Trimethylamine n-oxide particles, compositions comprising the same, and methods of use thereof

Abstract

Described herein are particles comprising trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), compositions including such particles, and methods of use of such particles such as for reducing salt stress on a plant, reducing water stress on a plant, increasing drought tolerance in a plant, and / or reducing urea-induced protein denaturation in a plant.

Description

[0001] TRIMETHYLAMINE N-OXIDE PARTICLES, COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING THE SAME, AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF

[0002] FIELD

[0003] This invention relates to particles comprising trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), compositions comprising such particles, and methods of use of such particles such as in reducing salt stress on a plant or photosynthetic organism, reducing water stress on a plant or photosynthetic organism, increasing drought tolerance in a plant or photosynthetic organism, and / or reducing urea-induced protein denaturation in a plant or photosynthetic organism.

[0004] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] When plants are exposed to conditions where reduced water content in the soil leads to impaired water absorption, water stress, and / or salt stress (e.g., drought stress conditions), physiological functions of cells in the plant may deteriorate and, thus, various disorders may arise in the plant. When subjected to such stress, plants display a variety of mechanistic responses as protective measures which result in an adverse effect on growth, development, and productivity. In addition, proteins present in plants may be subject to urea-induced denaturation, particularly when a plant is under ubiquitous osmotic stress and / or drought stress conditions. Significant losses in quality and yield are commonly observed as a result of such water stress, salt stress, and / or urea-induced protein denaturation.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention is directed to a particle comprising: trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) (e.g., TMAO dihydrate); and an anti-caking agent, wherein the TMAO has a water content of less than 2% by weight of the TMAO in the particle. In some embodiments, the particle has a water content of less than 2% by weight of the particle.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a composition comprising trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO); and an anti-caking agent, wherein the TMAO has a water content of less than 2% by weight of the TMAO in the composition. In some embodiments, the composition has a water content of less than 2% by weight of the composition.

[0009] A further aspect of the present invention is directed to a method of reducing salt stress on a plant or photosynthetic organism, reducing water stress on a plant or photosynthetic organism, increasing drought tolerance in a plant or photosynthetic organism, and / or reducing urea-induced protein denaturation in a plant or photosynthetic organism, the method comprising: contacting a particle of the present invention and / or a composition of the present invention to a plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism, thereby reducing salt stress on the plant or photosynthetic organism, reducing water stress on the plant or photosynthetic organism, increasing drought tolerance in the plant or photosynthetic organism, and / or reducing urea-induced protein denaturation in the plant or photosynthetic organism optionally compared to salt stress on a control plant or control photosynthetic organism, water stress on a control plant or control photosynthetic organism, drought tolerance in a control plant or control photosynthetic organism, and / or urea-induced protein denaturation in a control plant or control photosynthetic organism under the same conditions except in the absence of contact with the particle and / or composition.

[0010] It is noted that aspects of the invention described with respect to one embodiment, may be incorporated in a different embodiment although not specifically described relative thereto. That is, all embodiments and / or features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and / or combination. Applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim and / or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to be able to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and / or incorporate any feature of any other claim or claims although not originally claimed in that manner. These and other objects and / or aspects of the present invention are explained in detail in the specification set forth below. Further features, advantages and details of the present invention will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art from a reading of the figures and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments that follow, such description being merely illustrative of the present invention.

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] The present invention now will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This description is not intended to be a detailed catalog of all the different ways in which the invention may be implemented, or all the features that may be added to the instant invention. For example, features illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be incorporated into other embodiments, and features illustrated with respect to a particular embodiment may be deleted from that embodiment. Thus, the invention contemplates that in some embodiments of the invention, any feature or combination of features set forth herein can be excluded or omitted. In addition, numerous variations and additions to the various embodiments suggested herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the instant disclosure, which do not depart from the instant invention. Hence, the following descriptions are intended to illustrate some particular embodiments of the invention, and not to exhaustively specify all permutations, combinations and variations thereof.

[0013] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention.

[0014] All publications, patent applications, patents and other references cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entireties for the teachings relevant to the sentence and / or paragraph in which the reference is presented.

[0015] Unless the context indicates otherwise, it is specifically intended that the various features of the invention described herein can be used in any combination. Moreover, the present invention also contemplates that in some embodiments of the invention, any feature or combination of features set forth herein can be excluded or omitted. To illustrate, if the specification states that a composition comprises components A, B and C, it is specifically intended that any of A, B or C, or a combination thereof, can be omitted and disclaimed singularly or in any combination.

[0016] As used in the description of the invention and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0017] Also as used herein, "and / or" refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, as well as the lack of combinations when interpreted in the alternative ("or").

[0018] The term "about," as used herein when referring to a measurable value such as an amount or concentration and the like, is meant to encompass variations of ± 10%, ± 5%, ± 1%, ± 0.5%, or even ± 0.1% of the specified value as well as the specified value. For example, "about X" where X is the measurable value, is meant to include X as well as variations of ± 10%, ± 5%, ± 1%, ± 0.5%, or even ± 0.1% of X. A range provided herein for a measurable value may include any other range and / or individual value therein.

[0019] As used herein, phrases such as "between X and Y" and "between about X and Y" should be interpreted to include X and Y. As used herein, phrases such as "between about X and Y" mean "between about X and about Y" and phrases such as "from about X to Y" mean "from about X to about Y."

[0020] Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. For example, if the range 10 to 15 is disclosed, then 11, 12, 13, and 14 are also disclosed.

[0021] The term "comprise," "comprises" and "comprising" as used herein, specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0022] As used herein, the transitional phrase "consisting essentially of means that the scope of a claim is to be interpreted to encompass the specified materials or steps recited in the claim and those that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed invention. Thus, the term "consisting essentially of' when used in a claim of this invention is not intended to be interpreted to be equivalent to "comprising."

[0023] As used herein, the terms "increase," "increasing," "enhance," "enhancing," "improve" and "improving" (and grammatical variations thereof) describe an elevation of at least about 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 100%, 150%, 200%, 300%, 400%, 500% or more such as compared to another measurable property or quantity (e.g., a control value).

[0024] As used herein, the terms "reduce," "reduced," "reducing," "reduction," "diminish," and "decrease" (and grammatical variations thereof), describe, for example, a decrease of at least about 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or 100% such as compared to another measurable property or quantity (e.g., a control value). In some embodiments, the reduction can result in no or essentially no (z.e., an insignificant amount, e.g., less than about 10% or even 5%) detectable activity or amount.

[0025] As used herein, "contact," "contacting," "contacted," and grammatical variations thereof, refer to placing the components of a desired reaction together under conditions suitable for carrying out the desired reaction.

[0026] According to embodiments of the present invention, provided herein are particles comprising trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). In some embodiments, the TMAO includes, but is not limited to, TMAO and / or a hydrated form thereof such as TMAO di-hydrate. In some embodiments, the TMAO is trimethylamine N-oxide dihydrate. In some embodiments, the TMAO is crystalline in form. In some embodiments, a particle of the present invention comprises TMAO in an amount of about 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, or 90% to about 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% by weight of the particle. In some embodiments, a particle of the present invention comprises TMAO in an amount of about 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% by weight of the particle.

[0027] In some embodiments, TMAO in a particle of the present invention has a water content and / or moisture content of less than about 2% by weight of the TMAO in the particle, such as about 1.9%, 1.8%, 1.7%, 1.6%, 1.5%, 1.4%, 1.3%, 1.2%, 1.1%, 1%, 0.75%, 0.5%, 0.25%, or 0.1% by weight of the TMAO in the particle or less. In some embodiments, TMAO in a particle of the present invention has a water content and / or moisture content of less than about 2% by weight of the TMAO in the particle after exposure of the particle to a temperature of about 20°C, 25°C, 30°C, 35°C, 40°C, 45°C, 50°C, 55°C, 60°C, 65°C, or 70°C and / or humidity of about 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, or 90% for about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 week(s) or month(s). In some embodiments, TMAO in a particle of the present invention has a water content of less than about 2% by weight of the TMAO in the particle after exposure of the particle to room temperature (e.g., about 20°C) and / or relative humidity (e.g., about 30% to about 60% humidity) for about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 day(s) or week(s) to about 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 week(s) or month(s). In some embodiments, TMAO in a particle of the present invention has a water content of less than about 2% by weight of the TMAO in the particle after exposure of the particle to a temperature of about 45°C for about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 day(s) or week(s) to about 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 week(s) or month(s). Water content and / or moisture content of TMAO may be measured using methods known in the art such as by measuring water content using a moisture analyzer.

