Fig. 5: Colonisation and nitrogen fixation by SynComs in xylem of maize plants.

a Potted plant experiment with GFP-tagged SynComs. SynComs with no GFP tags served as control. Images are confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) micrographs. Four biological replicates showed the similar results. b, c, d Potted plant experiment with growth mixture containing 15N. Growth profile (b) at 35 days after transplanting after inoculation with control and SynComs, dry matter of root, stem and leaf (c), and root/shoot ratio (d) of maize plants at 65 days after transplanting after inoculation with control and SynComs. Horizontal bars within boxplot represent medians. Asterisk indicates a significant difference at P < 0.01. Boxplot displays the median and interquartile range. Upper and lower whiskers extend to data no more than 1.5× the interquartile range from upper and lower edge of the box, respectively. The statistical analyses were performed using a two-sided T-test (n = 4). P values are indicated by *, i.e., ** represents p < 0.01. Source data are provided in the Source Data file.