Differences in total shoot length (Fig. 1) between
the two treatments became apparent after 30 week
of plant growth. After 36 weeks, growth stopped in
both the groups and the difference between them remained
stable but statistically significant (P = 0.04).
After the transplant, the inoculated plants accelerated
shoot growth considerably, while the control plants
ceased growth and displayed progressive browning
and necrosis of the leaves. From the 65th week onwards,
differences between the two treatments became
highly significant (P < 0.01). By the end of
the experiment, the total shoot length of the inoculated
group was 3.6 times greater than that of the
control.