[0028] In some embodiments, a particle of the present invention comprises TMAO and an anticaking agent. In some embodiments, a particle of the present invention comprises TMAO in the form of a particulate and an anti-caking agent is present on the surface of the TMAO particulate. In some embodiments, a particle of the present invention comprises TMAO in the form of a particulate and the anti-caking agent surrounds all or a portion of the TMAO particulate. For example, an anti-caking agent may be present on and / or cover at least 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, or 100% of the surface of a TMAO particulate. Exemplary anti-caking agents that may be present in a particle of the present invention include, but are not limited to, a cellulose (e.g., powdered cellulose), magnesium stearate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium ferrocyanide, sodium bentonite, potassium ferrocyanide, calcium ferrocyanide, calcium phosphate (e.g., tricalcium phosphate), calcium bentonite, calcium montmorillonite, starch (e.g., rice starch, corn starch, potato starch, and / or tapioca starch )), silica (e.g., precipitated silica), sodium silicate, silicon dioxide, sodium calcium aluminosilicates, calcium silicate, aluminum silicate, magnesium trisilicate, talcum powder, sodium aluminosilicate, potassium aluminum silicate, calcium aluminosilicate, bentonite, stearic acid, poly dimethyl siloxane, vermiculite, diatomaceous earth, rice hull powder, and any combination thereof. In some embodiments, a particle of the present invention includes tricalcium phosphate, corn starch, and / or silicon dioxide. In some embodiments, an anti-caking agent is a food grade, pharmaceutical grade, lab grade, or technical grade anti-caking agent. A particle of the present invention may comprise one or more (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 different anti-caking agents. In some embodiments, a particle of the present invention comprises two different anti-caking agents. In some embodiments, a particle of the present invention comprises three different anti-caking agents. In some embodiments, an anti-caking agent is present in a particle of the present invention an amount of about 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%, or 11% to about 12%, 13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 19%, or 20% by weight of the particle. In some embodiments, an anti-caking agent is present in a particle of the present invention in an amount of about 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%, 11%, 12%, 13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 19%, or 20% by weight of the particle. In some embodiments, an anti-caking agent is present in a particle of the present invention in an amount of about 0.5% or 1% to about 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%, or 3% by weight of the particle.

[0029] In some embodiments, an anti-caking agent that may be present in a particle of the present invention is stable during and / or after exposure to processing conditions and / or when mixed with a fertilizer (e.g., the anti-caking agent maintains its anti-caking properties during and / or after exposure to processing conditions and / or when mixed with a fertilizer as compared to the anti-caking agent properties prior to exposure to the same processing conditions and / or prior to being mixed with the fertilizer). In some embodiments, an anti-caking agent that may be present in a particle of the present invention is dispersible in a liquid (e.g., an aqueous composition) and / or is compatible with an active ingredient (e.g., TMAO) and / or component of a particle and / or composition of the present invention (e.g., the anti-caking agent does not interfere with the functionality and / or performance of the active ingredient and / or component). In some embodiments, an anti-caking agent that may be present in a particle of the present invention meets regulatory standards for an agricultural additive. In some embodiments, an anti-caking agent that may be present in a particle of the present invention does not present a risk to human health and / or negatively affect human health.

[0030] In some embodiments, a particle of the present invention comprises TMAO in an amount of about 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, or 90% to about 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% by weight of the particle and one or more anti-caking agent(s) in an amount of about 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, 3%, or 4% to about 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%, 11%, 12%, 13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 19%, or 20% by weight of the particle. In some embodiments, a particle of the present invention comprises TMAO in an amount of about 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% by weight of the particle and one or more anti-caking agent(s) in an amount of about 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%, 11%, 12%, 13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 19%, or 20% by weight of the particle. A particle and / or composition of the present invention may be provided and / or prepared by combining (e.g., mixing) a TMAO, such as TMAO dihydrate, and one or more (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, or more) anticaking agent(s) together.

[0031] In some embodiments, a particle of the present invention has a water content and / or moisture content of less than about 2% by weight of the particle, such as about 1.9%, 1.8%, 1.7%, 1.6%, 1.5%, 1.4%, 1.3%, 1.2%, 1.1%, 1%, 0.75%, 0.5%, 0.25%, or 0.1% by weight of the particle. In some embodiments, a particle of the present invention has a water content and / or moisture content of less than about 2% by weight of the particle after exposure of the particle to a temperature of about 20°C, 25°C, 30°C, 35°C, 40°C, 45°C, 50°C, 55°C, 60°C, 65°C, or 70°C and / or humidity of about 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, or 90% for about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 week(s) or month(s). In some embodiments, a particle of the present invention has a water content of less than about 2% by weight of the particle after exposure of the particle to room temperature (e.g., about 20°C) and / or relative humidity (e.g., about 30% to about 60% humidity) for about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 day(s) or week(s) to about 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 week(s) or month(s). In some embodiments, a particle of the present invention has a water content of less than about 2% by weight of the particle after exposure of the particle to a temperature of about 45°C for about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 day(s) or week(s) to about 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 week(s) or month(s). Water content and / or moisture content of a particle may be measured using methods known in the art such as by measuring water content using a moisture analyzer.

[0032] In some embodiments, a particle of the present invention has a median mass aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) of about 400 pm, 450 pm, or 500 pm to about 550 pm, 600 pm, 650 pm, or 700 pm. In some embodiments, a particle of the present invention has a median mass aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) of about 400 pm, 450 pm, 500 pm, 550 pm, 600 pm, 650 pm, or 700 pm. Provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is a composition comprising trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and an anti-caking agent. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises a plurality of particles and each of the particles of the plurality of particles comprises the TMAO and one or more anti-caking agent(s). In some embodiments, the plurality of particles comprises a particle of the present invention. In some embodiments, the plurality of particles have a DIO particle size of about 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, or 200 pm. In some embodiments, the plurality of particles have a D10 particle size of about 180 pm (i.e., 10% of the plurality of particles have a particle size smaller than about 180 pm). In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises free TMAO and / or a free anti-caking agent (i.e., an anti-caking agent that is not present in a particle of the present invention and / or an anti-caking agent alone). A composition of the present invention may be in the form of a powder and / or a plurality of particulates. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention is in the form of a liquid (e.g., an aqueous composition) or a paste.

[0033] In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises nitrogen (e.g., has a nitrogen content) in an amount of about 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, or 9% to about 10%, 11%, 12%, 13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 19%, or 20% by weight of the composition. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention has a nitrogen content of about 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, or 9% to about 10%, 11%, 12%, 13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 19%, or 20% by weight of the composition. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention has a nitrogen content of about 5% to about 15% by weight of the composition. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention has a nitrogen content in an amount of about 9% to about 12% by weight of the composition.

