SeedCon World Café.
SeedCon World Café.
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Limited spots available
Limited spots available
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Session Purpose & Format
As the final session of SeedCon 2026, the interactive World Café offers focused, small-group discussions on emerging questions. It’s designed for those eager to engage, reflect, and share ideas in a collaborative setting.
Participation is limited to 50–60 participants. Format: 5–6 tables, each led by an Early Career Researcher. Brief introductions are followed by moderated table discussions, culminating in a summary of key insights.
Deep-dive discussions on key questions emerging from the conference
Deep-dive discussions on key questions emerging from the conference
Topic lead: Davide Gerna
Seeds are among the most extreme microbial habitats. Fluctuating water activity, high desiccation stress, accumulation and remobilisation of storage reserves, alongside tightly regulated physiological transitions, characterise the entire seed life cycle. Microbial dormancy, currently defined as transient inactivation and reactivation in response to stress, is acknowledged as a key trait that contributes to persistence in other low-microbial-biomass habitats. Surprisingly, microbial dormancy remains a fundamental knowledge gap in seed microbiomes. Distinguishing active and inactive cells is critical to improving functional understanding of microbiome shifts in response to the host’s physiological state, including under environmental stress. Complementing the accompanying talk on microbial dormancy in seed holobionts, this discussion will explore this gap further in an interactive and open format by considering whether microbial dormancy in seeds is a regulated, host-influenced trait rather than a purely passive survival strategy. We will examine how microbial activity in seeds may respond to plant-derived signals, such as desiccation, metabolite availability, and phytohormonal regulation of seed dormancy. The conversation will also address the methodological challenges of measuring microbial activity, especially in dry seeds. Overall, this discussion offers an opportunity to engage with fundamental open questions about the mechanisms underlying microbial persistence in seeds, reactivation cues and thresholds, and potential bidirectional interactions between microbial and seed dormancy.
Seeds are among the most extreme microbial habitats. Fluctuating water activity, high desiccation stress, accumulation and remobilisation of storage reserves, alongside tightly regulated physiological transitions, characterise the entire seed life cycle. Microbial dormancy, currently defined as transient inactivation and reactivation in response to stress, is acknowledged as a key trait that contributes to persistence in other low-microbial-biomass habitats. Surprisingly, microbial dormancy remains a fundamental knowledge gap in seed microbiomes. Distinguishing active and inactive cells is critical to improving functional understanding of microbiome shifts in response to the host’s physiological state, including under environmental stress. Complementing the accompanying talk on microbial dormancy in seed holobionts, this discussion will explore this gap further in an interactive and open format by considering whether microbial dormancy in seeds is a regulated, host-influenced trait rather than a purely passive survival strategy. We will examine how microbial activity in seeds may respond to plant-derived signals, such as desiccation, metabolite availability, and phytohormonal regulation of seed dormancy. The conversation will also address the methodological challenges of measuring microbial activity, especially in dry seeds. Overall, this discussion offers an opportunity to engage with fundamental open questions about the mechanisms underlying microbial persistence in seeds, reactivation cues and thresholds, and potential bidirectional interactions between microbial and seed dormancy.
Mechanisms of microbial persistence in the seed host
Mechanisms of microbial persistence in the seed host
Mechanisms for seed endophyte-mediated plant growth and pathogen resistance
Mechanisms for seed endophyte-mediated plant growth and pathogen resistance
Topic lead: Gaurav Pal
Seeds harbor vertically transmitted microbial communities that colonize plants at the earliest developmental stages and may exert a more significant influence on plant growth and immunity than microbes acquired later from the environment. However, the mechanisms underlying their contribution to plant protection and their potential for microbiome-based strategies remain poorly understood. Key gaps include uncertainty about the persistence and heritability of their effects, whether protective functions are driven by specific taxa or emerge from microbial consortia, and a lack of integrative frameworks that link microbial activity to host responses under stress. This table discussion aims to critically assess these challenges by bringing together current conceptual and methodological perspectives on seed endophytes. The goal is to identify priority research directions, align on experimental and analytical approaches, and refine key hypotheses guiding the field. By clarifying these aspects, the discussion will help advance seed microbiome research toward a more predictive and mechanistic understanding, ultimately supporting the development of robust microbiome-based strategies for plant protection and stress resilience.
Seeds harbor vertically transmitted microbial communities that colonize plants at the earliest developmental stages and may exert a more significant influence on plant growth and immunity than microbes acquired later from the environment. However, the mechanisms underlying their contribution to plant protection and their potential for microbiome-based strategies remain poorly understood. Key gaps include uncertainty about the persistence and heritability of their effects, whether protective functions are driven by specific taxa or emerge from microbial consortia, and a lack of integrative frameworks that link microbial activity to host responses under stress. This table discussion aims to critically assess these challenges by bringing together current conceptual and methodological perspectives on seed endophytes. The goal is to identify priority research directions, align on experimental and analytical approaches, and refine key hypotheses guiding the field. By clarifying these aspects, the discussion will help advance seed microbiome research toward a more predictive and mechanistic understanding, ultimately supporting the development of robust microbiome-based strategies for plant protection and stress resilience.
