Unravelling the plasticity in tomato seed microbiome
The seed microbiome is heritable, crucial during seed germination, and along with the seed exudates, shapes the plant microbiome. As a result, seeds are a target for the delivery of innovative microbiome solutions for supporting sustainable agricultural systems. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the factors that influence the composition and assembly of the seed microbiome, particularly in nutritionally and economically important crops such as tomato (Solanum lycopersicon). Here, bacterial amplicon sequencing analyses of so far largest microbiome dataset involving 100 tomato cultivars were conducted to examine plant genetics and environmental factors influencing the seed microbiome composition.