Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Commentary: seed bacterial inhabitants and their routes of colonization

  • Commentary
  • Published:
Plant and Soil Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Seeds host bacterial inhabitants but only a limited knowledge is available on which taxa inhabit seed, which niches could be colonized, and what the routes of colonization are.

Scope

Within this commentary, a discussion is provided on seed bacterial inhabitants, their taxa, and from where derive the seed colonizers.

Conclusions

Seeds/and grains host specific bacteria deriving from the anthosphere, carposphere, or from cones of gymnosperms and inner tissues of plants after a long colonization from the soil to reproductive organs.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Agarwal VK, Sinclair JB (1996) Principles of seed pathology. Lewis Publication, Boca Raton

    Google Scholar 

  • Alibrandi P, Cardinale M, Rahman MM, Strati F, Ciná P, de Viana ML, Giamminola EM, Gallo G, Schnell S, de Filippo C, Ciaccio M, Puglia AM (2017) The seed endosphere of Anadenanthera colubrina is inhabited by a complex microbiota, including Methylobacterium spp. and Staphylococcus spp. with potential plant-growth promoting activities. Plant Soil 1–19. doi:10.1007/s11104-017-3182-4

  • Ambika Manirajan B, Ratering S, Rusch V, Schwiertz A, Geissler-Plaum R, Cardinale M, Schnell S (2016) Bacterial microbiota associated with flower pollen is influenced by pollination type, and shows a high degree of diversity and species-specificity. Environ Microbiol 18:5161–5174. doi:10.1111/1462-2920.13524

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barret M, Briand M, Bonneau S, Préveaux A, Valière S, Bouchez O, Hunault G, Simoneau P, Jacques M-A (2015) Emergence shapes the structure of the seed microbiota. Appl Environ Microbiol 81:1257–1266

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Barret M, Guimbaud J-F, Darrasse A, Jacques M-A (2016) Plant microbiota affects seed transmission of phytopathogenic microorganisms. Mol Plant Pathol 17:791–795

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Compant S, Reiter B, Sessitsch A, Nowak J, Clément C, Ait Barka E (2005) Endophytic colonization of Vitis vinifera L. by plant growth-promoting bacterium Burkholderia sp. strain PsJN. Appl Environ Microbiol 71:1685–1693. doi:10.1128/aem.71.4.1685-1693.2005

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Compant S, Clément C, Sessitsch A (2010) Plant growth-promoting bacteria in the rhizo- and endosphere of plants: their role, colonization, mechanisms involved and prospects for utilization. Soil Biol Biochem 42:669–678. doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2009.11.024

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Compant S, Mitter B, Colli-Mull JG, Gangl H, Sessitsch A (2011) Endophytes of grapevine flowers, berries, and seeds: identification of cultivable bacteria, comparison with other plant parts, and visualization of niches of colonization. Microb Ecol 62:188–197. doi:10.1007/s00248-011-9883-y

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Edwards J, Johnson C, Santos-Medellín C, Lurie E, Podishetty NK, Bhatnagar S, Eisen JA, Sundaresan V (2015) Structure, variation, and assembly of the root-associated microbiomes of rice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 112:911–920. doi:10.1073/pnas.1414592112

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ewald PW (1987) Transmission modes and evolution of the parasitism-mutualism continuum. Ann N Y Acad Sci 503:295–306

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira A, Quecine MC, Lacava PT, Oda S, Azevedo JL, Araújo WL (2008) Diversity of endophytic bacteria from eucalyptus species seeds and colonization of seedlings by Pantoea agglomerans. FEMS Microbiol Lett 287:8–14. doi:10.1111/j.1574-6968.2008.01258.x

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fürnkranz M, Lukesch B, Müller H, Huss H, Grube M, Berg G (2012) Microbial diversity inside pumpkins: microhabitat-specific communities display a high antagonistic potential against phytopathogens. Microb Ecol 63:418–428. doi:10.1007/s00248-011-9942-4

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Glassner H, Zchori-Fein E, Yaron S, Sessitsch A, Sauer U, Compant S (2017) Bacterial niches inside seeds of Cucumis melo L. Plant Soil:1–13. doi:10.1007/s11104-017-3175-3

  • Hardoim PR, Hardoim CCP, van Overbeek LS, van Elsas JD (2012) Dynamics of seed-borne rice endophytes on early plant growth stages. PLoS One 7:e30438. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030438

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hardoim PR, van Overbeek LS, Berg G, Pirttilä AM, Compant S, Campisano A, Döring M, Sessitsch A (2015) The hidden world within plants: ecological and evolutionary considerations for defining functioning of microbial endophytes. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 79:293–320. doi:10.1128/MMBR.00050-14

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • James EK, Gyaneshwar P, Mathan N, Barraquio WL, Reddy PM, Iannetta PP, Olivares FL, Ladha JK (2002) Infection and colonization of rice seedlings by the plant growth-promoting bacterium Herbaspirillum seropedicae Z67. Mol Plant-Microbe Interact 15:894–906. doi:10.1094/MPMI.2002.15.9.894

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnston-Monje D, Raizada MN (2011) Conservation and diversity of seed associated endophytes in Zea across boundaries of evolution, ethnography and ecology. PLoS One 6:e20396. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0020396

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Klaedtke S, Jacques M-A, Raggi L, Préveaux A, Bonneau S, Negri V, Chable V, Barret M (2016) Terroir is a key driver of seed-associated microbial assemblages. Environ Microbiol 18:1792–1804. doi:10.1111/1462-2920.12977

