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The metagenomics of soil bacteria and fungi and the release of mechanical dormancy in hard seeds

Persistence in the soil is a function of seed physiology, particularly non-germination and inherent lifespan. However, for seeds with mechanical dormancy, non-germination is also a function of the composition and activity of the soil microbiota. We attempted to screen out microorganisms in the soil...

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Autores principales: Wu, Yu, Sun, Xiao-Rui, Pritchard, Hugh W., Shen, Yong-Bao, Wu, Xiao-Qin, Peng, Chen-Yin
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10335401/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37441178
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1187614
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author Wu, Yu
Sun, Xiao-Rui
Pritchard, Hugh W.
Shen, Yong-Bao
Wu, Xiao-Qin
Peng, Chen-Yin
author_facet Wu, Yu
Sun, Xiao-Rui
Pritchard, Hugh W.
Shen, Yong-Bao
Wu, Xiao-Qin
Peng, Chen-Yin
author_sort Wu, Yu
collection PubMed
description Persistence in the soil is a function of seed physiology, particularly non-germination and inherent lifespan. However, for seeds with mechanical dormancy, non-germination is also a function of the composition and activity of the soil microbiota. We attempted to screen out microorganisms in the soil that can specifically and rapidly decompose the hard fruit pericarps of Tilia miqueliana Maxim., a unique native tree species in China. Using the classical replica plating method, more than 100 different culturable microorganisms that could rapidly erode the pericarp were collected from the surface of pericarps under different culture conditions. At the same time, we successfully extended the concept of metagenomics and applied it to the identification of mixed artificial cultures. The decomposition process of the pericarps in soil was also simulated artificially. The physical and chemical data suggested a potential mechanism of microbial scarification and cracking in pericarp, whilst the embryos inside the eroded fruits retained good viability. Our discoveries could pave the way for the removal of physical and mechanical obstacles that prevent hard coat seeds from germinating. We anticipate that the use of this technology will improve the germination of other hard coat seeds. More research is needed to investigate the impacts on other seeds. The findings of this research can inform the design of experiments on the seed ecology of persistence.
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spelling pubmed-103354012023-07-12 The metagenomics of soil bacteria and fungi and the release of mechanical dormancy in hard seeds Wu, Yu Sun, Xiao-Rui Pritchard, Hugh W. Shen, Yong-Bao Wu, Xiao-Qin Peng, Chen-Yin Front Plant Sci Plant Science Persistence in the soil is a function of seed physiology, particularly non-germination and inherent lifespan. However, for seeds with mechanical dormancy, non-germination is also a function of the composition and activity of the soil microbiota. We attempted to screen out microorganisms in the soil that can specifically and rapidly decompose the hard fruit pericarps of Tilia miqueliana Maxim., a unique native tree species in China. Using the classical replica plating method, more than 100 different culturable microorganisms that could rapidly erode the pericarp were collected from the surface of pericarps under different culture conditions. At the same time, we successfully extended the concept of metagenomics and applied it to the identification of mixed artificial cultures. The decomposition process of the pericarps in soil was also simulated artificially. The physical and chemical data suggested a potential mechanism of microbial scarification and cracking in pericarp, whilst the embryos inside the eroded fruits retained good viability. Our discoveries could pave the way for the removal of physical and mechanical obstacles that prevent hard coat seeds from germinating. We anticipate that the use of this technology will improve the germination of other hard coat seeds. More research is needed to investigate the impacts on other seeds. The findings of this research can inform the design of experiments on the seed ecology of persistence. Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-06-27 /pmc/articles/PMC10335401/ /pubmed/37441178 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1187614 Text en Copyright © 2023 Wu, Sun, Pritchard, Shen, Wu and Peng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Plant Science
Wu, Yu
Sun, Xiao-Rui
Pritchard, Hugh W.
Shen, Yong-Bao
Wu, Xiao-Qin
Peng, Chen-Yin
The metagenomics of soil bacteria and fungi and the release of mechanical dormancy in hard seeds
title The metagenomics of soil bacteria and fungi and the release of mechanical dormancy in hard seeds
title_full The metagenomics of soil bacteria and fungi and the release of mechanical dormancy in hard seeds
title_fullStr The metagenomics of soil bacteria and fungi and the release of mechanical dormancy in hard seeds
title_full_unstemmed The metagenomics of soil bacteria and fungi and the release of mechanical dormancy in hard seeds
title_short The metagenomics of soil bacteria and fungi and the release of mechanical dormancy in hard seeds
title_sort metagenomics of soil bacteria and fungi and the release of mechanical dormancy in hard seeds
topic Plant Science
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10335401/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37441178
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1187614
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