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Poster

Session: Session 2 Presenting Authors at Posters (Evens)

P-250 - Microbial metabolites modulating plant phenotypes

Thursday, July 17, 2025
13:30 - 15:15  
Location: Confex Hall 3
Nutrient exchange & role of metabolites in plant-microbe interactions

Root-associated microbes produce a staggering diversity of exometabolites, some of which are expected to modulate host development. This research aims to identify and characterise metabolites derived from the plant root microbiota, which can elicit a developmental or immunological plant response. To do so, an Arabidopsis thaliana root-associated microbial selection of 94 bacteria was screened for an impact on seed germination. Bacteria were streaked individually on full-strength Murashige-Skoog-medium agar plates supplemented with 10 mM succinate, and Arabidopsis thaliana seeds were placed at different distances from the bacterial lawn. Our results indicate that 1) the majority of the tested microbes inhibited seed germination at close distances, 2) a few phylogenetically unrelated strains showed inhibition at larger distances, and 3) most of these effects were mediated by diffusible metabolites rather than by volatile organic compounds. The identification of seed germination-modulating bacterial exometabolites will advance the knowledge in seed perception of biotic environmental factors and their response to it.