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lòpez-Fernàndez S, Mazzoni V, Pedrazzoli F, Pertot I, Campisano A (2017) A phloem-feeding insect transfers bacterial endophytic communities between grapevine plants. Front Microbiol 15; 8:834. 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00834

  • Madmony A, Chernin L, Pleban S, Peleg E, Riov E (2005) Enterobacter cloacae, an obligatory endophyte of pollen grains of Mediterranean pines. Folia Microbiol (Praha) 50:209–216

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Maude RB (1996) Seedborne diseases and their control: principles and practice. CAB International, Wallingford

    Google Scholar 

  • Mercado-Blanco J, Lugtenberg BJJ (2014) Biotechnological applications of bacterial endophytes. Curr Biotechnol 3:60–75

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miller IM (1990) Bacterial leaf nodule symbiosis. Adv Bot Res Adv Plant Pathol 17:163–234

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitter B, Pfaffenbichler N, Flavell R, Compant S, Antonielli L, Petric A, Berninger T, Muhammad N, Sheibani-Tezerji R, Von Maltzahn G, Sessitsch A (2017) A new approach to modify plant microbiomes and traits by introducing beneficial bacteria at flowering into progeny seeds. Front Microbiol. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2017.00011

  • Philippot L, Raaijmakers JM, Lemanceau P, van der Putten WH (2013) Going back to the roots: the microbial ecology of the rhizosphere. Nat Rev Microbiol 11:789–799

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Podolich O, Ardanov P, Zaets I, Pirttilä A, Kozyrovska N (2015) Reviving of the endophytic bacterial community as a putative mechanism of plant resistance. Plant Soil 388(1–2):367–377

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pohjanen J, Koskimäki JJ, Pirttilä AM (2014) Interactions of meristem-associated endophytic bacteria. In: Verma VC, Gange AC (eds) Advances in endophytic research. New Delhi, Springer India, pp 103–113

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Prévost P, Lallemand P (2010) L’approche terroir : pour une démarche de recherche-formation-action http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/51/25/28/PDF/Prevost_approche-terroir.pdf

  • Rezki S, Campion C, Iacomi-Vasilescu B, Preveaux A, Toualbia Y, Bonneau S, Briand M, Laurent E, Hunault G, Simoneau P, Jacques M-A, Barret M (2016) Differences in stability of seed-associated microbial assemblages in response to invasion by phytopathogenic microorganisms. PeerJ 4:e1923

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson RJ, Fraaije BA, Clark IM, Jackson RW, Hirsch PR, Mauchline TH (2016) Wheat seed embryo excision enables the creation of axenic seedlings and Koch’s postulates testing of putative bacterial endophytes. Sci Rep 6:25581

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenblueth M, López-López A, Martínez J, Rogel MA, Toledo I, Martínez-Romero E (2012) Seed bacterial endophytes: common genera, seed-to-seed variability and their possible role in plants. Acta Hort (ISHS) 938:39–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shade A, McManus PS, Handelsman J (2013) Unexpected diversity during community succession in the apple flower microbiome. MBio 4:e00602–e00612. doi:10.1128/mBio.00602-12

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Smith EF (1911) Bacteria in relation to plant diseases. Carnegie institution of Washington, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Truyens S, Weyens N, Cuypers A, Vangronsveld J (2015) Bacterial seed endophytes: genera, vertical transmission and interaction with plants. Environ Microbiol Rep 7:40–50. doi:10.1111/1758-2229.12181

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ushio M, Yamasaki E, Takasu H, Nagano A, Fujinaga S, Honjo MN, Ikemoto M, Sakai S, Kudoh H (2015) Microbial communities on flower surfaces act as signatures of pollinator visitation. Sci Rep 5:8695. doi:10.1038/srep08695

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Van Oevelen S, De Wachter R, Vandamme P, Robbrecht E, Prinsen E (2002) Identification of the bacterial endosymbionts in leaf galls of Psychotria (Rubiaceae, angiosperms) and proposal of ‘Candidatus Burkholderia kirkii’ sp. nov. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 52:2023–2027

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Van Oevelen S, De Wachter R, Vandamme P, Robbrecht E, Prinsen E (2004) ‘Candidatus Burkholderia calva’ and ‘Candidatus Burkholderia nigropunctata’ as leaf gall endosymbionts of African Psychotria. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 54:2237–2239

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • von Faber FC (1912) Das erbliche Zusammenleben von Bakterien und tropischen Pflanzen. Jahrb Wiss Bot 54:285–375

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work is supported by a grant from the Austrian Science Foundation (FWF P 26203) to AS.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Center for Health & Bioresources, Bioresources Unit, Konrad-Lorenz Straße 24, 3430, Tulln, Austria

    Carolina Escobar Rodríguez, Birgit Mitter, Angela Sessitsch & Stéphane Compant

  2. INRA, UMR1345 Institut de Recherches en Horticulture et Semences, SFR4207 QUASAV, F-49071, Beaucouzé, France

    Matthieu Barret

Authors
  1. Carolina Escobar Rodríguez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Birgit Mitter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Matthieu Barret
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Angela Sessitsch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Stéphane Compant
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stéphane Compant.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

Stéphane Compant and Birgit Mitter are Section Editors in Plant and Soil and Stéphane Compant, Matthieu Barret, and Birgit Mitter are Guest Editors of the special issue. This does not, however, interfere with the reviewing process.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Eric B. Nelson.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Rodríguez, C.E., Mitter, B., Barret, M. et al. Commentary: seed bacterial inhabitants and their routes of colonization. Plant Soil 422, 129–134 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3368-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3368-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation