Endophyte Community Changes in the Seeds of Eight Plant Species following Inoculation with a Multi-Endophytic Bacterial Consortium and an Individual Strain Obtained from .

, a hyperaccumulator plant species known for its metal tolerance and accumulation abilities, harbours a microbiome of interest within its seed. These seed-associated bacteria, often referred to as seed endophytes, play a unique role in seed germination and plant growth and health. This work aimed to address how inoculating seeds of eight different plant species- (alfalfa), (corn), (radish), (sunflower), subsp. (squash), subsp. (rainbow chard), (thale cress), and (penny cress)-with a bacterial consortium made from the seed endophytes of would affect the seed microbiome of each test plant species, as well as inoculation with a strain of the bacterium , which was previously isolated from seeds of . Additionally, we aimed to offer preliminary plant tests in order to determine the best seed treatment plan for future research. The results showed that inoculation with the bacterial consortium held the most potential for increasing plant size ( < 0.001) and increasing germination rate ( < 0.05). The plant that responded best to inoculation was (penny cress), likely because the microbes being introduced into the seed were not foreign. This paper also offers the first insight into the seed endophytes of subsp. , highlighting an abundance of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteriota.