Salinity is a prevailing factor for amelioration of wheat blast by biocontrol agents

•Biological Control Agents (BCAs) protect against wheat blast disease under salinity.•Salinity and BCA jointly elicit defence against M. oryzae with medium virulence.•Salicylic-, jasmonic- and ethylene-dependent signalling pathways were triggered.•Defence require two sequential priming states induced by BCAs and salinity.