Plant seed assemblies comprising fungal/ bacterial antagonists

Abstract

A seed treated with a fungal/bacterial antagonist combination and a seed assembly comprising a seed and a fungal/bacterial antagonist combination. The fungal/bacterial antagonist combination comprises a Trichoderma virens fungal antagonist and a Bacillus amyloliquefaciens bacterial antagonist for controlling plant pathogens as a biocontrol agent, bio-pesticide or bio-fungicide. In preferred embodiments, the invention produces an increase in plant yield. Control of early and late season stalk and root rot caused by fungi such as Fusarium, Phythium, Phytophthora and Penicillium in tomatoes, peppers, turf grass, soybeans, sunflower, wheat and corn is achieved.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12 / 228,696, filed Aug. 16, 2008, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 940,036, filed Sep. 13, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,429,477, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 067,185, filed Feb. 1, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,917, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 265,998, filed Feb. 2, 2001; the disclosures of which applications and patents are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. The application also incorporates by reference the disclosure of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2005-0096225 A1 as if fully set forth herein.STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT[0002]The U.S. Government has a paid-up license in this invention and the right in limited circumstances to require the patent owner to license others on reasonable terms as provided...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014]One advantage of the invention is that root and stalk rot can be controlled with a composition that is not toxic to humans. Another advantage of the invention is that root and stalk rot can be controlled more economically than with chemical fungicides. Yet another advantage of the invention is that it provides a biocontrol agent or bio-pesticide with extended shelf life. Thus, a seed can be treated with the biocontrol agent and stored for a period of months and still host a viable biocontrol agent that will colonize the root when the seed is placed in the ground, germinates and grows. Furthermore, the disclosed biocontrol agent is competitive with natural soil microbes that occur in the rhizosphere while providing pathogen protection for the plant. A further advantage of the invention is that the combination of a fungal/bacterial antagonist is more effective in controlling fungal pathogens in the plant rhizosphere than either a fungal antagonist or a bacterial antagonist alone. Thus, the invention provides an easy-to-use, effective means of controlling plant pathogens that have been only been controllable by rotation management. A further advantage of the invention is that its use produces more consistent results than the use of either a fungal antagonist or a bacterial antagonist alone, as shown by the Working Examples presented herein. In fact, use of the antagonist combinations disclosed herein is shown to be functional when use of its individual constituent antagonists is not.

[0015]The compositions disclosed herein may be integrated into Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs, the inventive compositions may be used in combination with other management systems. As an alternative to synthetic agents, biocontrol agents (bio-pesticides) offer the advantage of containing naturally derived constituents that are safe to both humans and the environment. Specifically, bio-pesticides offer such advantages as being inherently less toxic than conventional pesticides, generally affecting only the target pest and closely related organisms, and are often effective in very small quantities. For these reasons, bio-pesticides often decompose quickly and, therefore, are ideal for use as a component of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs.

[0016]The applicant has shown through a variety of laboratory and field trials that Bacillus amyloliquefaciens TJ 1000 and Trichoderma virens G1-3 are compatible with

Problems solved by technology

Early and late season stalk and root rot are major causes of crop loss.

There is no chemical or biological fungicide available that addresses the problem of late season root and stalk rot in corn.

Corn growers can also select hybrids that have better “standability,” but such hybri

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