Browsing by Author "Poonam Chauhan"

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Melatonin-mediated regulation of growth, production, and protection in forest plant species
(Springer Nature, 2023) Neha Sharma; Poonam Chauhan; Ashwani Tapwal; Sumit Kumar
Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine), a pleiotropic signalling molecule with plethora of physiological and cellular functions, previously known to occur in animals, was discovered in plants in 1995. Plant melatonin, also referred to as phytomelatonin, has shown to be ubiquitously produced in plants. It has a variety of effects in plants, including its protective role against a wide range of biotic and abiotic stressors, stimulating growth and development especially rhizogenesis, increasing secondary metabolite production, and mediating various other physiological processes such as seed germination, flowering and fruit ripening, circadian rhythms and photoperiodic traits, photosynthesis, osmotic regulation, hormone levels and signalling, and gene expression. As a number of biotic and abiotic stressors greatly limit the growth and development of forest plants and restrict the regeneration and afforestation, understanding the role of melatonin in forest plant species may help in developing practical applications to combat these issues. Since the melatonin's discovery in plants, several studies have provided the understanding of its role in agricultural and horticultural crops; though melatonin has been discovered in a number of forest plant species, detailed research has been carried out for relatively few species, which limits our understanding of the role it plays in forestry. In this chapter, we discuss the occurrence of melatonin, its role in modulation of growth and development, and protection against various stressors in forest plant species. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023. All rights reserved.