Abstract
Peanut ( Arachis hypogaea L.), a vital oilseed crop, faces severe yield losses from Southern blight ( Sclerotium rolfsii ) and cadmium (Cd) contamination in agricultural soils. While crops often endure combined abiotic-biotic stresses in nature, synergistic solutions remain limited. Here, we investigated melatonin’s dual role in enhancing Cd detoxification and disease resistance using physiological assays and LC-MS metabolomics in peanut seedlings. Under combined stress (1 mM CdCl 2 + S. rolfsii ), melatonin treatment reduced disease incidence by 75% and Cd accumulation by 57% (roots) and 37% (shoots). Mechanistically, melatonin upregulated jasmonic acid biosynthesis genes ( AhLOX7, AhOPR3 ) and ABC transporter genes ( ABCC3, ABCC4 ), potentiated the antioxidant system (SOD: +135%; CAT: +128%), and significantly mitigated Cd-induced oxidative damage. Metabolomics revealed preferential resource allocation to defense metabolites, with marked accumulation of key antioxidants (e.g., uric acid) and defense phytohormones (e.g., salicylic acid, jasmonic acid) over primary metabolism. These findings demonstrate melatonin’s capacity to rewire stress-responsive metabolism, balancing Cd detoxification and pathogen defense without growth penalties. Our study provides the first evidence that melatonin confers dual resistance by reprogramming defense-related pathways, offering a scalable strategy for cultivating stress-resilient peanuts in contaminated agroecosystems, with implications for similar oilseed crops.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
Melatonin reduced southern blight disease incidence by 75% under combined cadmium and pathogen stress.
- Taxon
- peanut
Arachis hypogaeat0 - Treatment
- melatonin treatmente0
- Interactor
- S. rolfsii
Agroathelia rolfsiie0pathogen - Outcome
- disease incidencee0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 75%e0
- Qualifier
- combined stress (1 mM CdCl 2 + S. rolfsii )e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Under combined stress (1 mM CdCl 2 + S. rolfsii ), melatonin treatment reduced disease incidence by 75%”
t0“peanut”
Claim · model-written summary
Melatonin reduced cadmium accumulation in roots by 57% under combined stress.
- Taxon
- peanutArachis hypogaeat0
- Organ / stage
- rootse0
- Treatment
- melatonin treatmente0
- Outcome
- Cd accumulatione0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 57%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“melatonin treatment reduced disease incidence by 75% and Cd accumulation by 57% (roots) and 37% (shoots)”
t0“peanut”
Claim · model-written summary
Melatonin reduced cadmium accumulation in shoots by 37% under combined stress.
- Taxon
- peanutArachis hypogaeat0
- Organ / stage
- shootse0
- Treatment
- melatonin treatmente0
- Outcome
- Cd accumulatione0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 37%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“melatonin treatment reduced disease incidence by 75% and Cd accumulation by 57% (roots) and 37% (shoots)”
t0“peanut”
Claim · model-written summary
Melatonin upregulated jasmonic acid biosynthesis genes AhLOX7 and AhOPR3.
- Taxon
- peanutArachis hypogaeat0
- Treatment
- melatonine0
- Gene
- AhLOX7, AhOPR3e0
- Outcome
- jasmonic acid biosynthesis genese0
- Direction
- upregulatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“melatonin upregulated jasmonic acid biosynthesis genes ( AhLOX7, AhOPR3 )”
t0“peanut”
Claim · model-written summary
Melatonin upregulated ABC transporter genes ABCC3 and ABCC4.
- Taxon
- peanutArachis hypogaeat0
- Treatment
- melatonine0
- Gene
- ABCC3, ABCC4e0
- Outcome
- ABC transporter genese0
- Direction
- upregulatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“melatonin upregulated jasmonic acid biosynthesis genes ( AhLOX7, AhOPR3 ) and ABC transporter genes ( ABCC3, ABCC4 )”
t0“peanut”
Claim · model-written summary
Melatonin increased SOD activity by 135%.
- Taxon
- peanutArachis hypogaeat0
- Treatment
- melatonine1
- Outcome
- SODe0
- Value
- +135%e0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“potentiated the antioxidant system (SOD: +135%; CAT: +128%)”
t0“peanut”
e1“melatonin upregulated”
Claim · model-written summary
Melatonin increased CAT activity by 128%.
- Taxon
- peanutArachis hypogaeat0
- Treatment
- melatonine1
- Outcome
- CATe0
- Value
- +128%e0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“potentiated the antioxidant system (SOD: +135%; CAT: +128%)”
t0“peanut”
e1“melatonin upregulated”
Claim · model-written summary
Melatonin significantly mitigated cadmium-induced oxidative damage.
- Taxon
- peanutArachis hypogaeat0
- Treatment
- melatonine1
- Outcome
- Cd-induced oxidative damagee0
- Direction
- mitigatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“significantly mitigated Cd-induced oxidative damage”
e1“melatonin upregulated”
t0“peanut”
Claim · model-written summary
Metabolomics showed preferential allocation to defense metabolites over primary metabolism.
- Taxon
- peanutArachis hypogaeat0
- Outcome
- preferential resource allocation to defense metabolitese0
- Comparator
- primary metabolisme0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Metabolomics revealed preferential resource allocation to defense metabolites, with marked accumulation of key antioxidants (e.g., uric acid) and defense phytohormones (e.g., salicylic acid, jasmonic acid) over primary metabolism”
t0“peanut”
Claim · model-written summary
Uric acid accumulated markedly.
- Taxon
- peanutArachis hypogaeat0
- Outcome
- marked accumulation of key antioxidants (e.g., uric acid)e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“marked accumulation of key antioxidants (e.g., uric acid)”
t0“peanut”
Claim · model-written summary
Salicylic acid and jasmonic acid accumulated markedly.
- Taxon
- peanutArachis hypogaeat0
- Outcome
- defense phytohormones (e.g., salicylic acid, jasmonic acid)e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“marked accumulation of key antioxidants (e.g., uric acid) and defense phytohormones (e.g., salicylic acid, jasmonic acid)”
t0“peanut”
Claim · model-written summary
Melatonin balanced cadmium detoxification and pathogen defense without growth penalties.
- Taxon
- peanutArachis hypogaeat0
- Outcome
- without growth penaltiese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“balancing Cd detoxification and pathogen defense without growth penalties”
t0“peanut”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors propose melatonin as a strategy to cultivate stress-resilient peanuts in contaminated agroecosystems.
- Taxon
- peanutsArachis hypogaeae0
- Outcome
- cultivating stress-resilient peanuts in contaminated agroecosystemse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“offering a scalable strategy for cultivating stress-resilient peanuts in contaminated agroecosystems”
The same questions in other papers
melatonin · nutrient: content · Arachis hypogaea (peanut)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
melatonin · physiology: oxidative · Arachis hypogaea (peanut)Results agree
2 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
melatonin · molecular: expression · Arachis hypogaea (peanut)Results agree
2 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
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.