Apocynum pictum and Apocynum venetum are two medicinal important halophytes' plants from Xinjiang, China. However, honey derived from these plants, remains unexplored. This study investigated the physicochemical properties, essential elements, enzymatic activity, and metabolomic profiles of both types of honeys. This study identified A. pictum honey significantly higher peroxidase (POD) activity (19.2 ± 1.1 U/g vs. 7.5 ± 0.3 U/g), adenine content (17.5 ± 0.1 mg/g vs. 6.2 ± 0.1 mg/g), and protein levels (13.0 ± 0.5 mg/g vs. 11.2 ± 0.4 mg/g) compared to A. venetum honey. Mineral analysis showed potassium (76.5 ± 1.2 mg/L, 2.8 ± 0.1, 46.0 ± 1.5 mg/L), magnesium, and zinc in A. pictum honey, aligning with its adaptation to arid conditions. Total 735 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs), such as flavonoids (diosmetin, chrysin), phenolic acids (homogentisate), and alkaloids (tryptamine), linked to antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. Thus, approved A. pictum honey superior nutritional and therapeutic values.

Lithium (Li) pollution in agricultural soils poses a significant environmental hazard, impairing crop growth by inducing oxidative stress and disrupting nutrient homeostasis. Not only does Li⁺ compete with K⁺ for uptake, but Li-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation may potentially trigger massive K⁺ loss via ROS-sensitive K⁺-efflux channels, leading to major disruption in the cell's metabolic activity and programmed cell death. Melatonin (Mel) has emerged as a potential mitigator of abiotic stresses, but its role in regulating ROS levels and K⁺ transport under Li toxicity remains unexplored. Here, we employed an integrated approach, combining non-invasive microelectrode ion flux estimation, confocal imaging, and qPCR analysis, to demonstrate that Mel alleviates Li-induced K⁺ loss in wheat via several concurrent mechanisms: (i) suppressing NADPH oxidase (RBOH)-derived ROS production while enhancing antioxidant activities; (2) modulating Ca²⁺ signalling by regulating Ca²⁺-ATPases (ACA/CAX) and CBL/CIPK; (3) downregulating the K⁺-efflux channel GORK and upregulating influx transporters (HAK5, AKT1) to restore K⁺ retention; and (4) regulating plasma membrane H⁺-ATPase activity. Our results show that Mel simultaneously regulates ROS and K⁺ homeostasis to confer Li tolerance, providing critical insights for sustainable phytoremediation and safe crop production in Li-affected soils.

Climate change is intensifying the frequency and co-occurrence of abiotic stresses such as drought and salinity, posing serious challenges to crop productivity and ecosystem stability. Traditional research has largely focused on single-stress responses, leaving significant gaps in our understanding of plant resilience under combined and sequential stressors. Species of the genus Apocynum , particularly Apocynum venetum L. and Apocynum pictum Schrenk are naturally adapted to arid and saline environments and offer a valuable model for studying multistress tolerance in non-model species. This review integrates current insights into the morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of Apocynum under concurrent drought and salinity conditions. Key mechanisms include osmotic adjustment, ion compartmentalization, antioxidant enzyme activation, and stress-induced gene expression involving heat shock transcription factors (HSFs), WRKY transcription factors, NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2 transcription factors (NAC), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades, and flavonoid biosynthesis genes such as Apocynum venetum flavanone 3-hydroxylase ( Av F3H), flavonoid 3′-hydroxylase ( Av F3’H), and flavonol synthase ( Av FLS). Additionally, the review highlights the emerging role of stress signaling molecules and phytohormones such as abscisic acid, salicylic acid, and methyl jasmonate in coordinating systemic responses to multiple stressors. Beyond stress resilience, Apocynum species provide ecological services including phytoremediation, carbon sequestration, sand dune stabilization, and microbial community restoration. These traits align closely with global restoration goals and support Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 13 (Climate Action) and 15 (Life on Land). Given their low-input cultivation requirements and multistress tolerance, Apocynum species hold promise as climate-smart crops for restoring productivity and resilience in degraded dryland systems. Positioning Apocynum as a dual-purpose species that delivers both ecological restoration and crop value can guide the integration of stress-adaptive plants into sustainable agricultural systems under a changing climate.

Seed germination is severely constrained by soil salinity, limiting crop establishment in salt-affected agricultural lands. This study investigated whether seed priming with molybdenum nanoparticles (Mo NPs) enhances germination and early seedling growth of kale ( Brassica oleracea var. acephala ) under NaCl stress compared with conventional bulk molybdate treatment. Seeds were primed with 100 mg L ^- ¹ Mo NPs or bulk Na ₂ MoO ₄ for 12 h, then germinated under 150 mM NaCl for 3 days. Physiological markers were measured at 24 and 72 h, while untargeted metabolomics was performed on 3-day-old radicles. Seedling performance was evaluated after 10 days of 150 mM NaCl in hydroponics. Salinity reduced germination by 45% and radicle fresh weight by 49.6% compared with control. Mo NPs priming increased germination by 18.8% and radicle fresh weight by 74.8% under salinity relative to bulk Mo treatment. Mo NPs -primed seeds maintained higher GA and melatonin contents, reduced ABA accumulation, and exhibited enhanced POD activity at 24 h. Metabolomics revealed sustained starch degradation (maltose, glucose-6-phosphate), TCA cycle intermediates (malate, isocitrate), and reduced GSSG/GSH ratio in Mo NPs +NaCl compared with NaCl alone. Proline accumulation shifted from suppression at 24 h to elevation at 72 h in Mo NPs-treated seeds. Seedlings from Mo NPs-primed seeds maintained higher shoot biomass, chlorophyll content, and photosystem II efficiency under prolonged salinity. We conclude that Mo NPs priming outperforms bulk molybdate by coordinating early antioxidant defense, hormonal balance, reserve mobilization, and metabolic flexibility, enabling kale seeds to overcome the salinity-induced germination reduction.

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is widely implicated in plants' adaptive responses to salinity, regulating processes ranging from ionic homeostasis to antioxidant defense and is often described as a central signaling hub due to its interaction with core signaling pathways, such as Ca²⁺, reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide, and phytohormones. However, most evidence remains correlative and relies heavily on pharmacological interventions. This review critically examines the mechanistic gaps, causality, and specificity of H₂S-mediated signaling in regulating salinity adaptive responses in plants. We argue that moving from phenomenological observations to causal mechanisms requires a strategic shift towards advanced genetic tools, in vivo dynamic imaging, synthetic biology, and systems-level interrogation. Addressing these challenges is essential to harness the translational potential of H₂S signaling for improving crop resilience in saline environments.