Nitric oxide (NO) is a pivotal gaseous signalling molecule in plants, which plays a pivotal role in the regulation of plant growth, development and stress response to the external environment and other life activities. A comprehensive understanding of nitric oxide synthase facilitates the comprehension of the intricate network of signalling within the organism, which is of paramount importance for the investigation of physiological processes such as plant growth and development and response to adversity. Accordingly, this paper employs bibliometrics to statistically analyse the international literature on the nitric oxide synthesis pathway in plants usied CiteSpace 6.3.R1. The analysis encompasses the trend and distribution of publications, research topics and development directions, research characteristics and shortcomings, and future innovations and breakthroughs. The results demonstrated a gradual increase in the number of internationally published literature from 1998 to 2024. At the time of the search, the number of publications in the WOS database placed China first among global countries. The majority of studies on plant nitric oxide synthase were published in journals such as Molecules and Journal of Ethnopharmacology. On an international level, the primary focus is on nitric oxide, nitric oxide synthase, expression, oxidative stress and other characteristic indicators. In comparison, the number of publications on plant nitric oxide synthase is relatively lower than in other areas, yet the number of citations is higher. The subsequent objective should be to enhance the depth of research in order to facilitate a breakthrough and thereby augment the impact of this field.