Physiological Effects of Exogenous Melatonin on Leaves of Kiwifruit Seedlings under Drought Stress

Melatonin is a small molecular substance widely found in higher plants and can improve plant resistance to stress ability. To investigate the effects of melatonin on the response mechanism and drought resistance kiwifruit seedlings, one-year-old seedlings of kiwifruit and root irrigation method were used to study the physiological effects of exogenous melatonin on kiwifruit seedlings under drought stress. The results showed that the relative electrical conductivity, soluble sugar content, proline content and total flavanol (TFAC) content of kiwifruit seedlings in the drought-treated group are increasing and the soluble protein content decreases first and then increases when compared with the control group (CK); root irrigation MT solution can effectively reduce the relative conductivity of kiwifruit seedlings leaves, and significantly increase soluble sugar, soluble protein, proline and TFAC content. The results show that MT can effectively reduce the harm of drought stress, improve kiwifruit adapt to drought stress environment.