Abstract
Drought stress is a critical constraint on plant growth and productivity in arid and semi-arid regions, significantly impairing the physiological traits and antioxidant capacity of medicinal plants. Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), a medicinal and aromatic plant valued for its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, is highly sensitive to environmental stresses. Melatonin, a multifunctional molecule involved in growth regulation and stress tolerance, shows promise in mitigating drought-induced damage; however, its application in medicinal plants remains underexplored. This study investigated the effects of foliar-applied melatonin (0, 100, and 200 µM) on lemongrass under varying drought stress levels (100%, 70%, and 40% field capacity) in controlled greenhouse conditions. Physiological parameters (chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance, relative water content), growth indices (leaf and root dry weight), compatible solutes (proline), oxidative stress markers (electrolyte leakage, hydrogen peroxide, malondialdehyde), and antioxidant responses (catalase, peroxidase, total phenols, total antioxidant capacity) were assessed. Results revealed that drought stress significantly reduced chlorophyll content (by up to 56.6%), stomatal conductance (by 42.6%), and plant biomass. Conversely, foliar application of melatonin, particularly at 200 µM, effectively mitigated these adverse effects, increasing biomass by 9-11%, improving leaf water status by 14-15%, enhancing proline accumulation, and reducing oxidative stress markers. Furthermore, melatonin enhanced catalase and peroxidase activities as well as phenolic accumulation in a concentration-dependent manner. These findings indicate that melatonin, by enhancing antioxidant defense systems and maintaining physiological homeostasis, offers a promising strategy for improving drought tolerance and supporting the sustainable production of medicinal plants under water-limited conditions.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Drought stress reduced chlorophyll content by up to 56.6% in lemongrass.
- Taxon
- Lemongrass
Cymbopogon citratuse1 - Treatment
- drought stresse0
- Outcome
- chlorophyll contente0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 56.6%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)”
e0“Results revealed that drought stress significantly reduced chlorophyll content (by up to 56.6%), stomatal conductance (by 42.6%), and plant biomass.”
Claim · model-written summary
Drought stress reduced stomatal conductance by 42.6% in lemongrass.
- Taxon
- LemongrassCymbopogon citratuse1
- Treatment
- drought stresse0
- Outcome
- stomatal conductancee0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 42.6%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)”
e0“Results revealed that drought stress significantly reduced chlorophyll content (by up to 56.6%), stomatal conductance (by 42.6%), and plant biomass.”
Claim · model-written summary
Drought stress reduced plant biomass in lemongrass.
- Taxon
- LemongrassCymbopogon citratuse1
- Treatment
- drought stresse0
- Outcome
- plant biomasse0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)”
e0“Results revealed that drought stress significantly reduced chlorophyll content (by up to 56.6%), stomatal conductance (by 42.6%), and plant biomass.”
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar melatonin at 200 µM increased lemongrass biomass by 9-11% under drought.
- Taxon
- LemongrassCymbopogon citratuse1
- Treatment
- foliar application of melatonin, particularly at 200 µMe2
- Outcome
- biomasse2
- Direction
- increasinge2
- Value
- 9-11%e2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)”
e2“foliar application of melatonin, particularly at 200 µM, effectively mitigated these adverse effects, increasing biomass by 9-11%”
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar melatonin improved lemongrass leaf water status by 14-15%.
- Taxon
- LemongrassCymbopogon citratuse1
- Treatment
- foliar application of melatonine2
- Outcome
- leaf water statuse3
- Direction
- improvinge3
- Value
- 14-15%e3
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)”
e2“foliar application of melatonin, particularly at 200 µM, effectively mitigated these adverse effects, increasing biomass by 9-11%”
e3“improving leaf water status by 14-15%”
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar melatonin enhanced proline accumulation in lemongrass.
- Taxon
- LemongrassCymbopogon citratuse1
- Treatment
- foliar application of melatonine2
- Outcome
- proline accumulatione4
- Direction
- enhancinge4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)”
e2“foliar application of melatonin, particularly at 200 µM, effectively mitigated these adverse effects, increasing biomass by 9-11%”
e4“enhancing proline accumulation”
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar melatonin reduced oxidative stress markers in lemongrass.
- Taxon
- LemongrassCymbopogon citratuse1
- Treatment
- foliar application of melatonine2
- Outcome
- oxidative stress markerse5
- Direction
- reducinge5
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)”
e2“foliar application of melatonin, particularly at 200 µM, effectively mitigated these adverse effects, increasing biomass by 9-11%”
e5“reducing oxidative stress markers”
Claim · model-written summary
Melatonin enhanced catalase and peroxidase activities and phenolic accumulation in a concentration-dependent manner.
- Taxon
- LemongrassCymbopogon citratuse1
- Treatment
- melatonine6
- Outcome
- catalase and peroxidase activities as well as phenolic accumulatione6
- Direction
- enhancede6
- Qualifier
- in a concentration-dependent mannere6
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)”
e6“melatonin enhanced catalase and peroxidase activities as well as phenolic accumulation in a concentration-dependent manner”
Claim · model-written summary
Melatonin is proposed to improve drought tolerance by enhancing antioxidant defense systems.
- Taxon
- LemongrassCymbopogon citratuse1
- Treatment
- melatonine7
- Outcome
- drought tolerancee7
- Qualifier
- enhancing antioxidant defense systemse7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)”
e7“These findings indicate that melatonin, by enhancing antioxidant defense systems and maintaining physiological homeostasis, offers a promising strategy for improving drought tolerance”
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See all 5 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.