Abstract: Evidence has confirmed that the presence of melatonin in plants is universal. Melatonin has importance roles in many aspects of plant growth and development. The most frequently mentioned functions of melatonin are related to abiotic stresses such as drought, salt stress, extreme temperature, and oxidative stresses. Nowadays, with understanding deepening of melatonin, studies about the effect of melatonin on abiotic stresses resistance in plants have made plentiful and substantial achievements. This review mainly focuses on the biosynthesis pathway of melatonin, exogenously applied melatonin affects stress tolerance and melatonin levels in plants under stress conditions, and also proposes the potential subjects of melatonin in plant. The findings are as follows, although it has been suggested that plant melatonin is synthesized via similar biosynthetic pathways to those in animals, the exact biosynthetic pathway and the specific sites remain unclear. Evidence indicates that exogenously applied melatonin can also improve abiotic stress resistance in plants. Environmental stress can enhance the level of endogenous melatonin in plants, and overexpression of the melatonin biosynthetic genes can also increase melatonin levels.

Key words: melatonin, abiotic stress, oxidative stress, stress resistance, antioxidant