Bacterial and Fungal Communities Are Differentially Modified by Melatonin in Agricultural Soils Under Abiotic Stress.

ABSTRACT: An extensive body of evidence from the last decade has indicated that melatonin enhances plant resistance to a range of biotic and abiotic stressors. This has led to an interest in the application of melatonin in agriculture to reduce negative physiological effects from environmental stresses that affect yield and crop quality. However, there are no reports regarding the effects of melatonin on soil microbial communities under abiotic stress, despite the importance of microbes for plant root health and function. Three agricultural soils associated with different land usage histories (pasture, canola or wheat) were placed under abiotic stress by cadmium (100 or 280 mg kg^-1 soil) or salt (4 or 7 g kg^-1 soil) and treated with melatonin (0.2 and 4 mg kg^-1 soil)

SUBMITTER: Madigan AP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6901394 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature