Figure 7. The Endophyte-Grass symbiotic interaction phenotype is disrupted in ΔsidN infected plants.

A. Phenotypes of perennial ryegrass plants infected with wild-type E. festucae Fl1 (WT), complemented ΔsidN strain (C-sidN) and ΔsidN mutant 85 (ΔsidN). B. Root systems of sidN infected plants are reduced compared to WT infections. A perennial ryegrass plant infected with E. festucae (WT) is compared against three ΔsidN 85 infected plants displaying increased levels of plant stunting from left to right. Plants are 14 weeks old. C, D and E. Light micrograph DIC images of aniline-blue stained hyphae of wild-type E. festucae Fl1 (WT). C. ΔsidN mutant 85. D. ΔsidN mutant 54. E. in mature leaf sheaths.