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2025 Vol.34, Issue 4 Preview Page

Original Articles

Exogenous Ethanol Application Enhances Drought Tolerance and Fruit Quality in Melon (Cucumis melo L.) Across Seasons

외인성 에탄올 처리에 따른 계절별 멜론(Cucumis melo L.)의 가뭄 내성 및 과일 품질 변화

Ji-won Bae1
,
Jun-young Kwak2
,
Jong-seok Park34*
배 지원1
,
곽 준영2
,
박 종석34*
1Graduate Student, Department of Bio-AI Convergence, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea
2Graduate Student, Department of Horticulture Science, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea
3Professor, Department of Horticultural Science, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea
4Professor, Department of Bio-AI Convergence, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea
1충남대학교 바이오 AI 융합학과 대학원생
2충남대학교 원예학과 대학원생
3충남대학교 원예학과 교수
4충남대학교 바이오 AI 융합학과 교수
*Corresponding Author
31 October 2025. pp. 564-573
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Abstract

The exogenous application of ethanol has been reported to enhanced plant tolerance to various abiotic stresses. Most of these findings have been derived from studies on leafy vegetables and model species, whereas fruit-bearing horticultural crops have received comparatively little attention. In particular, the effect of ethanol on melon (Cucumis melo L.), a major fruit vegetable, remain largely unexplored. In this study, melon plant was irrigated with nutrient solutions supplemented with ethanol at varying concentration (0, 25, 50, and 100mM) prior to imposition of drought stress. Morphological traits, leaf physiological responses and fruit characteristics were subsequently assessed during both spring and summer growing season. Gas-exchange parameter (photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate) initially decreased with increasing ethanol concentration within 6 hours after drought stress, but gradually recovered within 24h, exhibiting consistent patterns across both seasons. Notable seasonal variation was observed in fruit attributes: in spring, soluble solids content (°Brix) and antioxidant compounds increased progressively with ethanol concentration, whereas in summer the highest °Brix was recorded at 50mM, and neither total phenolic content nor DPPH radical-scavenging activity differed significantly among treatments, except for the lowest value in the control. These findings suggest that ethanol application enhances stress perception and promotes sugar accumulation as well as antioxidant capacity in melon fruit, thereby providing a potential strategy to improve fruit quality under drought conditions.

Keywords
drought stress
ethanol treatment
gas exchange parameter
seasonal variation
soluble solids content

에탄올의 외생적 처리는 다양한 비생물적 스트레스에 대한 식물의 내성을 향상시키는 것으로 보고되어 왔으나, 이러한 결과의 대부분은 엽체류나 타 모델식물에 한정되어 있었으며, 과실을 맺는 원예작물에 대한 연구는 상대적으로 부족하다. 특히 주요 과채류인 멜론(Cucumis melo L.)에서의 애탄올 효과는 아직 충분히 규명되지 않았다. 본 연구에서는 멜론에 가뭄 스트레스를 부여하기 전에 에탄올이 각각 0, 25, 50, 100mM 농도로 첨가된 양액을 관주 처리하고, 봄과 여름 두 생육시기에 걸쳐 형태적 특성, 잎의 생리 반응 및 과실 특성을 평가하였다. 그 결과, 광합성률, 가공전도도, 증산률 등 가스 교환 생리 지표는 가뭄 스트레스 개시 6시간 이내에 에탄올 농도 증가에 따라 일시적으로 감소하였으나 24시간 내 회복되어 계절 간 유사한 경향을 보였다. 과실 특성에서는 계절적 변이가 뚜렸하였으며, 봄에는 에탄올 농도 증가에 따라 가용성 고형물 함량 (°Brix)과 항산화 물질 함량이 지속적으로 증가한 반면, 여름에는 50mM 처리구에서 가장 높은 °Brix가 나타났고 총 페놀 함량과 DPPH 라디칼 소거 활성은 대조구를 제외한 처리 간 유의한 차이가 없었다. 이러한 결과는 에탄올 처리가 식물의 스트레스 인지를 강화하고 멜론 과실의 당 축적 및 항산화 능력을 증진시켜 가뭄 조건에서 과실 품질 향상을 위한 잠재적 전략이 될 수 있음을 시사한다.

키워드
가뭄 스트레스
가용성 고형물 함량
계절적 변이
기체 교환 생리 지표
에탄올 처리
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Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Society for Bio-Environment Control
  • Publisher(Ko) :(사)한국생물환경조절학회
  • Journal Title :Journal of Bio-Environment Control
  • Journal Title(Ko) :생물환경조절학회지
  • Volume : 34
  • No :4
  • Pages :564-573
  • Received Date : 2025-09-23
  • Revised Date : 2025-10-14
  • Accepted Date : 2025-10-29
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.12791/KSBEC.2025.34.4.564
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