FIG 1.

Salmonella enterica growth on alfalfa sprouts via irrigation water contamination. Sprouts were grown in a Conviron E7/2 climate-controlled growth chamber for the duration of the experiment. Before germination, growth chamber temperatures were maintained at 24°C (daytime) and 22°C (nighttime) with no light. Temperatures were maintained for 2 days at a constant 22°C day and night, with light, after germination. Growth chambers were kept at a constant relative humidity of 65%. At harvest, the mean log MPN per gram of fresh weight (y axis) was calculated against 4 different inoculation levels (x axis) for S. enterica serovars Cubana (gray) and Hartford (black). Numbers in parentheses show the numbers of replicated samples examined at each inoculation level. The detection limit for Salmonella in this experiment was 0.3 MPN/g.