SeedCon 2026

SeedCon

May 5–7, Potsdam, Germany

Conference Program and Sessions

The First International Conference on the Seed Microbiome and Microbial Inheritance

Below is the full three-day program with sessions, keynotes, and focal points. Click the download button for a PDF copy of the agenda.

Program

Full Program

Program Overview

Day 1 – Structure and Transmission (May 5)

Opening Remarks

Session 1: Seeds as Microbial Niches: Assembly, Filtering, and Barriers

Session 2: Microbial Inheritance: Routes and Mechanisms

Session 3: Dynamics of Microbial Transmission Across Plant Compartments

Poster Session & Coffee

Conference Dinner, featuring Tjaša Kastelic

Day 2 – Function and Intervention (May 6)

Session 4: Functions of the Seed Microbiome: Ecology, Interactions, and Plant Performance

Session 5: Shaping the Seed Microbiome: From Intervention to Design

Session 6: From Data to Application: Prediction and Translation in Seed Microbiome Science

Poster Session

Roundtable: Translation, AI, and Future Directions

BBQ & Social Evening, featuring DJ Marie Chain

Day 3 – Evolution and the Future (May 7)

Session 7: Global Patterns, Drivers, and Data in Seed Microbiomes

SMWG World Café: Toward a Framework for Microbial Inheritance

Conference Synthesis & Awards

World Café

The Seed Microbiome Working Group is organizing an interactive World Café. This offers focused, small-group discussions on emerging questions. It’s designed for those eager to engage, reflect, and share ideas in a collaborative setting.

Roundtable

This interactive session brings together leading researchers to explore whether seed microbiomes can be reliably predicted and actively shaped. The discussion will focus on key challenges, including the limits of current models, the biological complexity of microbial inheritance, and the feasibility of translating insights into agricultural applications.

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Project number 573465830

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