Jake Cummane

Seed-related traits such as seed size, germination, vigour, dormancy, biochemical composition, and stress resistance are critical to ensuring agricultural productivity and global food security, particularly in current scenarios of climate change and environmental unpredictability. This review examines the transformative potential of omics technologies, encompassing genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, epigenomics, and phenomics, in enhancing our understanding of seed biology and its applications in crop improvement. Genomics and transcriptomics are key technologies in future plant breeding and gene editing to optimise seed yield and quality. We reviewed the role of metabolomic approaches in uncovering the molecular mechanisms behind seed germination, vigour, dormancy, and the proteomic advances to elucidate markers of seed quality, combining these omic technologies to decipher DOG1 as a marker of dormancy. Both biotic and abiotic stress resistance in seeds were reviewed from a multi-omics perspective to determine the best avenues for improving the resilience of seeds against drought, salinity and pathogens. Moreover, omics approaches have been reviewed to optimise plant–microbe interactions, particularly in enhancing symbiotic relationships within the soil microbiome.

Seed-related traits such as seed size, germination, vigour, dormancy, biochemical composition and stress resistance are critical to ensuring agricultural productivity and global food security, particularly in current scenarios of climate change and environmental unpredictability. This review examines the transformative potential of omics technologies, encompassing genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, epigenomics, and phenomics, in enhancing our understanding of seed biology and its applications in crop improvement. Genomics and transcriptomics are key technologies in future plant breeding and gene editing to optimise seed yield and quality. We reviewed the role of metabolomic approaches in uncovering the molecular mechanisms behind seed germination, vigour, dormancy, and the proteomic advances to elucidate markers of seed quality. Both biotic and abiotic stress resistance in seeds were reviewed from a multi-omics perspective to determine the best avenues for improving the resilience of seeds against drought, salinity and pathogens. Moreover, omics approaches have been reviewed to optimise plant-microbe interactions, particularly in enhancing symbiotic relationships within the soil microbiome. This review suggests that combining omics approaches offers a promising pathway for developing more resilient, high-yielding, and higher-quality seeds, ultimately contributing to food security and more efficient agricultural practices in a rapidly changing environment.