Table 2.

Effect of Sebacina vermifera colonization on switchgrass biomass production under conditions of adequate watering and drought in greenhouse^a

Treatment	Shoot length (cm) (mean ± SE)	Root length (cm) (mean ± SE)	Shoot DM (mg/plant) (mean ± SE)	Root DM (mg/plant) (mean ± SE)	Shoot-to-root ratio (mean ± SE)	No. of tillers (mean ± SE)	Chlorophyll content (%) (mean ± SE)
First harvest (one drought cycle)
Cocultivation
Watered	70.5 ± 1.1	24.1 ± 0.4	752 ± 29	316 ± 16	2.48 ± 0.06	2.38 ± 0.06	31.0 ± 0.3
Dry	56.9 ± 1.0	30.5 ± 0.9	500 ± 23	367 ± 16	1.40 ± 0.03	2.06 ± 0.03	30.9 ± 0.3
Control
Watered	33.8 ± 0.6	20.7 ± 0.5	172 ± 9	81 ± 4	2.16 ± 0.07	2.38 ± 0.06	29.7 ± 0.3
Dry	28.5 ± 0.7	20.3 ± 0.4	105 ± 6	91 ± 5	1.23 ± 0.07	1.88 ± 0.10	31.7 ± 0.3
Significance tests
Cocultivation	**	**	**	**	*	n.s.	n.s.
Drought	**	*	**	n.s.	**	**	n.s.
Interaction	*	**	*	n.s.	n.s.	n.s.	n.s.
Second harvest (two drought cycles)
Cocultivation
Watered	73.6 ± 1.0	36.2 ± 0.6	1,600 ± 53	1,236 ± 80	1.46 ± 0.05	2.56 ± 0.06	28.6 ± 0.3
Dry	61.8 ± 1.0	36.7 ± 0.8	900 ± 20	771 ± 22	1.20 ± 0.03	2.69 ± 0.06	32.2 ± 0.3
Control
Watered	46.2 ± 0.8	37.9 ± 0.7	508 ± 17	334 ± 11	1.56 ± 0.05	2.63 ± 0.06	31.1 ± 0.3
Dry	36.5 ± 0.7	41.8 ± 0.6	388 ± 14	339 ± 11	1.18 ± 0.04	2.50 ± 0.07	34.2 ± 0.5
Significance tests
Cocultivation	**	*	**	**	n.s.	n.s.	**
Drought	**	n.s.	**	**	**	n.s.	**
Interaction	n.s.	n.s.	**	**	n.s.	n.s.	n.s.
Third harvest (three drought cycles)
Cocultivation
Watered	72.9 ± 0.7	43.3 ± 0.9	1,598 ± 35	2,342 ± 41	0.68 ± 0.01	2.69 ± 0.08	16.7 ± 0.9
Dry	61.8 ± 1.0	41.1 ± 0.8	1,047 ± 25	2,189 ± 40	0.48 ± 0.01	2.38 ± 0.08	16.5 ± 1.2
Control
Watered	37.4 ± 1.1	43.8 ± 0.9	435 ± 20	882 ± 36	0.49 ± 0.01	2.25 ± 0.07	24.7 ± 0.3
Dry	34.0 ± 0.5	47.6 ± 1.5	406 ± 16	1,032 ± 43	0.41 ± 0.01	2.31 ± 0.06	28.4 ± 0.4
Significance tests
Cocultivation	**	n.s.	**	**	**	n.s.	**
Drought	**	n.s.	**	n.s.	**	n.s.	n.s.
Interaction	*	n.s.	**	n.s.	**	n.s.	n.s.

^a*, P ≤ 0.05; **, P ≤ 0.01; n.s., not significant.