<i>Bacillus velezensis</i> Enhances the Resistance of Wheat Against Cd Stress via Reprogramming Metabolite Production

ABSTRACT Cadmium (Cd) pollution poses a serious threat to crop yields and plant health. As a bacterium that promotes plant growth, Bacillus velezensis has been proven to promote plant growth under non‐biological coercive conditions. However, the molecular mechanism of B. velezensis ‐mediated Cd toxicity alleviation of wheat is still not well understood. This study integrates comprehensive physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses to clarify the beneficial roles of B. velezensis in reducing the Cd stress of wheat seedlings. Under the coercion of Cd, B. velezensis effectively promotes plant growth by reducing malondialdehyde (MDA) content and enhancing the activity of antioxidant enzymes, thus promoting the recovery of redox homeostasis. Multi‐omics analysis shows that B. velezensis significantly regulates the metabolic network related to plant hormone signal transduction and proline metabolism. In addition, B. velezensis regulates the key metabolites involved in amino acid metabolism and flavonoid biosynthesis under Cd coercion. The comprehensive pathway analysis emphasized the core role of glutathione metabolism and α‐linoleic acid metabolism pathways in the Cd tolerance mediated by B. velezensis in wheat. These findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of B. velezensis in enhancement of wheat against Cd stress tolerance. Therefore, B. velezensis is proposed as a promising and environmentally sustainable biological agent for Cd contaminated soils to support safe and sustainable wheat production.