[0034] In some embodiments, TMAO in a composition of the present invention has a water content and / or moisture content of less than about 2% by weight of the TMAO in the composition, such as about 1.9%, 1.8%, 1.7%, 1.6%, 1.5%, 1.4%, 1.3%, 1.2%, 1.1%, 1%, 0.75%, 0.5%, 0.25%, or 0.1% by weight of the TMAO in the composition or less. In some embodiments, TMAO in a composition of the present invention has a water content and / or moisture content of less than about 2% by weight of the TMAO in the composition after exposure of the composition to a temperature of about 20°C, 25°C, 30°C, 35°C, 40°C, 45°C, 50°C, 55°C, 60°C, 65°C, or 70°C and / or humidity of about 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, or 90% for about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 week(s) or month(s). In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention has a water content and / or moisture content of less than about 2% by weight of the composition, such as about 1.9%, 1.8%, 1.7%, 1.6%, 1.5%, 1.4%, 1.3%, 1.2%, 1.1%, 1%, 0.75%, 0.5%, 0.25%, or 0.1% by weight of the composition or less. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention has a water content and / or moisture content of less than about 2% by weight of the composition after exposure of the composition to a temperature of about 20°C, 25°C, 30°C, 35°C, 40°C, 45°C, 50°C, 55°C, 60°C, 65°C, or 70°C and / or humidity of about 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, or 90% for about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 week(s) or month(s). An anti-caking agent present in a particle and / or composition of the present invention may reduce water absorption by TMAO present in the particle and / or composition. In some embodiments, an anti-caking agent present in a particle and / or composition of the present invention may reduce the hygroscopicity of TMAO present in a particle and / or composition of the present invention such as by decreasing the monolayer water content optionally as observed by microscopy In some embodiments, an anti-caking agent increases flowability for a composition comprising TMAO. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention has increased flowability compared to the flowability of free TMAO under the same conditions (e.g., same storage and / or exposure conditions). Flowability may be measured used methods known in the art such as by using a powder flow analyzer, powder rheology such as basic flowability energy, and / or Shear Cell testing. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention is determined to be easy flowing as measured by Shear Cell testing, optionally as measured by Shear Cell testing of a 85 mL sample with pre-shearing at 9 kPa followed by shear tests at 7, 6, 5, 4, and 3 kPa. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention is determined to be free flowing as measured by Shear Cell testing, optionally as measured by Shear Cell testing of a 85 mL sample with pre-shearing at 9 kPa followed by shear tests at 7, 6, 5, 4, and 3 kPa. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention has reduced caking and / or compaction compared to caking and / or compaction of free TMAO under the same conditions (e.g., same storage and / or exposure conditions). In some embodiments, caking and / or compaction may be determined visually.

[0035] In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises TMAO in an amount of about 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, or 90% to about 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% by weight of the composition. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises TMAO in an amount of about 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% by weight of the composition. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises TMAO (e.g., TMAO dihydrate) in an amount of about 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, or 60% to about 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% by weight of the composition. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises TMAO in an amount of about 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% by weight of the composition. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises TMAO in an amount of about 20%, 25%, or 30% to about 35%, 40%, or 45%. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises an anti-caking agent in an amount of about 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%, or 11% to about 12%, 13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 19%, or 20% by weight of the composition. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises an anti-caking agent in an amount of about 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%, 11%, 12%, 13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 19%, or 20% by weight of the composition. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises TMAO in an amount of about 80% to about 99% by weight of the composition and an anti-caking agent in an amount of about 1% to about 20% by weight of the composition. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises an anti-caking agent in the form of a particulate that is devoid of the TMAO (e.g., free anti-caking agent).

[0036] A composition of the present invention may have a reduced or lower moisture (e.g., water) adsorption compared to a composition comprising the same components as the composition of the present invention but that is devoid of one or more anti-caking agent(s). In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention has a moisture content (e.g., water content) that is less than the moisture content of a composition comprising the same components as the composition of the present invention but that is devoid of one or more anticaking agent(s).

[0037] In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention may have and / or provide a synergistic effect. "Synergistic", "synergy", or grammatical variants thereof as used herein refer to a composition exhibiting an effect greater than the effect that would be expected from the sum of the effects of the individual components of the composition alone. For example, the terms "synergistic" or "synergy" with regard to a composition of the present invention may have an effect that is greater than that which would be expected from the sum of the individual effects of TMAO and an anti-caking agent.

[0038] A particle and / or composition of the present invention may have improved (e.g., increased) storage and / or improved (e.g., increased) stability (e.g., tolerance to melting and / or caking) for TMAO present in the particle and / or composition compared to the storage and / or stability (e.g., tolerance to melting and / or caking) of free TMAO (i.e., TMAO not present in a particle of the present invention and / or TMAO alone) under the same conditions (e.g., under the same temperature, humidity, storage, and / or time conditions). In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention may have improved (e.g., increased) storage and / or improved (e.g., increased) stability (e.g., tolerance to melting and / or caking) for TMAO present in the particle and / or composition after storage and / or exposure of the particle and / or composition at a temperature of about 20°C, 25°C, 30°C, 35°C, 40°C, 45°C, 50°C, 55°C, 60°C, 65°C, or 70°C and / or humidity of about 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, or 30% to about 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, or 90% for about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 week(s) or month(s) compared to the storage and / or stability (e.g., tolerance to melting and / or caking) of free TMAO after storage and / or exposure of free TMAO for the same temperature and period of time. In some embodiments, the particle and / or composition is stored at a temperature of about 20°C or 25°C to about 30°C, 35°C, 40°C, 45°C, 50°C, 55°C, 60°C, 65°C, or 70°C and / or at a humidity of about 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, or 20% to about 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, or 90%, optionally for about 1, 2, or 3 week(s) to about 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 week(s) or month(s). In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention provides increased stability for TMAO present in the particle and / or composition compared to the stability of free TMAO under the same conditions. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention provides increased tolerance to melting for TMAO present in the particle and / or composition compared to the tolerance to melting of free TMAO under the same conditions. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention provides increased tolerance to caking for TMAO present in the particle and / or composition compared to the tolerance to caking of free TMAO under the same conditions. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention provides decreased hygroscopicity for TMAO present in the particle and / or composition compared to the hygroscopicity of free TMAO under the same conditions. In some embodiments, increased stability for TMAO is determined and / or demonstrated by reduced melting and / or caking of the particles and / or composition comprising the TMAO and / or by increased tolerance to melting and / or caking of the particles and / or composition comprising the TMAO compared to the melting and / or caking and / or tolerance to melting and / or caking of free TMAO.

[0039] In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention may have improved (e.g., increased) storage and / or improved (e.g., increased) stability (e.g., tolerance to melting and / or caking) compared to the storage and / or stability (e.g., tolerance to melting and / or caking) of a composition comprising TMAO that is devoid of an anti-caking agent under the same conditions (e.g., under the same temperature, humidity, storage, and / or time conditions). In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention may have improved (e.g., increased) storage and / or improved (e.g., increased) stability (e.g., tolerance to melting and / or caking) after storage and / or exposure of the particle and / or composition at a temperature of about 20°C, 25°C, 30°C, 35°C, 40°C, 45°C, 50°C, 55°C, 60°C, 65°C, or 70°C and / or humidity of about 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, or 90% for about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 week(s) or month(s) compared to the storage and / or stability (e.g., tolerance to melting and / or caking) of a composition comprising TMAO that is devoid of an anti-caking agent after storage and / or exposure at the same conditions. In some embodiments, the particle and / or composition is stored at a temperature of about 20°C or 25°C to about 30°C, 35°C, 40°C, 45°C, 50°C, 55°C, 60°C, 65°C, or 70°C and / or at a humidity of about 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, or 20% to about 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, or 90%, optionally for about 1, 2, or 3 week(s) to about 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 week(s) or month(s). In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention has increased stability compared to the stability of a composition comprising TMAO that is devoid of an anticaking agent under the same conditions. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention has increased tolerance to melting compared to the tolerance to melting of a composition comprising TMAO that is devoid of an anti-caking agent under the same conditions. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention has increased tolerance to caking compared to the tolerance to caking of a composition comprising TMAO that is devoid of an anti-caking agent under the same conditions. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention provides decreased hygroscopicity compared to the hygroscopicity of a composition comprising TMAO that is devoid of an anticaking agent under the same conditions. In some embodiments, increased stability for a particle and / or composition of the present invention is determined and / or demonstrated by reduced melting and / or caking of the particles and / or composition and / or by increased tolerance to melting and / or caking of the particles and / or composition compared to the melting and / or caking of a composition comprising TMAO that is devoid of an anti-caking agent.

[0040] In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention has an increased shelf-life compared to the shelf-life of free TMAO under the same conditions. For example, a particle and / or composition of the present invention may have an increased shelflife at room temperature under packaged conditions (e.g., the particle and / or composition is packaged in a container) as compared to the shelf-life at room temperature of free TMAO under the same conditions. As used herein, the term “shelf-life” refers to the length of time a particle, composition, and / or TMAO maintains one or more properties and / or activities in an unopened package stored under particular storage conditions (e.g., at a specified temperature, time, and / or humidity). The shelf-life may, for example, be evidenced by the “use by” or “best if used by” date, an expiration date, and / or one or more properties and / or activities of the particle, composition, and / or TMAO after a specified period of time. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention has a shelf-life at room temperature of at least about 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, or 36 months. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention has a shelf-life at room temperature of about 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, or 30 months to about 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, or 36 months.

[0041] In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention has reduced microbial contamination and / or reduced microbial degradation for TMAO compared to the microbial contamination and / or microbial degradation of free TMAO under the same conditions. In some embodiments, reduced microbial contamination is determined and / or demonstrated by the coliform or E. coli count, presence of aerobic microorganism populations, and / or reduction of TMAO to TMA in a particle and / or composition of the present invention compared to the coliform or E. coli count, presence of aerobic microorganism populations, and / or reduction of TMAO to TMA in free TMAO. In some embodiments, reduced microbial degradation is determined and / or demonstrated by reduction of TMAO to TMA in a particle and / or composition of the present invention compared to the reduction of TMAO to TMA in free TMAO.

[0042] In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention has reduced cohesion, increased mixability, and / or increased flow compared to the cohesion, mixability, and / or flow of free TMAO (i.e., TMAO not present in a particle of the present invention and / or TMAO alone) under the same conditions and test methods. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention has reduced cohesion, increased mixability, and / or increased flow compared to the cohesion, mixability, and / or flow of a composition comprising TMAO that is devoid of an anti-caking agent under the same conditions and test methods. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention has reduced cohesion, increased mixability, and / or increased flow in a mixer, blender, and / or hopper compared to the cohesion, mixability, and / or flow of free TMAO (i.e., TMAO not present in a particle of the present invention and / or TMAO alone) in the mixer, blender, and / or under the same conditions and test methods. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention has reduced cohesion, increased mixability, and / or increased flow in a mixer, blender, and / or hopper compared to the cohesion, mixability, and / or flow of a composition comprising TMAO that is devoid of an anti-caking agent in the mixer, blender, and / or under the same conditions and test methods. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention has reduced cohesion, increased mixability, and / or increased flow in a mixer, blender, and / or hopper after storage at a temperature of about 20°C or 25°C to about 30°C, 35°C, 40°C, 45°C, 50°C, 55°C, 60°C, 65°C, or 70°C and / or at a humidity of about 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, or 20% to about 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, or 90%, optionally for about 1, 2, or 3 week(s) to about 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 week(s) or month(s), compared to the cohesion, mixability, and / or flow of free TMAO (i.e., TMAO not present in a particle of the present invention and / or TMAO alone) in the mixer, blender, and / or under the same conditions and test methods. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention has reduced cohesion, increased mixability, and / or increased flow in a mixer, blender, and / or hopper after storage at a temperature of about 20°C or 25°C to about 30°C, 35°C, 40°C, 45°C, 50°C, 55°C, 60°C, 65°C, or 70°C and / or at a humidity of about 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, or 20% to about 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, or 90%, optionally for about 1, 2, or 3 week(s) to about 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 week(s) or month(s), compared to the cohesion, mixability, and / or flow of a composition comprising TMAO that is devoid of an anticaking agent in the mixer, blender, and / or under the same conditions and test methods. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention comprising TMAO and at least two anti-caking agents (e.g., 2, 3 or more anti-caking agents) has reduced cohesion and / or increased flow compared to the cohesion and / or flow of a composition comprising TMAO and one anti-caking agent under the same conditions and test methods. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention comprising TMAO and at least two anticaking agents (e.g., 2, 3 or more anti-caking agents) has reduced cohesion and / or increased flow in a hopper compared to the cohesion and / or flow of a composition comprising TMAO and one anti-caking agent in the hopper under the same conditions and test methods.

[0043] In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention has a Basic Flowability Energy of less than about 5,500 mJ, 5,000 mJ, 4,500 mJ, 4,000 mJ, 3,500 mJ, or 3,000 mJ as measured by powder rheology, optionally as measured by powder rheology with a -5° helix, a 100 mm / s blade tip speed, and a sample volume of 160 mL. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention has a Basic Flowability Energy of about 2,000 mJ, 2,500 mJ, or 3,000 mJ to about 3,500 mJ, 4,000 mJ, 4,500 mJ, or 5,000 mJ as measured by powder rheology, optionally as measured by powder rheology with a -5° helix, a 100 mm / s blade tip speed, and a sample volume of 160 mL. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention has a Basic Flowability Energy of less than about 4,000 mJ as measured by powder rheology with a -5° helix, a 100 mm / s blade tip speed, and a sample volume of 160 mL. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention has a Basic Flowability Energy of less than about 3,500 mJ as measured by powder rheology with a -5° helix, a 100 mm / s blade tip speed, and a sample volume of 160 mL. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention has a Basic Flowability Energy of about 2,000 mJ to about 5,000 mJ as measured by powder rheology with a -5° helix, a 100 mm / s blade tip speed, and a sample volume of 160 mL. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention has a Basic Flowability Energy of about 3,000 mJ to about 4,000 mJ as measured by powder rheology with a -5° helix, a 100 mm / s blade tip speed, and a sample volume of 160 mL. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention may protect an active ingredient (e.g., a fungicide, a herbicide, and / or a biologic) from denaturation. A “biologic” as used herein may comprise a protein, a peptide, a nucleic acid, a polynucleotide, an antibody, an enzyme, and / or a virus. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention may protect an active ingredient (e.g., a fungicide, a herbicide, and / or a biologic) from urea-induced protein denaturation and / or denaturation by chemical action and / or oxidation.

[0044] In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises tricalcium phosphate in an amount of about 0.5%, 1%, or 1.5% to about 2%, 2.5%, 3%, 3.5%, 4%, 4.5%, or 5% by weight of the composition. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises com starch in an amount of about 0.5%, 1%, or 1.5% to about 2%, 2.5%, 3%, 3.5%, 4%, 4.5%, or 5% by weight of the composition. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises silicon dioxide (SiCh) in an amount of about 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, or 2% to about 2.5%, 3%, 3.5%, 4%, 4.5%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, or 10% by weight of the composition. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises tricalcium phosphate in an amount of about 1% to about 5% by weight of the composition, corn starch in an amount of about 1% to about 5% by weight of the composition, silicon dioxide in an amount of about 1% to about 10% by weight of the composition, and TMAO in the remaining amount to total 100% by weight of the composition (e.g., TMAO to balance). In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises tricalcium phosphate in an amount of about 1% to about 5% by weight of the composition, corn starch in an amount of about 1% to about 5% by weight of the composition, silicon dioxide in an amount of about 1% to about 10% by weight of the composition, and TMAO in an amount of about 80% to about 99% by weight of the composition.

[0045] In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises a fertilizer optionally that is present in the form of a powder (e.g., a powdered fertilizer). In some embodiments, the fertilizer is a water-soluble fertilizer. In some embodiments, the fertilizer is an organic or inorganic fertilizer. A fertilizer may be present in a composition of the present invention in an amount of about 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, or 90% to about 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% by weight of the composition. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises a fertilizer in an amount of about 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% by weight of the composition. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises a fertilizer in an amount of about 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% w / w.

[0046] In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises TMAO in an amount of about 80% to about 99% by weight of the composition and an anti-caking agent in an amount of about 1% to about 20% by weight of the composition and the composition is combined with a fertilizer to provide a combined composition. In some embodiments, the combined composition comprises the fertilizer in an amount of about 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, or 90% to about 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% by weight of the combined composition. In some embodiments, the combined composition comprises the fertilizer in an amount of about 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% w / w. In some embodiments, the fertilizer is a powder (e.g., is in a powdered form) and / or is a water soluble fertilizer. In some embodiments, the fertilizer is a nitrogen fertilizer, a potassium fertilizer, and / or a phosphorus fertilizer, optionally in the form of a powder. In some embodiments, the fertilizer is a nitrogen-potassium-phosphorus fertilizer (e.g., a 18-18-18 fertilizer); a nitrogen-phosphate fertilizer (e.g., diammonium phosphate); a phosphoruspotassium fertilizer (e.g., monopotassium phosphate); an inorganic potassium fertilizer such as ammonium phosphate, potassium sulfate (e.g., sulfate of potash (SOP)), potassium nitrate, and / or potassium chloride (e.g., muriate of potash (MOP)); a nitrogen fertilizer such as urea (e.g., a 46-0-0 fertilizer), ammonium sulfate (e.g., a 21-0-0 fertilizer), and / or calcium nitrate; and combinations thereof as well as combinations with sulfur and zinc, each of which may be in the form of a powder and / or may be a water soluble fertilizer. In some embodiments, the fertilizer comprises urea, ammonium sulfate, ammonium phosphate, ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, calcium nitrate, sulphate of potash (SOP), muriate of potash (MOP), monoammonium phosphate (MAP), diammonium phosphate (DAP), monopotassium phosphate (MPK)), sulfur, and / or zinc, optionally wherein the fertilizer is a powder (e.g., is in a powdered form) and / or is a water soluble fertilizer.

[0047] In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention comprises a plant growth regulator, an insecticide, a nematicide, a bactericide, an herbicide, a fungicide, a urease inhibitor, a biologic, and / or a nitrification inhibitor.

[0048] Provided according to embodiments of the present invention is a method of reducing salt stress on a plant or photosynthetic organism, reducing water stress on a plant or photosynthetic organism, increasing drought tolerance in a plant or photosynthetic organism, and / or reducing urea-induced protein denaturation in a plant or photosynthetic organism. In some embodiments, a method of the present invention comprises contacting a particle and / or composition of the present invention to a plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism. In some embodiments, a method of the present invention comprises producing, maintaining, and / or growing a plant or photosynthetic organism, optionally after contacting a plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism with a particle and / or composition of the present invention. In some embodiments, the plant or photosynthetic organism has been exposed to or will be exposed to salt stress conditions, water stress conditions, drought conditions, and / or urea-induced protein denaturation conditions. In some embodiments, reduction in salt stress on the plant or photosynthetic organism, reduction in water stress on the plant or photosynthetic organism, increase in drought tolerance in the plant or photosynthetic organism, and / or reduction in urea-induced protein denaturation in the plant or photosynthetic organism may be determined by comparing to the amount of salt stress on a control plant or control photosynthetic organism, the amount of water stress on a control plant or control photosynthetic organism, the amount of drought tolerance of a control plant or control photosynthetic organism, and / or the amount of urea-induced protein denaturation in a control plant or control photosynthetic organism under the same conditions except in the absence of contact with the particle and / or composition of the present invention. “Control plant” as used herein refers to a plant of the same species as a respective plant being tested (e.g., tested by contacting a particle and / or composition of the present invention to the respective plant or plant part). “Control photosynthetic organism” as used herein refers to a photosynthetic organism of the same species as a respective photosynthetic organism being tested (e.g., tested by contacting a particle and / or composition of the present invention to the respective photosynthetic organism). In some embodiments, a method of the present invention may provide and / or allow for a plant and / or photosynthetic organism to be produced that has more biomass compared to a control plant or control photosynthetic organism produced under the same conditions except devoid of contact with a particle and / or composition of the present invention.

[0049] As used herein, the term “water stress” includes drought stress, excessive moisture stress, or efficient water usage where normal yields are produced with less water input. The term “drought stress” as used herein can be induced in plants or other photosynthetic organisms under conditions where reduced water content in the soil, for example due to a shortage of rainfall or irrigation, leads to impaired or reduced water absorption by the plant or photosynthetic organism. The term “excessive moisture” can be induced in plants or other photosynthetic organisms where excessive water content of the soil also leads to impaired water absorption by the plant or photosynthetic organism. The term “efficient water usage” may be applied to a plant or photosynthetic organisms that is induced to produce normal yields under conditions where less water than is customary or average for an area, plant, or photosynthetic organism is applied to the plant or photosynthetic organism. Water stress may be trigger in plants a deterioration of one or more physiological function(s) of cells, thereby leading to various disorders. While the conditions which induce drought stress may vary depending on the kind of the soil where plants are cultivated, examples of the conditions include, but are not limited to, a reduction in the water content in the soil; a water content in the soil of 15% by weight or less (e.g., 10% or 7.5% by weight or less); or the soil having a potential force (pF) value of 2.3 or more (e.g., 2.7 or 3.0 or more).

[0050] As used herein, the term “salt stress” includes stress triggered by a high salt concentration (e.g., a salt concentration higher than a typical or average salt concentration) in a plant’s environment, such as saline soil and / or use of a fertilizer, which may lead to an increase in intracellular osmotic pressure in a plant or photosynthetic organism, an accumulation of sodium to a toxic level in a plant or photosynthetic organism causing osmotic stress, and / or a reduction in plant yield or photosynthetic organism yield. In some embodiments, salt stress may be a result of drought conditions. As used herein, the term “urea- induced protein denaturation” includes protein denaturation by interaction with urea, for example which can result in denaturation of the tertiary structure of the peptide chain.

[0051] Water stress in a plant or photosynthetic organism following a method of the present invention and / or produced following contact with a particle and / or composition of the present invention may be recognized or identified by comparing a change in one or more phenotype(s) for plants or photosynthetic organisms that have been exposed to water stress conditions and plants or photosynthetic organisms that have not been exposed to the same water stress conditions. Water stress in a plant or photosynthetic organism may be indicated by a change in one or more of the following phenotypes, which can serve as indicators of the water stress in plants or photosynthetic organisms: germination percentage, seedling establishment rate, number of healthy leaves, plant length, plant weight, leaf area, leaf color, number or weight of seeds or fruits, quality of harvests, flower setting rate or fruit setting rate, chlorophyll fluorescence yield, water content, leaf surface temperature, and / or transpiration capacity.

[0052] Water stress may be quantified as the “intensity of stress” where intensity of stress is represented as following: “Intensity of stress”=100x “any one of plant phenotypes in plants which have not been exposed to water stress’7“the plant phenotype in plants which have been exposed to water”.

[0053] In some embodiments, a method of the present invention comprises, optionally prior to contacting a particle and / or a composition of the present invention to a plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism, combining the particle and / or composition with water and / or an aqueous composition to provide a solution comprising TMAO and an anti-caking agent, and the contacting comprises contacting the solution to the plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism. In some embodiments, the solution comprises about 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 gram(s) (g) to about 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 g of TMAO per liter of the solution. In some embodiments, the solution comprises TMAO in a concentration of about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 gram(s) of TMAO per liter solution.

[0054] In some embodiments, contacting a particle and / or a composition of the present invention to a plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism comprises spraying and / or sprinkling the particle and / or composition onto the plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism. In some embodiments, contacting a particle and / or a composition of the present invention to a plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism comprises applying the particle and / or composition to the plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism via an irrigation system. In some embodiments, the irrigation system sprays the particle and / or composition onto the plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism. In some embodiments, contacting a particle and / or a composition of the present invention to a plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism comprises contacting the plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism with an effective amount of TMAO to reduce salt stress on the plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism, reduce water stress on the plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism, increase drought tolerance in the plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism, and / or reduce urea-induced protein denaturation in the plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism.

[0055] In some embodiments, an effective amount of TMAO in a composition of the present invention for contact to a plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism may about 0.1 g to about 1,000 g of TMAO per liter of the composition per about 1 kg to about 10 kg of the plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism. In some embodiments, an effective amount of TMAO may be about 0.1, 1, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50 g to about 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, or 1,000 g of TMAO per about 1,000 m2of soil. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention may be an emulsion. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention may comprise TMAO at a concentration of about 0.01 ppm to about 10,000 ppm, or about 1 ppm to about 5,000 ppm. In some embodiments, TMAO may be contacted to a plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism in an amount of about 0.1, 1, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50 g to about 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100 g of TMAO per about 100 kg of the plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism. In some embodiments, TMAO may be contacted to a seedling in an amount of about 0.01, 0.1, 0.5, or 1 g to about 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, or 20 mg per seedling. In some embodiments, TMAO may be contacted to soil in an amount about 0.1, 1, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50 g to about 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 200, 400, 600, 800, or 1,000 g of TMAO per 1 m2or about 1,000 m2. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention may comprise an agriculturally acceptable salt such as, but not limited thereto, ammonium phosphate, ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, and / or calcium nitrate (e.g., optionally ammonium phosphate, ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, and calcium nitrate in a 2-2- 1-1 proportion).

[0056] Water stress, salt stress, drought tolerance, and / or urea-induced protein denaturation in plants or photosynthetic organisms, for example plants produced using a method of the present invention, may be recognized and / or identified by comparing a change in one or more phenotype(s) between plants or photosynthetic organisms that have been exposed to water stress, salt stress, drought conditions, and / or urea-induced protein denaturation conditions and plants or photosynthetic organisms that have not been exposed to the same water stress, salt stress, drought conditions, and / or urea-induced protein denaturation conditions. Water stress, salt stress, drought tolerance, and / or urea-induced protein denaturation in a plant or photosynthetic organism may be indicated by a change in one or more of the following phenotypes: germination percentage, seedling establishment rate, number of healthy leaves, plant length, plant weight, leaf area, leaf color, number or weight of seeds or fruits, quality of harvests, yield, flower setting rate or fruit setting rate, chlorophyll fluorescence yield, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), water content, plant survival under stress conditions (e.g., heat, salt, cold, freezing, and / or water stress), plant and / or leaf recovery following stress event (e.g., heat, salt, cold, freezing, and / or water stress), leaf surface temperature, and / or transpiration capacity. Urea-induced protein denaturation can be quantified with thermal denaturation studies of model proteins and / or the use of protein-destabilizing compounds and associated phenotypes (e.g., tunicamycin and root growth) and protein crystallography.

[0057] A method of the present invention may comprise contacting a particle and / or composition of the present invention to a plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism at any growth stage such as before, during, and / or after: the germination period such as before seeding, at the time of seeding, and / or after seeding and / or before and / or after emergence; the vegetative growing period such as at the time of seedling raising, at the time of seedling transplantation, at the time of cutting or sticking, and / or at the time of growing after settled planting; the reproductive growing period such as before blooming, during blooming, after blooming, immediately before earing, and / or during the ear formation period; and / or the harvesting period such as before harvesting plan, before ripening plan, and / or a coloration initiation period of fruits. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention may be preventively applied to a plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism such as before being exposed to water stress, salt stress, drought conditions, and / or urea- induced protein denaturation conditions. In some embodiments, a particle and / or composition of the present invention is applied to a plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism before, during, and / or after exposure to water stress, salt stress, drought conditions, and / or urea- induced protein denaturation conditions.

[0058] Compositions and / or methods of the present invention are applicable to a variety of plants including monocotyledonous or dicotyledonous plants, including but not limited to transgenic plants. As used herein, transgenic plants include plants, or photosynthetic organism, which have been genetically modified to contain DNA constructs. A method of producing a plant or organism tolerant to water stress, salt stress, drought, and / or urea-induced protein denaturation as described herein may be applicable to the whole plant or organism or a part of a plant, for example in an organ, tissue, a cell, or a part of a plant cell, for example in an organelle, which comprises introducing into, and expressing in, the plant or plant cell a nucleic acid which codes for a monooxygenase or FMO protein, and which mediates an increased production of endogenous TMAO and therefore a water stress tolerance, such as an increased tolerance to drought or an increased tolerance to excessive moisture. A method of the present invention may comprise contacting a particle and / or composition of the present invention to a plant that has been exposed to or is to be exposed to water stress conditions whose intensity of stress, as represented by the above equation, is about 105 to about 450, about 110 to 200, or about 115 to about 160. In some embodiments, the plant is a plant exposed to water stress conditions and may be recognized by at least one of the phenotypes of: decrease in germination percentage, decrease in seedling establishment rate, decrease in number of healthy leaves, decrease in plant length, decrease in plant weight, decrease in leaf area increasing rate, leaf color fading, decrease in number or weight of seeds or fruits, deterioration in quality of harvests, reduced yield, decrease in flower setting rate or fruit setting rate, decrease in chlorophyll fluorescence yield, decrease in water content, decreased plant survival under stress conditions (e.g., heat, salt, cold, freezing, and / or water stress), decreased plant and / or leaf recovery following stress event (e.g., heat, salt, cold, freezing, and / or water stress), increase in leaf surface temperature, and / or decrease in transpiration capacity, among others, and the magnitude of the water stress in the plant can be measured using that as an indicator.

[0059] Any plant or plant part may be contacted by a particle and / or composition of the present invention including an angiosperm, a gymnosperm, a monocot, a dicot, a C3, C4, CAM plant, a bryophyte, a fem and / or fern ally, a microalgae, and / or a macroalgae. A plant and / or plant part useful with this invention may be a plant and / or plant part of any plant species / variety / cultivar. The term "plant part," as used herein, includes but is not limited to, embryos, pollen, ovules, seeds, leaves, stems, shoots, flowers, branches, fruit, kernels, ears, cobs, husks, stalks, roots, root tips, anthers, plant cells including plant cells that are intact in plants and / or parts of plants, plant protoplasts, plant tissues, plant cell tissue cultures, plant calli, plant clumps, and the like. As used herein, "shoot" refers to the above ground parts including the leaves and stems. Further, as used herein, "plant cell" refers to a structural and physiological unit of the plant, which comprises a cell wall and also may refer to a protoplast. A plant cell can be in the form of an isolated single cell or can be a cultured cell or can be a part of a higher-organized unit such as, for example, a plant tissue or a plant organ.

[0060] A particle and / or a composition of the present invention comprising TMAO may be applied to a variety of plants in various forms or sites, such as foliage, buds, flowers, fruits, ears, or spikes, seeds, bulbs, stem tubers, roots, and seedlings. As used herein, bulbs include discoid stem, rhizomes, root tubers, and rhizophores. In some embodiments, a particle and / or a composition of the present invention comprising TMAO may be contacted to cuttings such as sugar cane stem cuttings. In some embodiments, a particle and / or a composition of the present invention may be contacted to a growing site and / or to soil optionally comprising a plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism. For example, a growing site may include soil before or after sowing a plant or seed. In some embodiments, a particle and / or a composition of the present invention may be contacted to a growing site optionally comprising a plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism (e.g., contacted to the soil of the growing site) and may subsequently be contacted to the plant, plant part, seed, or photosynthetic organism. In some embodiments, a particle and / or a composition of the present invention may be applied as a treatment to foliage, floral organs or ears or spikes of plants, such as foliage spraying; treatment of seeds, such as seed sterilization, seed immersion or seed coating; treatment of seedlings; treatment of bulbs; and treatment of cultivation lands of plants, such as soil treatment. A particle and / or a composition of the present invention may be applied only to specific sites of plants, such as a floral organ (e.g., in the blooming season including before blooming, during blooming and / or after blooming) or the ear or spike in the earing season, or may be applied to entire plants.

