Disease symptom development in maize plants inoculated with fungal isolates, (A) (Metarhizium anisopliae-ICIPE 69), (B) (Trichoderma atroviride-F5S21), (C) (Hypocrea lixii-F3ST1) and (D) (Trichoderma harzianum-F2L4) following artificial inoculation with Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV). Panel (E) represents the positive control, where untreated maize plants were challenge-inoculated with SCMV, while (F) represents the negative control, where plants were neither treated with fungal endophytes nor challenge-inoculated with SCMV. The arrows indicate the onset of symptom expression in various treatments. Challenge inoculation with Sugarcane mosaic virus was conducted 21 days after planting.