Synergistic Effects of Melatonin and Methyl Jasmonate in Mitigating Drought-Induced Oxidative Stress in Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)
Totan Kumar Ghosh1, Md. Roushonuzzaman Rakib1, Munna1, S. M. Zubair AL-Meraj1, Md. Moshiul Islam2, Anika Nazran1, Mohammad Golam Mostofa3,*
1 Department of Crop Botany, Gazipur Agricultural University, Gazipur, 1706, Bangladesh
2 Department of Agronomy, Gazipur Agricultural University, Gazipur, 1706, Bangladesh
3 Department of Chemistry, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
* Corresponding Author: Mohammad Golam Mostofa. Email: 
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crop Plants: Physio-biochemical and Molecular Mechanisms)
Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2025.073382
Received 17 September 2025; Accepted 18 December 2025; Published online 22 December 2025
Abstract
The productivity of common bean (
Phaseolus vulgaris L.), an economically important legume, is severely hindered by drought stress. While melatonin (Mel) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) are known to alleviate abiotic stresses, their combined effects in mitigating drought-induced oxidative stress are unknown. Here, we examined the synergistic effects of Mel and MeJA in alleviating drought-associated oxidative damage in common bean. Compared with well-watered controls, drought stress caused a significant decline in plant biomass, photosynthetic pigments, and photosystem II efficiency (
Fv/
Fm). Drought also significantly increased hydrogen peroxide (H
2O
2) accumulation, which likely contributed to membrane lipid peroxidation, as indicated by elevated malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Furthermore, drought stress substantially suppressed the activity of antioxidant enzymes, including catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and glutathione
S-transferase (GST). In contrast, application of exogenous Mel and MeJA, particularly at 150 μM and 20 μM, respectively, significantly improved plant biomass, chlorophyll
a (Chl
a), chlorophyll
b (Chl
b), and
Fv/
Fm relative to drought-stressed plants only. Notably, the combined treatment with Mel and MeJA reduced H
2O
2 and MDA by 84.3% and 39.8%, respectively, while enhancing the activities of CAT (by 106.2%), POD (by 97.7%), and GST (by 54.2%) compared to drought-stressed plants only. Multivariate analyses further confirmed that Mel and MeJA effectively reduced the levels of H
2O
2 and MDA while enhancing antioxidant defense. These results suggest that the combined action of Mel and MeJA enhanced antioxidant defenses, restoring photosynthetic performance impaired by ROS in common bean. This synergy effectively mitigates drought-induced oxidative stress, highlighting their potential to improve resilience and support sustainable bean production for global food security.
Keywords
Antioxidant defense; growth regulators; legumes; photosynthesis; phytohormones; water shortage
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