Figure 2

Increased bacterial richness is associated with increased fungal disease load (TAI) and wheat yield losses in the field.

(a), wheat variety choice in the first year of cropping directly influences the intensity of take-all disease in the following isogenic wheat crop (cv. Xi19). (b), this has a marked effect on grain yield. (c), these negative effects of the take-all fungal pathogen are associated with an increased rarefied genotypic richness of Pseudomonas spp. in the rhizospheres of wheat plants (data show means ± s.e.m). (174 isolates in total; Cadenza plots = 87, Hereward plots = 91). All comparisons are made with Welch’s t-test.“ns” = non-significant. “C” = Cadenza; “H” = Hereward; TAI = take all intensity index (see METHODS for details). In all cases n = 4.