maize seed bacterial endophyes in three consecutive seed generations

To illustrate the inheritance and potential functions of maize seed bacterial en-dophytes through diversity, community composition and functional analysis, 16S rDNA sequencing was deployed to identify the community structure of seed endo-phytic bacteria in three successive seed generations of maize inbred line WU109 in this study. It was found that the community of seed endophytic bacteria was determined by both plant genotype and the environment, and the core community was conserved across transgenerational transmission, which may contribute to the improvement of maize production via the regulation of the metabolism process. Our study elaborated upon the core seed-borne bacteria in maize seeds and provided genetic insights into the function of seed bacterial endophytes, which is helpful for further understanding the complexity of interactions among host plants, endophytes and the environment.