Background Rhododendron chrysanthum Pall (R. chrysanthum.), a plant with UV-B resistance mechanisms that can be adapted to alpine environments, has gained attention as an important plant resource with the ability to cope with UV-B stress. Research on the complex mechanism of plant adaptation to UV-B will be aided by these results. Results In this study, metabolomics analysis and physiological measurements were used to reveal the response of Rhododendron chrysanthumseedlings to UV-B stress. After UV-B irradiation, 404 metabolites were detected. The domesticated R. chrysanthum had high amino acid and SOD content. Conclusions The study shows that the domesticated R. chrysanthum showed significant UV-B resistance. 26 of these different metabolites were classified as UV-B-responsive metabolites. Glyceric acid is used as a potential UV-B stress biomarker.

Due to their ability to act as antioxidants, many metabolites serve as plant defense chemicals. Holistic metabolomic analysis is a method to investigate UVB radiation's impacts because the metabolo me directly represents the physiological state of the plant. In order to determine how the exposure to UVB radiation affected the accumulation of primary metabolites (amino acids, organic acids), secondary metabolites (phenolic compounds, fatty acids), and their synergistic antioxidant capacity in Rhododend ron chrysanthum Pall. (R. chrysanthum), this study used gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOFMS). Metabolite analysis revealed that there were 444 metabolites in total. Most amino acids and organic acids, in particular, rose in concentration following being exposed to UVB. Simultaneously, the levels of TCA cyclic intermediates and phenolic compounds grew steadily. Furth ermore, after UVB therapy, the amount of an-thocyanins, which are known to be powerful antioxidants, rose. In terms of PPI and enzyme content, the experimental group demonstrated greater antioxidant ability. In reaction to UVB radiation, the content of metabolites that act as antioxidants may have increased. This experiment proved that R. chrysanthum main and secondary metabolism were altered by UVB radiation. It sheds some information on the combined analysis of metabolomics and other omics in R. chrysanthum.