Noccaea praecox leaf metabolomes from unpolluted and metal-polluted sites

Noccaea praecox is a hyperaccumulating plant, i.e. the Cd, Zn, and Pb concentrations in leaves exceed 100-fold the non-toxic levels. In this study, we report the untargeted leaf metabolome of N. praecox from an unpolluted site (Lokovec) and a metal-polluted site (Žerjav) in Slovenia. Using UPLC-MS/MS and metabolomic analysis, we identified 7,253 metabolites: 6,659 were non-annotated, and 594 were annotated. Among the identified metabolite classes, carbohydrates, terpenoids, flavonoids, and organic acids were the most dominant. Principal Component Analysis revealed distinct metabolomic profiles between the two N. praecox ecotypes, suggesting environmental-related effects in N. praecox physiology. This dataset is a valuable resource for studies on plant adaptation, metal accumulation, and metabolite biosynthesis under metal-stress conditions.