TABLE 3.
Colonization of alfalfa root by S. meliloti strainsa
| Strain mixture | Mixture ratio (WT/MU) | Total cells per root (103)b | Rm1021 cells per root (103) | Mutant cells per root (103) | WT/MU (% ratio)c
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expected | Observed | |||||
| Rm1021 + Sm7019 | 1:0 | 44.8 ± 8.0 B | NA | NA | ||
| 0:1 | 35.6 ± 8.3 B | NA | NA | |||
| 1:1 | 29.8 ± 5.1 B | 20.9 ± 4.5 | 7.8 ± 1.6 | 50:50 | 68:32* | |
| Rm1021 + Rm9628 | 1:0 | 38.6 ± 2.2 B | NA | NA | ||
| 0:1 | 64.4 ± 5.6 C | NA | NA | |||
| 1:1 | 70.0 ± 9.8 C | 43.8 ± 7.5 | 26.2 ± 3.3 | 50:50 | 60:40* | |
| Rm1021 + Sm7025 | 1:0 | 23.6 ± 2.0 A | NA | NA | ||
| 0:1 | 22.3 ± 3.5 A | NA | NA | |||
| 1:1 | 36.1 ± 6.2 B | 28.1 ± 4.7 | 7.7 ± 2.0 | 50:50 | 84:16* | |
a
WT, wild-type Rm1021; MU, mutant strain; NA, not applicable.
b
Treatments followed by the same letter were not statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. Data are means ± standard errors.
c
Chi-square test performed with Minitab statistical software;
*
P = <0.001.