Sterile Turface/LM-111 (3 reps, 10 seeds/rep)
A. Positive Control Isolate
B. Unknown Isolate 1
C. Unknown Isolate 2
D. Negative Control (Surface Sterilized)
Unsterile Turface/LM-111
E. Positive Control Isolate
F. Unknown Isolate 1
G. Unknown Isolate 2
H. Negative Control (Surface Sterilized)
The seedlings had some bleaching and curling but none of the symptoms in this round were as severe as previous rounds of isolates.
Prior to the last day with visible symptoms, we see no differentiation between isolates and effect on photosynthesis. On Day 11, there’s an increase in Pot C’s PhiNPQ compared to other treatments. This significant difference was the only one seen for isolate effect and was present in the sterile turface. Having the only isolate impact on the sterile turface gives some support to the hypothesized effect on soil microbial population having protective properties. There’s also a smaller increase in Pot H’s PhiNPQ compared to treatment E, F, and G. One of the reps for treatment H had clear drought stress, which affected the measurements in a way similar to endophyte damage.
The Positive Control didn’t end up having an effect on the overall plant health, but this may be a result of the experimental design in choosing isolates.