Integrated analysis explores the contrasting detoxification mechanisms of DIMBOA and flavonoids on imazethapyr in wheat plants.

The widespread use of herbicides poses escalating threats to ecosystem stability and food safety, underscoring the urgent need to elucidate plant-based detoxification mechanisms. However, the contrasting roles of secondary metabolites like DIMBOA and flavonoids in mitigating herbicide toxicity in wheat remain unclear. Research indicates that DIMBOA primarily acts as a defense metabolite, reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation through iron chelation and reinforcing structural defenses, but its growth recovery is limited due to metabolic competition with auxin biosynthesis. In contrast, flavonoids exhibit a "triple protection mechanism," simultaneously maintaining antioxidant defense, improving iron homeostasis, and preserving tryptophan synthase activity, thereby restoring auxin and lignin biosynthesis and achieving coordinated detoxification and growth recovery. As a common precursor, shikimic acid further amplifies these protective effects. To summarize, DIMBOA and flavonoids mitigate oxidative stress, maintain iron balance, and reduce herbicide residues in wheat through distinct regulatory pathways. The findings provide valuable insights into secondary metabolite regulation and offer potential strategies for sustainable herbicide detoxification in agricultural ecosystems.