In recent decades, many new and exciting findings have paved the way to the better understanding of plant responses in various environmental changes. Some major areas are focused on role of phytohormone during abiotic stresses. Salicylic acid (SA) is one such plant hormone that has been implicated in processes not limited to plant growth, development, and responses to environmental stress. This review summarizes the various roles and functions of SA in mitigating abiotic stresses to plants, including heating, chilling, salinity, metal toxicity, drought, ultraviolet radiation, etc. Consistent with its critical roles in plant abiotic tolerance, this review identifies the gaps in the literature with regard to the complex signalling network between SA and reactive oxygen species, ABA, Ca²⁺, and nitric oxide. Furthermore, the molecular mechanisms underlying signalling networks that control development and stress responses in plants and underscore prospects for future research on SA concerning abiotic-stressed plants are also discussed.

A regional field survey of a total of 109 pairs of soil and rice samples was conducted to evaluate the health risks posed by heavy metals in the Jin-Qu Basin, China. The studied soils are characterized by acid (pH in mean level of 5.5), carbon rich (soil organic matter in mean of 33.6 g kg⁻¹) and mainly contaminated by Cd (42.2% samples exceeded the standard value of 0.3 mg kg⁻¹ (GB15618-2018)). The spatial distributions of Cd, Pb and Zn exhibited similar geographic trends. 34% and 30% of the rice samples containing Cd and Pb exceeded the threshold value of 0.2 mg kg⁻¹ (GB2762-2017), respectively. The risk estimation of dietary intake had a target hazard quotient value of Cd of 0.918 and a hazard index value for rice consumption of 2.141. Totally, Cd and Pb were found to be the main components contributing to the potential health risks posed by non-carcinogenic effects for local inhabitants.