Bookeditors, Satish Kumar Verma and James Francis White Jr.
Summary: This book focuses on the importance and roles of seed microbiomes in sustainable agriculture by exploring the diversity of microbes vectored on and within seeds of both cultivated and non-cultivated plants. It provides essential insights into how seeds can be adapted to enhance microbiome vectoring, how damaged seed microbiomes can be assembled again and how seed microbiomes can be conserved. Plant seeds carry not only embryos and nutrients to fuel early seedling growth, but also microbes that modulate development, soil nutrient acquisition, and defense against pathogens and other stressors. Many of these microbes (bacteria and fungi) become endophytic, entering into the tissues of plants, and typically exist within plants without inducing negative effects. Although they have been reported in all plants examined to date, the extent to which plants rely on seed vectored microbiomes to enhance seedling competitiveness and survival is largely unappreciated. How microbes function to increase the fitness of seedlings is also little understood. The book is a unique and important resource for researchers and students in microbial ecology and biotechnology. Further, it appeals to applied academic and industrial agriculturists interested in increasing crop health and yield.
Contents:
Intro; Prologue; What Are Endophytes?; A New Definition for Seeds: A Miniature 'Noah's Ark' for Plant Colonization; The Intention of This Book; Contents; Part I: Seed Endophytes: Introduction, and Methods for Assessment and Management;
1: Seed-Vectored Microbes: Their Roles in Improving Seedling Fitness and Competitor Plant Suppression; 1.1 The Seed Microbiome; 1.2 Adaptations of Seeds to Carry Symbiotic Microbes; 1.3 Roles of Seed-Vectored Microbes in Plant Seedlings; 1.4 What Happens to Seed-Vectored Microbes?; 1.5 Signal Molecules; 1.6 Endobiome Interference 1.7 Mode of Entry of Micrococcus luteus into Root Cells1.8 Intracellular Phases of Aureobasidium pullulans and Rhodotorula sp.; 1.9 Does Endobiome Interference Affect Plant-Plant Interactions?; 1.10 Potential Applications of Endobiome Interference to Control Invasive or Weedy Plant Species; 1.11 Conclusions; References;
2: Thinking About PPFM Bacteria as a Model of Seed Endophytes: Who Are They? Where Did They Come from? What Are They Doing for ... ; 2.1 Fooled by a Bacterium; 2.2 Recognizing the Significant Role of Bacteria in Plant Metabolism 2.3 Looking at Seed Endophytes Through a Pink-Pigmented Facultatively Methylotrophic Lens2.3.1 So Where Does This Relationship Come from?; 2.3.2 What Are They Doing for Seeds?; 2.3.3 What Are They Doing for the Plants?; 2.3.4 A Role for Seed Endophytes in Plant Improvement; 2.3.5 As an Aside: Endophytes Influence the Quality of Seeds as Food Items for Us; 2.4 Outstanding Questions; 2.5 Conclusions; References;
3: Seed Endophytes and Their Potential Applications; 3.1 Background; 3.2 Seed Endophytes; 3.3 Assessing Seed Endophytic Communities; 3.4 Roles of Seed-Borne Endophytes 3.4.1 Seed Endophytes and Plant Growth Enhancement3.4.2 Seed Endophytes Mitigating Heavy Metal Toxicity/Stress; 3.5 Mechanism of the Growth Promotion and Heavy Metal Stress Tolerance; 3.5.1 Heavy Metal Resistance Genes Conferring Metal Resistance; 3.6 Future Prospects; References;
4: Exploring Endophytic Communities of Plants: Methods for Assessing Diversity, Effects on Host Development and Potential Biot ... ; 4.1 Introduction; 4.1.1 What Are Endophytes?; 4.1.2 Challenges in the Study of Endophytes; 4.2 Isolation of Endophytic Microbes; 4.2.1 Media for Isolation of Fungal Endophytes 4.2.2 Media for Isolation of Bacterial Endophytes4.3 Identification of Endophytes; 4.3.1 Molecular Tools to Identify Endophytes; 4.3.2 Markers and Primers for Endophyte Identification; 4.4 Techniques to Evaluate Endophyte Distribution in Plants; 4.4.1 Hood and Shew Staining Protocol; 4.4.2 Fluorescent Probes for Localization of Bacterial and Fungal Endophytes; 4.4.3 ROS Staining to Study Bacterial Endophytes; 4.5 Endophyte Modulation of Seedling Development; 4.5.1 Examining Modulation of Seedling Development Where Endophytes Are Not Culturable