“…This supports our explanation that SynCom treatment can change fungal community structure to confer better 5a, path 1 and 2 → 9] assume that SynComm application impacts the plant growth [number of flowers, plant height and root length] and productivity [yield] independently of SynComm-induced variations in soil biotic and abiotic properties via direct effects, that is, increase in plant growth and nutrient uptake via phytohormones like IAA, P-solubilisation and ammonia production [Mukherjee et al, 2020;Pereg & McMillan, 2015;Tabassum et al, 2017;Zhang et al, 2019]. The indirect effects of SynCom infer that microbial strain application impacts the plant variables through the changes in soil nitrogen and phosphorus concentration [Figure 5a, pathway 3 → 4] or soil microbiological properties [bacterial and fungal diversity and community structure; Figure 5a, path 5 → 7 → 9; Mukherjee et al, 2020;Pereg & McMillan, 2015;Tabassum et al, 2017;Yang et al, 2021]. The indirect effects of cultivar in our study assumes that cultivars affect soil microbiological and chemical properties [10 and 11, respectively], as well as plant growth and productivity [path 12 and 13, respectively;Hedden & Sponsel, 2015;Mukherjee et al, 2020;Pereg & McMillan 2015;Tabassum et al, 2017;Wei et al, 2019;Zhang et al, 2019]).…”