[0061] A particle and / or a composition of the present invention may be applied as a soil treatment such as in the form of a spray or distribution onto soil, soil incorporation, and / or perfusion of the composition in the form of a liquid into the soil (irrigation of the composition, soil injection, and dripping of the composition). The placement of the particle and / or composition during soil treatment includes, but is not limited to, a planting hole, a furrow, around a planting hole, around a furrow, an entire surface of cultivation lands, the parts between the soil and the plant, an area between roots, an area beneath the trunk, main furrow, growing box, seedling raising tray and seedbed, and / or a seedling raising. Soil treatment with a particle and / or a composition of the present invention may be before seeding, at the time of seeding, immediately after seeding, at the time of the raising period, before settled planting, at the time of settled planting, and / or at the time of the growing period after settled planting. In some embodiments, when applying a particle and / or a composition of the present invention as a soil treatment, two or more kinds of TMAOs may be simultaneously applied to the plant, for example, TMAO and TMAO dihydrate, or TMAO and a fertilizer may be simultaneously applied to the plant. A particle and / or a composition of the present invention may be mixed in an irrigation liquid, and examples thereof include injecting to irrigation facilities (irrigation tube, irrigation pipe, sprinkler, etc.), mixing into the flooding liquid between furrows, mixing into a hydroponic medium, and the like. In some embodiments, an irrigation liquid may be mixed with a particle and / or composition of the present invention in advance and, for example, used for treatment by an appropriate irrigating method including the irrigation method mentioned above and the other methods such as sprinkling and flooding. A particle and / or a composition of the present invention may also be applied by winding a crop with a resin formulation processed into a sheet or a string, putting a string of the resin formulation around a crop so that the crop is surrounded by the string, and / or laying a sheet of the resin formulation on the soil surface near the root of a crop.

[0062] In some embodiments, a particle and / or a composition of the present invention may be used for treating seeds or bulbs. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention may be used as a spraying treatment for seeds, for example, where in the treatment the composition is atomized and sprayed on a seed surface or bulb surface. A smearing treatment may also be used in where a wettable powder, an emulsion, or a flowable agent of a particle and / or composition of the present invention is applied to seeds or bulbs with a small amount of water added or applied as is without dilution. In some embodiments, an immersing treatment may be used in which seeds are immersed in a composition of the present invention for a certain period of time. In some embodiments, a composition of the present invention is used in a film coating treatment and / or a pellet coating treatment.

[0063] A particle and / or a composition of the present invention may be used according to a method of the present invention for the treatment of seedlings such as a spraying treatment comprised of spraying the seedlings with a dilution having a proper concentration of active ingredients (e.g., TMAO and / or fertilizer) prepared by diluting the particle and / or composition with water. In some embodiments, an immersing treatment may be used comprising immersing seedlings in a composition of the present invention. A coating treatment may be used in a method of the present invention that optionally comprises adhering a particle of the present invention (e.g., a dust or powder formulation) to the seedlings.

[0064] A particle and / or a composition of the present invention may be contacted to soil before and / or after sowing seedlings such as spraying a dilution having a proper concentration of active ingredients prepared by diluting the particle and / or composition with water and applying the dilution to seedlings or the soil around seedlings after sowing seedlings. In some embodiments, a method of the present invention comprises a spray treatment of a particle and / or a composition of the present invention optionally as a solid formulation (e.g., a granule or powder) that is contacted to soil around seedlings at sowing seedlings.

[0065] A particle and / or a composition of the present invention may be used according to aspects of a method of the present invention for treatment of hydroponics. Examples may include dissolving or suspending a particle and / or a composition of the present invention in a culture medium for hydroponics, optionally at a concentration in a range from about 0.0001 g / liter to about 10 g / liter.

[0066] A particle and / or a composition of the present invention may be used according to aspects of a method of the present invention at the time of tissue culture or cell culture of a plant to promote tolerance to water stress. A particle and / or a composition of the present invention may be dissolved or suspended in a culture medium for plant tissue culture or other organisms, such as aMurashige and Skoog ("MS") culture medium, optionally with TMAO and / orthe composition at a concentration in a range of about 0.0001 g / liter to about 10 g / liter. In some embodiments, one or more additives such as saccharides as a carbon source, phytohormones, and the like may be appropriately added.

[0067] A variety of plants and / or their parts, seeds, or bulbs may be used in a method of the present invention including, but not limited to, plants in the families Solanaceae and Cucurbitaceae, as well as plants selected from the plant genera Calibrachoa, Capsicum, Nicotiana, Nierembergia, Petunia, Solanum, Cucurbita, Cucumis, Citrullus, Glycine, such as Glycine max (Soy), Calibra choaxhybrida, Capsicum annuum (pepper), Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco), Nierenbergia scoparia (cupflower), Petunia xhybrida, Solanum lycopersicum (tomato), Solanum tuberosum (potato), Solanum melongena (eggplant), Cucurbita maxima (squash), Cucurbita pepo (pumpkin, zucchini), Cucumis metuliferus (Homed melon), Cucumis melo (Musk melon), Cucumis sativus (cucumber), and Citrullus lanatus (watermelon). Various monocotyledonous plants such as those that belong to the family Poaceae, may be used in a method of the present invention, including but not limited to, plants selected from the plant genera Hordeum, Avena, Secale, Triticum, Sorghum, Zea, Saccharum, Oryza, Hordeum vulgare (barley), Triticum aestivum (wheat), Triticum aestivum subsp. spelta (spelt), Triticale, Avena sativa (oats), Secale cereale (rye), Sorghum bicolor (sorghum), Zea mays (maize), Saccharum ojficinarum (sugarcane) and Oryza sativa (rice). Additional non-limiting examples of plants useful with the present invention include, but are not limited to: buckwheat, beet, canola, rapeseed, sunflower, sugar cane, tobacco, and pea, etc.; vegetables: solanaceous vegetables such as paprika and potato; cucurbitaceous vegetables; cruciferous vegetables such as Japanese radish, white turnip, horseradish, kohlrabi, Chinese cabbage, cabbage, leaf mustard, broccoli, and cauliflower, asteraceous vegetables such as burdock, crown daisy, artichoke, and lettuce; liliaceous vegetables such as green onion, onion, garlic, and asparagus; animiaceous vegetables such as carrot, parsley, celery, and parsnip; chenopodiaceous vegetables such as spinach, Swiss chard; lamiaceous vegetables such as Perilla frutescens, mint, basil; strawberry, sweet potato, Dioscorea japonica, colocasia; flowers; foliage plants; grasses; fruits: pomaceous fruits (apple, pear, Japanese pear, Chinese quince, quince, etc.), stone fleshy fruits (peach, plum, nectarine, Prunus mume, cherry fruit, apricot, prune, etc.), citrus fruits (Citrus unshiu, orange, tangerine, lemon, lime, grapefruit, etc.), nuts (chestnuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, almond, pistachio, cashew nuts, macadamia nuts, etc.), berries (blueberry, cranberry, blackberry, raspberry, etc.), grape, kaki fruit, olive, Japanese plum, banana, coffee, date palm, coconuts, etc.; and trees other than fruit trees; tea, mulberry, flowering plant, roadside trees (ash, birch, dogwood, Eucalyptus, Ginkgo biloba, lilac, maple, Quercus, poplar, Judas tree, Liquidambar formosana, plane tree, zelkova, Japanese arborvitae, fir wood, hemlock, juniper, Pinus, Picea, and Taxus cuspidatd). Examples of plants in which water stress tolerance may be produced may include rice, com, canola, soybean and wheat. The aforementioned "plants" include transgenic plants, expressing other gene traits.

[0068] As used herein, "plants" means all dicotyledonous or monocotyledonous plants, including, but not limited to, annual and perennial dicotyledonous or monocotyledonous plants and including by way of example, but not by limitation, those of the genera Glycine, Vitis, Asparagus, Populus, Pennisetum, Lolium, Oryza, Zea, Avena, Hordeum, Secale, Triticum, Sorghum, Saccharum and Lycopersicum. The term plant may also include but is not limited to the class of the Liliatae (Monocotyledoneae or monocotyledonous plants). The term includes the mature plants, seeds, shoots and seedlings, and parts, propagation material, plant organs, tissue, protoplasts, callus and other cultures, for example cell cultures derived from the above, and all other types of associations of plant cells which give functional or structural units. "Mature plants" means plants at any developmental stage beyond the seedling stage. “Seedling” means a young, immature plant in an early developmental stage.

