Plant Secondary Metabolites—Central Regulators Against Abiotic and Biotic Stresses
Ameer Khan, Farah Kanwal, Sana Ullah, Muhammad Fahad, Leeza Tariq, Muhammad Tanveer Altaf, Asad Riaz, Guoping Zhang
Abstract
As global climates shift, plants are increasingly exposed to biotic and abiotic stresses that adversely affect their growth and development, ultimately reducing agricultural productivity. To counter these stresses, plants produce secondary metabolites (SMs), which are critical biochemical and essential compounds that serve as primary defense mechanisms. These diverse compounds, such as alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and nitrogen/sulfur-containing compounds, act as natural protectants against herbivores, pathogens, and oxidative stress. Despite the well-documented protective roles of SMs, the precise mechanisms by which environmental factors modulate their accumulation under different stress conditions are not fully understood. This review provides comprehensive insights into the recent advances in understanding the functions of SMs in plant defense against abiotic and biotic stresses, emphasizing their regulatory networks and biosynthetic pathways. Furthermore, we explored the unique contributions of individual SM classes to stress responses while integrating the findings across the entire spectrum of SM diversity, providing a comprehensive understanding of their roles in plant resilience under multiple stress conditions. Finally, we highlight the emerging strategies for harnessing SMs to improve crop resilience through genetic engineering and present novel solutions to enhance agricultural sustainability in a changing climate.