mechanisms of melatonin action, including how it contributes to the acclimation of plants to environmental stress conditions. Given its effectiveness, melatonin has been studied as an agricultural biostimulant, capable of improving crop yield under stressful conditions. Exogenous applications (via spraying or irrigation) have shown good results in crops such as rice, tomato, wheat, and grapes; this opens new possibilities for the development of sustainable agricultural strategies, especially in regions affected by climate change.

Dr. Manuel Martínez-Estévez
Dr. Ileana Echevarría-Machado
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • melatonin
  • oxidative stress
  • proline
  • salinity
  • crop protection
  • environmental stress
  • serotonin
  • aluminum
  • cell wall

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