Abstract

Chinese kale sprouts are increasingly popular due to their unique flavor and nutritional value. This study investigates the impact of sodium chloride (80, 160 mM) and melatonin (100 ?M) on their growth and bioactive compounds. Results indicate that the combined treatment (low sodium chloride + melatonin) significantly enhanced the fresh weight, total chlorophylls, total phenolics, and glucosinolates by 23.46 %, 7.26 %, 20.57 %, and 41.56 %, respectively, compared to low sodium chloride treatment alone. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that this treatment upregulated genes involved in chlorophyll, phenylpropanoid, and glucosinolate biosynthesis. Furthermore, metabolomics analysis showed that melatonin treatment increased the levels of metabolites related to amino acids and carbohydrates. This study shows that low concentration of sodium chloride + melatonin treatment can improve the growth and quality of Chinese kale sprouts, and has great development potential in the production of sprouts. © 2025 The Authors