The invention discloses a water-soluble biomass derived carbon dot and a preparation method and application thereof.The preparation method is characterized in that phenolic acid-containing biomass serves as a carbon source, the water-soluble carbon dot is prepared through a one-step hydrothermal reaction of the carbon source and distilled water, the preparation process is simple, operation is easy, the cost is low, the yield reaches up to 20-30%, pollution is avoided, and the preparation method can be used for industrial production. The surface of the carbon dot provided by the invention contains rich oxygen-containing functional groups, so that the carbon dot is endowed with excellent biological characteristics, Ca < 2 + > inflow of a plant root system is induced, a calcium signal is formed, and the expression of a corresponding defense gene is regulated. The carbon dots not only can activate the expression of a Na < + > / H < + > reverse transport protein gene SOS1 of a plant root system cytoplasmic membrane, reduce the absorption of the plant to Na < + > and remarkably relieve plant salt stress, but also can improve the overexpression of a plant low-iron response gene, improve the absorption and utilization efficiency of the plant to Fe < 2 + > and relieve plant low-iron stress. The prepared carbon dots can effectively relieve plant abiotic stress and improve plant stress resistance.