Wheat seed embryo excision enables the creation of axenic seedlings and Koch's postulates testing of putative bacterial endophytes

A - Papers appearing in refereed journals

Robinson, R. J., Fraaije, B. A., Clark, I. M., Jackson, R. W., Hirsch, P. R. and Mauchline, T. H. 2016. Wheat seed embryo excision enables the creation of axenic seedlings and Koch's postulates testing of putative bacterial endophytes. Scientific Reports. 6, p. 25581. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep25581

AuthorsRobinson, R. J., Fraaije, B. A., Clark, I. M., Jackson, R. W., Hirsch, P. R. and Mauchline, T. H.
Abstract

Early establishment of endophytes can play a role in pathogen suppression and improve seedling development. One route for establishment of endophytes in seedlings is transmission of bacteria from the parent plant to the seedling via the seed. In wheat seeds, it is not clear whether this transmission route exists, and the identities and location of bacteria within wheat seeds are unknown. We identified bacteria in the wheat (Triticum aestivum) cv. Hereward seed environment using embryo excision to determine the location of the bacterial load. Axenic wheat seedlings obtained with this method were subsequently used to screen a putative endophyte bacterial isolate library for endophytic competency. This absence of bacteria recovered from seeds indicated low bacterial abundance and/or the presence of inhibitors. Diversity of readily culturable bacteria in seeds was low with 8 genera identified, dominated by Erwinia and Paenibacillus. We propose that anatomical restrictions in wheat limit embryo associated vertical transmission, and that bacterial load is carried in the seed coat, crease tissue and endosperm. This finding facilitates the creation of axenic wheat plants to test competency of putative endophytes and also provides a platform for endophyte competition, plant growth, and gene expression studies without an indigenous bacterial background.

Year of Publication2016
JournalScientific Reports
Journal citation6, p. 25581
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1038/srep25581
Open accessPublished as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
FunderBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Novozymes Biologicals, Inc.
Funder project or codeOptimisation of nutrients in soil-plant systems: How can we control nitrogen cycling in soil?
Publisher's version
Copyright license
CC BY
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online06 May 2016
Publication process dates
Accepted20 Apr 2016
PublisherSpringer Nature
Nature Publishing Group
ISSN2045-2322

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