Topic lead: Anastasija Juskovic
In seed‑transmitted microbiome studies, the main focus is on endophytic communities, as these are the most likely to be vertically transmitted. However, several methodological challenges arise from the low microbial load and from the physical and chemical properties of seeds, including seed hardness, seed‑derived inhibitors, and host DNA contamination, that compromise the optimal microbial DNA yield. Additionally, other methodological challenges include the trade-offs of surface sterilization techniques, metabarcoding vs metagenomics, and bioinformatic quality control. All of these factors introduce biases that compromise accurate taxonomic and functional interpretations of seed microbiomes. Therefore, there is a need to discuss appropriate methods and complementary approaches that better match the characteristics of seedborne microbiomes, thereby improving the biological resolution and robustness of datasets to advance the seed microbiome research.
In seed‑transmitted microbiome studies, the main focus is on endophytic communities, as these are the most likely to be vertically transmitted. However, several methodological challenges arise from the low microbial load and from the physical and chemical properties of seeds, including seed hardness, seed‑derived inhibitors, and host DNA contamination, that compromise the optimal microbial DNA yield. Additionally, other methodological challenges include the trade-offs of surface sterilization techniques, metabarcoding vs metagenomics, and bioinformatic quality control. All of these factors introduce biases that compromise accurate taxonomic and functional interpretations of seed microbiomes. Therefore, there is a need to discuss appropriate methods and complementary approaches that better match the characteristics of seedborne microbiomes, thereby improving the biological resolution and robustness of datasets to advance the seed microbiome research.
Best Practices to Derive Biological Meaning from Seed Microbiomes
Best Practices to Derive Biological Meaning from Seed Microbiomes
Effects of plant-microbe co-evolution on seed microbial diversity
Effects of plant-microbe co-evolution on seed microbial diversity
Topic lead: Kristina Michl
Early developmental stages across kingdoms are often characterized by strikingly low microbial diversity. While low diversity is often interpreted as dysbiosis, this restricted colonization may reflect host-driven, co-evolved filters that protect vulnerable ontogenetic/developmental stages. Seeds can impose selective bottlenecks, via physical barriers, antimicrobial chemistry, the immune system, and/or priority effects, that favour certain microorganisms. If host phylogeny shapes these filters, we should observe phylosymbiosis: microbiome community structure mirroring host evolutionary relationships. This round table will examine whether low microbial diversity resulting from selective filtering is an (evolutionarily conserved) strategy arising from host-microbe co-adaptation.
Early developmental stages across kingdoms are often characterized by strikingly low microbial diversity. While low diversity is often interpreted as dysbiosis, this restricted colonization may reflect host-driven, co-evolved filters that protect vulnerable ontogenetic/developmental stages. Seeds can impose selective bottlenecks, via physical barriers, antimicrobial chemistry, the immune system, and/or priority effects, that favour certain microorganisms. If host phylogeny shapes these filters, we should observe phylosymbiosis: microbiome community structure mirroring host evolutionary relationships. This round table will examine whether low microbial diversity resulting from selective filtering is an (evolutionarily conserved) strategy arising from host-microbe co-adaptation.
Topic lead: Joseph King
Seed priming is the controlled imbibition and drying of seed, increasing germination speed, uniformity, and seedling vigor. One extension of classical priming is biopriming, the inoculation of seeds with bacteria or fungi. As seed microbiomes serve as the initial inoculum for the whole plant, biopriming is a promising approach for sustainable microbiome management. However, within the literature, biopriming protocols are poorly documented, methods are scattered, and results are highly varied and often confounded with the physiological responses to the priming process itself. To increase the impact and awareness of the seed microbiome study, we must move toward a unified methodological framework for biopriming. Within this framework, we must consider the appropriate level of replication, controls, and potentially a standardized quantification procedure. Reaching a practical and theoretical consensus is key to pushing applications of seed microbiome study to the forefront of sustainable microbiome-based management.
Seed priming is the controlled imbibition and drying of seed, increasing germination speed, uniformity, and seedling vigor. One extension of classical priming is biopriming, the inoculation of seeds with bacteria or fungi. As seed microbiomes serve as the initial inoculum for the whole plant, biopriming is a promising approach for sustainable microbiome management. However, within the literature, biopriming protocols are poorly documented, methods are scattered, and results are highly varied and often confounded with the physiological responses to the priming process itself. To increase the impact and awareness of the seed microbiome study, we must move toward a unified methodological framework for biopriming. Within this framework, we must consider the appropriate level of replication, controls, and potentially a standardized quantification procedure. Reaching a practical and theoretical consensus is key to pushing applications of seed microbiome study to the forefront of sustainable microbiome-based management.
Biopriming as a Method to Shape Seed Microbiomes
Biopriming as a Method to Shape Seed Microbiomes
Project number 573465830