FIGURE 5.

Bacillus firmus I-1582 colonizes tomato and cucumber roots. (A) Endophytic bacterial DNA biomass in relation to the total DNA biomass of the sample from the inducer half of the root 50 days after being inoculated with 10⁹ CFU and 43 days after nematode inoculation with 200 Meloidogyne incognita juveniles in the responder half of the root of the split-root experiment. The inducer part of the root was surface sterilized with 50% commercial sodium hypochlorite for 2 min and washed three times with sterile distilled water for 10 s each prior to the DNA extraction. Each value is mean ± standard error of three biological replicates composed of three plant roots each. (B) Bacterial DNA biomass in relation to the total DNA biomass of the sample 7 days after bacterial inoculation at a rate of 10⁹ CFU per plant and just after nematode inoculation with 200 J2 (0 DANI) and (C) at 40 DANI. Each value is mean ± standard error of three biological replicates composed of one plant root each. Asterisk indicates significant difference between plant species according to the non-parametric Wilcoxon test (P < 0.05).