Sowing success: ecological insights into seedling microbial colonisation for robust plant microbiota engineering

Manipulating the seedling microbiota through seed or soil inoculations has the potential to improve plant health. Mixed in-field results have been attributed to a lack of consideration for ecological processes taking place during seedling microbiota assembly. In this opinion article, we (i) assess the contribution of ecological processes at play during seedling microbiota assembly (e.g., propagule pressure and priority effects); (ii) investigate how life history theory can help us identify microbial traits involved in successful seedling colonisation; and (iii) suggest how different plant microbiota engineering methods could benefit from a greater understanding of seedling microbiota assembly processes. Finally, we propose several research hypotheses and identify outstanding questions for the plant microbiota engineering community.