Summary
This meta-analysis synthesised findings from 63 peer-reviewed studies to characterise seed microbiota diversity across 50 plant species. The authors identified a dual structure: a variable microbial fraction reflecting environmental and species-specific influences, alongside a stable core of approximately 30 bacterial and fungal taxa ubiquitously present across plant species and geographic locations. The characterisation of core versus flexible seed microbiota components provides a foundation for understanding microbial roles in plant health and informing microbiome engineering approaches in agriculture.
UK applicability
Findings on seed microbiota composition are globally applicable and relevant to UK crop production, particularly for designing seed treatments or microbiome interventions. However, UK-specific studies would be needed to determine whether the identified core taxa remain stable under temperate growing conditions and whether engineering these microbial consortia could enhance crop resilience to UK-specific pathogens or environmental stresses.
Key measures
Taxa richness (ranging from one to thousands of taxa per seed microbiota); presence and dominance of core bacterial and fungal taxa; geographic and cross-species distribution of seed microbiota composition
Outcomes reported
Meta-analysis characterised the diversity and composition of seed microbiota across 50 plant species, identifying both variable and core microbial fractions. The study identified approximately 30 stable bacterial and fungal taxa present in most plant species worldwide, including dominant seed colonisers such as Pantoea agglomerans, Pseudomonas viridiflava, and Cladosporium perangustum.
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