Molecular regulation of antioxidants and secondary metabolites act in conjunction to defend plants against pathogenic infection.

• During infection, plants suffer with many physiological and biochemical changes. • Antioxidants and secondary metabolites defend plants against biotic stress. • Regulation of antioxidant defense is an essential component of defense. • Plants characteristically produce cellular antioxidants for cellular protection. • Extensive effects in the complete networks in plants are needed for the analyzed genes. Plants, being sessile in nature, are inept to escape biotic stress that adversely impact their growth, development, and productivity. Rather, plants employ a variety of processes at the molecular, morphological, physiological as well as biochemical levels to mitigate the negative impacts of such stressors. Plants have a complex defense system against pathogens, pests and diseases, which includes collaborative actions regulated by array of genes and transcription factors. Immunity against pathogenic attack is determined by the plant's ability to avoid early infection and limit the growth of harmful pathogens, whereas resistance to microbial toxins is determined by the capacity of plant tissues to reduce toxin accumulation and its detoxification. This ability can be achieved through modulations in multiple processes. Among these processes, regulation of the antioxidant defense system, generation of reactive oxygen species and production of secondary metabolites is reckoned as an essential component of defense mechanism. Antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and secondary metabolites, specifically phenolics, terpenes, and nitrogen-containing compounds have been widely proven to defend plants against range of biotic stresses. It is essentially needed to improve existing management practices to control pathogens and breed immunity in crops for sustainable agriculture and food security. Particularly to improve resistance to pathogenesis, the breeding of long-term resilience in cereals genotypes is one of the most promising strategies. A better grasp of the molecular processes underlying plant resilience to microbial assault will cast light on plant-pathogen interactions and provide useful information for breeding programs. This review emphasizes the ongoing investigation and significant operation of key molecular, physiological, and biochemical factors for tolerance and resistance in Oryza sativa against microbial infections. Additionally, we have focused on secondary metabolites and antioxidant defense system playing a crucial role in deciding how plants react to pathogen attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]