Summary Bradyrhizobial invasion in dalbergoid legumes like Arachis hypogaea and endophytic bacterial invasions in non‐legumes like Oryza sativa occur through epidermal cracks. Here, we show that there is no overlap between the bradyrhizobial consortia that endosymbiotically and endophytically colonise these plants. To minimise contrast due to phylogeographic isolation, strains were collected from Arachis/Oryza intercropped fie...