The function of secondary metabolites in resisting stresses in horticultural plants

Abstract

Horticultural plants contain various secondary metabolites (SMs), including flavonoids, terpenoids, and alkaloids. These compounds play a critical role in plant growth, helping the plants adapt to different types of stress and providing numerous health benefits to humans. Advances in detection methods, such as liquid phase mass spectrometry and spatial metabolomics, have enabled the identification and characterization of a growing variety of SMs and their unique functions in horticultural plants. Recent studies have investigated the effects of SMs on horticultural plants under different biotic and abiotic stresses. This article offers a detailed review of the functions of key representative SMs in horticultural plants, focusing on their responses to biotic and abiotic stresses and their impact on human health. Furthermore, we explore the potential of using these compounds to improve the resistance of horticultural plants through future breeding efforts.

Keywords

• horticultural plants
• secondary metabolites
• flavonoids
• terpenoids
• alkaloids
• stresses
• human health