Mechanistic insights and breeding prospects of secondary metabolites in wheat salt stress tolerance.

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conclusionSecondary metabolites play important roles in osmotic adjustment, ion homeostasis, and redox signaling in wheat under salinity stress. Together, these functions support plant acclimation to saline conditions. Integrative omics approaches can clarify the regulation of their biosynthetic pathways. Applying this knowledge in targeted breeding may accelerate the development of saltresilient wheat cultivars. Salt stress is a major environmental challenge that adversely affects wheat growth, developmental cascades, and grain yield and quality. As a major staple crop, it is imperative to improve wheat's salt tolerance for ensuring food security in increasingly saline agricultural environments. Secondary metabolites, a diverse group of organic compounds not directly involved in primary metabolic processes, play significant roles in plant stress responses and adaptation. These compounds include phenolics, terpenoids, and alkaloids, each contributing to plant defense mechanisms through antioxidant activities, osmoprotection, and stress signaling. This review focuses on the pivotal role of secondary metabolites in enhancing wheat's resilience to salt stress. It explores how these metabolites contribute to various aspects of salt tolerance, including ion regulation, osmotic adjustment, and oxidative stress management. By examining recent research findings, this review aims to highlight the specific secondary metabolites involved in wheat's response to saline conditions and their potential mechanisms of action. Ultimately, the review seeks to provide insights into how leveraging secondary-metabolite pathways can lead to the development of wheat varieties with improved salt tolerance, contributing to sustainable agriculture and food security.