vertical-transmission
Vertical transmission refers to the direct transfer of microbial symbionts from a parent plant to its offspring, ensuring that beneficial or otherwise influential microorganisms are inherited across generations. This process is significant in plant science because it shapes the heritable microbiome of plants, influencing traits such as disease resistance, nutrient acquisition, and stress tolerance. Understanding vertical transmission helps researchers uncover how plant-microbe relationships evolve and how they might be harnessed to improve crop health and productivity.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-04-09
Bacteria living inside potato tubers can be passed down from one potato generation to the next through the flesh of the tuber itself. While most bacteria in a new potato come from the surrounding soil, a small but consistent set of beneficial microbes are reliably inherited — a finding that could help growers cultivate healthier crops.
Only 1.8% of bacteria in new potato tubers were vertically transferred from parent tubers — over 98% were acquired from the surrounding soil environment.
Vertical transfer was higher and more consistent in the inner flesh than in the outer peel, and remained stable across two different growing fields and two potato varieties (Nadine and Royal Blue).
The bacteria most reliably inherited across generations — including families like Streptomycetaceae and Sphingomonadaceae — are predicted to support core metabolic functions and stress responses in the plant.
