Table 9.

Relative quantification of injected bacterial strains 10⁸ cell/plant in sour orange after two weeks.

Treatments used for this study	Inoculation methods	Relative quantity of bacterial endophytes
Positive Control	Injected with ddH2O	2.49 × 1014 ± 0.08
Proteus mirabilis	Soil mixing	7.74 × 106 ± 0.65
	Spray method	3.19 × 108 ± 0.06
	Injection method	0*
Bacillus cereus	Soil mixing	0.25 × 104 ± 0.01
	Spray method	0.38 × 105 ± 0.05
	Injection method	0*
Bacillus safensis	Soil mixing	0*
	Spray method	9.76 × 106 ± 0.07
	Injection method	0.35 × 106 ± 0.06
Bacillus megaterium	Soil mixing	0.09 × 105 ± 0.22
	Spray method	0.37 × 106 ± 0.11
	Injection method	75.69 × 106 ± 1.26
Staphylococcus haemolyticus	Soil mixing	0.15 × 103 ± 0.07
	Spray method	0.01 × 101 ± 0.02
	Injection method	0*
Enterobacter hormaechei	Soil mixing	0.05 × 105 ± 0.01
	Spray method	0.02 × 102 ± 0.03
	Injection method	1.36 × 1014 ± 0.02
Enterococcus faecalis	Soil mixing	4.13 × 108 ± 0.08
	Spray method	2.56 × 106 ± 0.06
	Injection method	15.39 × 109 ± 1.21
Pseudomonas aeruginosa	Soil mixing	0.62 × 104 ± 0.03
	Spray method	0*
	Injection method	10158.94 × 102 ± 1.56
Pseudomonas sp.	Injection method	0*
	Spray method	1.53 × 105 ± 0.02
	Soil mixing	2.47 × 109 ± 0.05
Brevibacillus borstelensis	Soil mixing	0.15 × 103 ± 0.06
	Spray method	0.21 × 103 ± 0.03
	Injection method	0*

Note: Expression as x-fold rise in injected endophytic bacteria in treated sample in comparison to the healthy (mean of 3 replications, SD.

^*Below the detection limit of 54 copies per microlitre (µl).