{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T15:59:57Z","timestamp":1790006397905,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"18","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,20]],"date-time":"2026-09-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789862400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Key Research and Development Progress of China","award":["2022YFD2300801"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2022YFD2300801"]}]},{"name":"Zhongyuan Sci-Tech Innovation Leading Talents","award":["254200510002"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["254200510002"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Foods"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study aimed to investigate the effects of exogenous melatonin on grain yield and quality of brewing wheat grown under reduced nitrogen (N) fertilizer application. Field experiments were performed using two brewing wheat cultivars, Yunong 901 and Fanmai 8. Treatments included conventional N (225 kg\u2219ha\u22121) and reduced N (150 kg\u2219ha\u22121 and 120 kg\u2219ha\u22121) levels, each with melatonin or water spray. The results demonstrated that reducing N fertilizer application led to decreased net photosynthetic rate, specific leaf N, and photosynthetic N use efficiency, while exogenous melatonin application improved corresponding photosynthetic parameters in all three N treatments. Reducing N decreased grain yield and grain endogenous hormone levels. Exogenous melatonin application increased grain yield under all N levels, with the highest increases in YN901 (10.61%) under MN and FM8 (10.27%) under LN. Melatonin partially restored grain hormone levels, particularly in the late filling stage under LN, maintaining higher filling activity. While reducing N decreased liquor volatile flavor compounds (alcohols, esters, N compounds), melatonin application significantly increased the total ester content and the relative levels of multiple volatile flavor compounds. Melatonin mitigated the adverse effects of N reduction, improving photosynthesis, grain yield, and liquor flavor quality. Comprehensively, reducing N to 150 kg\u2219ha\u22121 combined with exogenous melatonin application improves grain yield, N efficiency, and liquor flavor quality.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/foods15183335","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T14:12:09Z","timestamp":1789999929000},"page":"3335","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Improvement of Yield and Brewing Quality of Brewing Wheat Grown Under Reduced Nitrogen Fertilizer and Exogenous Melatonin Application"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-5554-6473","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jianchao","family":"Feng","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agronomy and National Engineering Research Center for Wheat, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China"},{"name":"National Wheat Technology Innovation Center, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"formal-analysis","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Zifei","family":"Ge","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agronomy and National Engineering Research Center for Wheat, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China"},{"name":"National Wheat Technology Innovation Center, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China"},{"name":"Tobacco Monopoly Bureau of Luoshan, Xinyang 464200, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Beiming","family":"Xu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agronomy and National Engineering Research Center for Wheat, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China"},{"name":"State Key Laboratory of High-Efficiency Production of Wheat-Maize Double Cropping, Zhengzhou 450046, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"visualization","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Chenchen","family":"Cao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agronomy and National Engineering Research Center for Wheat, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China"},{"name":"State Key Laboratory of High-Efficiency Production of Wheat-Maize Double Cropping, Zhengzhou 450046, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"visualization","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Wenhua","family":"Ma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agronomy and National Engineering Research Center for Wheat, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China"},{"name":"State Key Laboratory of High-Efficiency Production of Wheat-Maize Double Cropping, Zhengzhou 450046, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"visualization","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Geng","family":"Ma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agronomy and National Engineering Research Center for Wheat, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China"},{"name":"National Wheat Technology Innovation Center, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China"},{"name":"State Key Laboratory of High-Efficiency Production of Wheat-Maize Double Cropping, Zhengzhou 450046, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"resources","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"supervision","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Yingxin","family":"Xie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agronomy and National Engineering Research Center for Wheat, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China"},{"name":"National Wheat Technology Innovation Center, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China"},{"name":"State Key Laboratory of High-Efficiency Production of Wheat-Maize Double Cropping, Zhengzhou 450046, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"resources","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"supervision","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4513-2010","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dongyun","family":"Ma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agronomy and National Engineering Research Center for Wheat, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China"},{"name":"National Wheat Technology Innovation Center, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China"},{"name":"State Key Laboratory of High-Efficiency Production of Wheat-Maize Double Cropping, Zhengzhou 450046, 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