*2.7. Disease Symptoms and Disease Index*

The disease symptoms were observed 45 days after sowing. The disease index and plant protection were assessed using a score consisting of five classes, as described in [38] with minor adjustments. (1) minor yellowing of lower leaves, (2) moderate yellow plant, (3) wilted plant with browning of vascular bands, and (4) severely stunted and damaged plants. It's worth noting that the percent disease index (PDI) was determined using a five-grade scale and the formula below. PDI = (1n1+ 2n2 + 3n3 + 4n4)100/4nt, where n1–n4 represents the number of plants in each class and nt represents the total number of plants examined. In addition, the following formula was used to obtain % Protection (P percent): P percent = A − B/A 100 percent, where A is the PDI in infected control plants and B is the PDI in infected plants treated with cyanobacteria.
