Melatonin-mediated cross-stress protection in tomato under individual and combined salinity and drought stress.

Melatonin enhances tomato tolerance to combined salinity and drought stress, increasing growth by up to 37% and reducing oxidative damage by nearly 40%.

• Why it matters: Salinity and drought frequently co-occur, severely impacting tomato yields, yet the protective mechanisms of melatonin under these combined stresses are not well understood.
• What they did: The study applied 100 μM foliar melatonin to tomato plants exposed to salinity (0 or 100 mM NaCl) and drought (90 or 60% field capacity), assessing physiological and biochemical responses after three weeks.
• The result: Melatonin improved growth, water content, ion balance, and antioxidant activity, especially under combined stress, indicating its potential to bolster tomato resilience through multiple protective pathways.