Samples were prepared for isolation of the plant-associated
microorganisms according to the method described by Barraquio
et al. (1997). We removed the soil from the roots under water until
the washings were clear, and rinsed them three times in sterile
water. In addition, we also washed the straws and leaves with sterile
water. Three-grams of each root, leaf and straw sample were
transferred separately to sterile Erlenmeyer flasks containing
27 ml sterile PBS solution [1.2 Na2HPO4, 0.18 NaH2PO4, 8.5 NaCl
(in g l1
); pH 7.6], and subsequently homogenized, using sterilized
mortal and pestles. Moreover, we added 27 ml of sterile water,
containing sterile glass beads to each sample in order to facilitate
pulverization.