The mechanical and chemical properties of natural plant fibers are determined by many different factors, both intrinsic and extrinsic to the plant, during growth but also after harvest. A better understanding of how all these factors exert their effect and how they interact is necessary to be able to optimize fiber quality for use in different industries. One important factor is the post-harvest process known as retting, representing the first step in the extraction of bast fibers from the stem of species such as flax and hemp. During this process microorganisms colonize the stem and produce hydrolytic enzymes that target cell wall polymers thereby facilitating the progressive destruction of the stem and fiber bundles. Recent advances in sequencing technology have allowed researchers to implement targeted metagenomics leading to a much better characterization of the microbial communities involved in retting, as well as an improved understanding of microbial dynamics. In this paper we review how our current knowledge of the microbiology of retting has been improved by targeted metagenomics and discuss how related ‘-omics’ approaches might be used to fully characterize the functional capability of the retting microbiome.

天然植物纤维的机械和化学特性取决于植物在生长过程中以及收获后的许多不同因素，包括植物固有的和外部的。必须对所有这些因素如何发挥作用以及它们如何相互作用有更好的了解，以便能够优化纤维质量以用于不同行业。一个重要因素是收获后的过程，即脱胶，代表了从诸如亚麻和大麻等物种的茎中提取韧皮纤维的第一步。在此过程中，微生物将茎定居，并产生靶向细胞壁聚合物的水解酶，从而促进茎和纤维束的逐步破坏。测序技术的最新进展已使研究人员能够实施针对性的宏基因组学，从而更好地表征参与脱胶的微生物群落，并增强对微生物动力学的了解。在本文中，我们回顾了有针对性的宏基因组学如何改善了我们目前对胶凝微生物学的了解，并讨论了如何使用相关的“-组学”方法来全面表征胶凝微生物组的功能。