Hybrid seed microorganism: A new driving force for breeding

In the face of human population explosion, traditional genetic breeding methods have gradually become insufficient to meet global food demands, however, plant microorganisms can be utilized to make up for genotypic deficiencies in phenotypes via hormonal conditions and other means. Consequently, the significant influence of plant microbes on plants has received research consideration in recent years. Here, we propose ‘plant-microbe symbiont breeding’ as a new breeding tool, with the selective use of microbes to manipulate plant characteristics in order to obtain desired results. In plants, the seed is an important dual starting point for the transmission of both genes and microorganisms. Parents of different genotypes can pass on their own particular genetic advantages to their hybrid offspring through hybridization, and the microbiome seems to employ a similar mechanism of transmission. In-depth exploration of the impact of this combination of gene and microbial transmission is expected to significantly advance current plant breeding practices.