Melatonin administration decrypts the inferential determinants of
idiosyncratic foliar nastic movements
Abstract
Plant nastic movements follow unique plant behavioural patterns that
synchronize with external cues. Because the foliar nastic motions of
Portulaca species are solely circadian, it would be fascinating
to explore whether and how melatonin governs these movements. Analyzing
morphological and anatomical traits in accordance with stomatal
behaviour offers visual data regarding the plant species’
gnosophysiology and ecology. Morphometric and anatomical features
provide clues and even prove the function of pleiotropic external
stimuli. The current study seeks to understand how exogenous melatonin
affects the foliar nastic movements in Portulaca oleracea.
According to the findings, melatonin functioned as an intracellular
hydrodynamic controller by navigating idioblast, crystal densities, and
stomatal behaviour. Thus this hormone can be one of the auxiliary
internal regulators of turgor pressure, thereby assisting
P.oleracea’s characteristic foliar nastic movement that is
circadian. The timepoint study at specific zeitgebers indicated that
abiotic variables alter the endogenous melatonin concentration of
P.oleracea. The idioblast and crystal torques and their angular
momentum must be investigated further to calculate the hydraulic forces
at work in the leaf lamina. This could decrypt melatonin’s pleiotropic
action and the underlying mechanism of foliar nastic motions of other
plant species.