Figure 7. Variation in the ability of B. cereus clade 3 bacteria and B. thuringiensis (ST8) to colonize growing plants from experimentally inoculated soil.

Cabbage seedlings (from surface sterilized seeds) were grown in autoclaved compost inoculated with either a clade 3 B. cereus strain; an ST8 isolate or in controls (without inoculation). Bacteria were recovered on B. cereus group selective media from leaf washes (epiphytic bacteria- solid bars) or homogenized surface sterilized leaf tissue (endophytic bacteria- cross hatched bars) after seedlings were at the 6-leaf stage. Data are the mean colony forming units (cfu) of B. cereus group bacteria per sample from four independent experimental replicates +SEs; no B. cereus group bacteria were recovered from leaf washes of control plants.