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APPLICATION OF MELATONIN AND FE-DTPA ON CUCUMBER UNDER MODELLED IRON DEFICIENCY CONDITIONS Application of melatonin and Fe-DTPA on cucumber under modelled iron deficiency conditions

Published in INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL · Issue 4 · Pages 591–596 · Rubric: Scientific support and management of agrarian and industrial complex
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55186/25876740_2026_69_4_591
Received: 03.06.2026 Accepted: 14.07.2026 Published: 14.08.2026
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of the combined application of melatonin and iron chelate (Fe-DTPA) on the growth, photosynthetic activity, and physiological-biochemical stress indicators of cucumber under artificially induced iron deficiency. The effect of combining melatonin with micronutrient fertilizers had not been previously studied. To achieve this goal, a model vegetation experiment was established using cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) grown in a sandy substrate and supplied with a nutrient solution of specified composition. During the experiment, seeds were soaked and foliar treatments of vegetating plants were performed twice at the full expansion stage of the first and third leaves using melatonin solutions (1 mg/L for seeds and 25 mg/L for foliar application) and Fe-DTPA (1 g/L). The effects of the treatments were evaluated by measuring biometric parameters, chlorophyll and carotenoid content, PAM fluorometric analysis of photosystem II activity, and stress indicators such as lipid peroxidation, catalase activity, water-soluble carbohydrate content, and membrane stability. It was found that the combined application of melatonin and Fe-DTPA exerted a synergistic effect on cucumber growth. This treatment led to an increase in leaf area (+3.1% compared to control), number of leaves (+6.4%), dry weight of leaves (+3.8%), total stem length (+12.6%), and dry stem weight (+2.4%). Treated plants also showed a higher proportion of the stable fraction of all photosynthetic pigments (over 99% compared to 84.0–88.8% in the control) and significant accumulation of water-soluble carbohydrates in leaf tissues (+34.8%). In terms of photosystem II performance and other physiological-biochemical stress parameters, the effect of the combined application of melatonin and Fe-DTPA did not exceed that of their individual applications.
melatonin, Fe-DTPA, iron deficiency, cucumber, stress
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