Modifying hormone signaling pathways for broad stress tolerance has emerged as a powerful strategy, given the central role of plant hormones in coordinating stress responses. Engineering the biosynthesis, perception, or signaling of hormones such as abscisic acid (ABA), ethylene, and salicylic acid can enhance plant resilience to multiple stresses simultaneously . For example, modifying ABA signaling components has led to improved drought tolerance in several crop species. The work of Xu and Fu (2022) provided a comprehensive metabolomics view of how plant central metabolism is reprogrammed in response to abiotic stresses, offering valuable insights for engineering stress-tolerant crops . This systems-level understanding of stress responses is guiding more targeted and effective metabolic engineering strategies for developing resilient crop varieties.