F. verticillioides root colonization in maize plants, after seed treatment,
resulted in a significant reduction (P < 0.05) for two of the
three growing seasons analyzed, both at the GS 13 and the GS 65
stages, with a value, of 28% and 24% (three-year averages),
respectively (Fig. 1B). Differently from T. harzianum in both growth
stages, the root percentage of F. verticillioides colonization was very
different over the year. Even if T. harzianum colonization decreased
at flowering time (Fig. 1A), its efficacy to reduce F. verticillioides root
colonization did not appear to be affected. Quantification of
F. verticillioides in silks at GS 65 revealed a fungal content below the
limit of detection in treated plants for both years, while no treatment
effect was observed on senescent silks at GS 71 (Fig. 2).