Table 1.
Results of ANOVAs assessing the overall effects of soil microbial inoculants on plant growth across crop species.
| Growth measurement | Variable | F | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leaf length | Inoculant age | F3,165 = 1.0429 | 0.3752 |
| Crop species | F3,8= 442.9242 | <0.0001*** | |
| Inoculant source | F1,165 = 2.1440 | 0.1450 | |
| Inoculant age × crop species | F9,165 = 2.3019 | 0.0184* | |
| Dry weight biomass | Inoculant age | F3,165 = 2.9407 | 0.0348* |
| Crop species | F3,8= 5.0985 | 0.0291* | |
| Inoculant source | F1,165 = 1.7916 | 0.1826 | |
| Inoculant age × crop species | F9,165 = 2.3807 | 0.0147* | |
| SLA | Inoculant age | F3,165 = 1.8785 | 0.1352 |
| Crop species | F3,8 = 152.0031 | <0.0001*** | |
| Inoculant source | F1,165 = 0.0601 | 0.8067 | |
| Inoculant age × crop species | F9,165 = 1.1778 | 0.3123 |
Maize (Z. mays), tomato (S. lycopersicum), cucumber (C. sativus), and lettuce (L. sativa) plants were inoculated with soil microbiomes from agricultural (0 years) or fallow plots of different ages (1, 3, or 16 years post-agriculture), with 2 plots representing each age (inoculant source). Plant growth was measured as the length of the longest leaf, dry weight biomass (roots and shoots), and specific leaf area (SLA). N = 11-12 per species × inoculant age treatment. Note that 2 leaves had been harvested prior to the dry weight measurement for use in the herbivore resistance bioassays. *p < 0.05, ***p < 0.001.