Figure 6.

Scheme of the cultivation-dependent approaches used for the functional characterization of the fungal microbial communities of tomato roots. 1. Roots from plants grown in soil were harvested, surface sterilized and incubated on PDA medium in order to isolate endophytic fungi. 2. The isolates were identified at the species or genus level by morphology and marker gene sequencing. 3. In planta assays were performed by inoculating tomato seedlings with the spore suspension of the isolated fungi in order to assess their effect on the plant and the endophytic capability. 4. Symptoms assessment was performed 12 days after the inoculated plants were transferred to the medium. 5. The roots from symptomless plants were harvested, surface sterilized and plated on PDA medium in order to assess the endophytic colonization of the roots by the endophytic (non-pathogenic) isolates.