Vol. 6, Issue 1, Part C (2024)

Plants, being sessile organisms, have evolved complex biochemical strategies to cope with biotic pressures from herbivores, pathogens, and competing plants. Among these strategies, the production of secondary metabolites plays a central role in mediating plant interactions with other organisms and in fortifying defense mechanisms. These metabolites—including alkaloids, phenolics, terpenoids, and glucosinolates—are not directly involved in primary metabolism but confer evolutionary advantages by deterring predators, attracting beneficial organisms, and modulating plant-plant competition. This paper reviews the biosynthetic pathways, ecological significance, and defensive roles of plant secondary metabolites in various biotic contexts, emphasizing experimental findings and recent advances in metabolomics and molecular biology. Understanding these interactions provides valuable insights into natural defense systems and offers promising avenues for sustainable agriculture and biocontrol applications.