Fig. 8

The B. subtilis ECM facilitates interaction with PCL1606 on leaves. a Log (CFU/ml) of B. subtilis (3610 and Δmatrix) and P. chlororaphis (PCL1606 and ΔT6SS) strains after single- and co-inoculation of melon leaves. b Sporulation percentages of Bacillus subtilis species after single- and co-inoculation of melon leaves. Colony-forming units and spore percentages were counted at 0 dpi (black bars), 2 dpi (gray bars), and 9 dpi (empty bars). Average values of four biological replicates are shown, with error bars representing SD. *P value < 0.05, **P value < 0.01, ***P value < 0.001 (Tukey test). c, d CLSM maximum projections and z axis slices at positions indicated by the white lines of the interactions between c 3610–PCL1606 (top) and d Δmatrix–PCL1606 (bottom) after 9 days of co-inoculation. Bacillus strains were labeled with CFP and PCL1606 was labeled with DsRed. Bacterial and leaf layers are indicated with arrows. Green lines indicate the leaf surface. White color is the consequence of the overlap between the fluorescence of PCL1606 and Bacillus strains. Scale bar, 100 µm. Source data are provided as a Source Data file