[0069] Dicotyledonous plants include, but are not limited to, the mature plants, seeds, shoots and seedlings, and parts, propagation material, plant organs, tissue, protoplasts, callus and other cultures, for example cell cultures derived from dicotyledonous plants or plant parts, and all other types of associations of plant cells which give functional or structural units.

[0070] As used herein "photosynthetic organism" includes, but is not limited to, organisms such as Arthrospira spp., Spirulina spp., Synechococcus elongatus, Synechococcus spp., Synechosystis spp., Synechosystis spp., and Spirulina plantensis, Calothrix spp ., Anabaena jlosaquae, Aphanizomenon spp., Anabaena spp., Gleotrichia spp., Oscillatoria spp. andNostoc spp.; eukaryotic unicellular algae such as but not limited to Chaetoceros spp., Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Chlamydomonas spp., Chlorella vulgaris, Chlorella spp., Cyclotella spp., Didymosphenia spp., Dunaliella tertiolecta, Dunaliella spp., Botryococcus braunii, Botryococcus spp., Gelidium spp., Gracilaria spp., Hantzschia spp., Hematococcus spp., Isochrysis spp., Laminaria spp., Nannochloropsis spp., Navicula spp., Nereocystis luetkeana, Pleurochrysis 5 spp., Postelsia palmaeformis, and Sargassum spp.

[0071] In some embodiments, a method of the present invention further comprises cultivating a plant, thereby producing a plant with increased tolerance for salt stress, water stress, drought, and / or urea-induced protein denaturation. “Cultivating” as used herein may comprise growing a plant as described herein or obtainable by a method described herein and / or producing a product from or by a plant and / or plant part. In some embodiments, a method of th e p re s ent i nv enti on may comprise growing a plant and optionally removing a harvestable product (e.g., a fruit or seed) from the plant. In some embodiments, a water stress, salt stress, drought, and / or urea-induced protein denaturation tolerant plant or organism may be produced at the site where the plant has been grown, and a part and / or harvestable product from the plant may be removed from the site where the plant was grown to produce an additional product and / or plant. In some embodiments, a plant is grown and the desired harvestable parts are removed from the plant, if feasible in repeated cycles, and a product is made from the harvestable parts of the plant.

[0072] In some embodiments, a product produced by a method of the present invention is a plant product such as, but not limited to, a foodstuff, feedstuff, a food supplement, feed supplement, fiber, cosmetic and / or pharmaceutical. Foodstuffs are regarded as compositions used for nutrition and / or for supplementing nutrition. Animal feedstuffs and animal feed supplements are regarded as foodstuffs.

[0073] In some embodiments, a method of the present invention may be used to make an agricultural product such as, but not limited to, plant extracts, proteins, amino acids, carbohydrates, fats, oils, polymers, vitamins, and / or the like. A plant product may comprise one or more agricultural products.

[0074] The invention will now be described with reference to the following examples. It should be appreciated that these examples are not intended to limit the scope of the claims to the invention, but are rather intended to be exemplary of certain embodiments. Any variations in the exemplified methods that occur to the skilled artisan are intended to fall within the scope of the invention.

[0075] EXAMPLES

[0076] Example 1

[0077] Hygroscopic powders, such as TMAO dihydrate, may exhibit agglomeration or caking due to ambient moisture content which results in partial dissolution of particles and subsequent recrystallization. Deliquescence, a humidity-dependent phase change from solid to liquid induced by temperature, is responsible for the chemical and physical instabilities of many powder materials.

[0078] TMAO was combined with SiO2 at varying concentrations by weight. Free TMAO, free SiO2, and the three TMA0-Si02 compositions were left to sit covered, at room temperature, and ambient humidity of 42%±15% for 24 hours. The TMAO in each of the compositions remained highly hygroscopic even after the addition of SiO2 as an anti-caking agent and hardening or solidification of the compositions was observed. Although samples containing SiO2 as a singular anti-caking agent showed reduced deliquescence in uncovered samples compared to the control, the anti-caking agent SiO2 alone was not sufficient to contain deliquescence over time in a covered or an uncovered environment.

[0079] Further compositions including TMAO, tricalcium phosphate, com starch, and SiO2 were produced. An example of these formulations is provided in Table 1 below.

[0080] Table 1. An exemplary composition comprising TMAO dihydrate and tricalcium phosphate, corn starch, and silicon dioxide as anti-caking agents. Samples containing a combination of corn starch and tricalcium phosphate as the anticaking agents resulted in a delay in the onset of deliquescence and a reduction in moisture sorption under humid conditions in the laboratory. However, the combination of three anticaking agents, tricalcium phosphate, com starch, and silicon dioxide, for example as shown in Table 1, afforded greater stability for TMAO, reduced hygroscopicity in the TMAO powder formulation, and decreased overall moisture sorption. Without wishing to be bound to any particular theory, silicon dioxide in the composition with TMAO may form a barrier between host particles, which can decrease the stickiness of the powder composition and slow deliquescence, and tricalcium phosphate in the composition with TMAO may have an inhibitory effect on recrystallization and / or agglomeration and / or may reduce friction between the particles. The composition comprising the mixture of three anti-caking agents (i.e., tricalcium phosphate, corn starch, and silicon dioxide) also showed a decrease in cohesion and compressibility. Further, the composition comprising three anti-caking agents is more economical and environmentally friendly as less anti-caking agent can be used and impenetrable packaging may not be necessary compared to compositions with a single anticaking agent.

[0081] Example 2

[0082] The flowability and cohesion for certain compositions described in Example 1 were tested and TMAO alone was tested as a control. For compositions including an anti-caking agent, TMAO was combined with tricalcium phosphate, corn starch, silicon dioxide, or a combination thereof as described in Example 1. The compositions were assessed for powder flow using powder rheology with a FT4 Powder Rheometer (48 mm blade size, 50 mm split vessel diameter, and 160 mL volume). The TMAO alone control sample (i.e., devoid of an anti-caking agent) was so non-flowable that the testing was deemed inaccurate. It was observed that the TMAO control sample had a high moisture level and it was hypothesized that the TMAO control sample, once compressed prior to sheering, created a firm surface that the sheer blade slid across versus shearing the material, resulting in flowability values that do not accurately represent the material.

[0083] As shown in Table 2 below, compared to one or two anti-caking agents, the combination of three anti-caking agents with TMAO reduced the energy required to displace the material, as measured by the Basic Flowabilty Energy (mJ), with the following test conditions: -5° helix with a 100 mm / s blade tip speed.

[0084] Table 2. Basic Flowabilty Energy assessment of TMAO formulations with anti-caking agents.

[0085] Shear Cell testing on an 85 mL sample was conducted with pre-shearing at 9 kPa followed by shear tests at 7, 6, 5, 4, and 3 kPa on formulations of TMAO combined with anticaking agents. The results are summarized in Table 3 showing that the addition of two or three anticaking agents reduces cohesion and increases flow function. Level of Cohesion is measured by the Relative Flowability calculated from the Major Principle Stress minus the Minor Principle Stress all divided by the Unconfined Yield Strength. Flow Type is measured by the Flow Function Value which is calculated from the Major Principal Stress divided by the Unconfined Yield Strength. Table 3. Shear Cell testing of TMAO formulations with anti-caking agents.

[0086] It was demonstrated that the anti-caking agents can improve the flow of the TMAO powder such as by providing a free-flowing powder. The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.

Claims

THAT WHICH IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A plurality of particles comprising: trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO); and an anti-caking agent, wherein the plurality of the particles has a Basic Flowabilty Energy (BFE) of less than 4,000 mJ when measured by powder rheology, optionally when measured by powder rheology with a -5° helix, a 100 mm / s blade tip speed, and a sample volume of 160 mL, optionally wherein the TMAO in the plurality of particles has a water content of less than 2% by weight of the TMAO in the plurality of particles.

2. The plurality of particles of claim 1, wherein the TMAO is trimethylamine N-oxide dihydrate.

3. The plurality of particles of claim 1 or 2, wherein the TMAO is in the form of a particulate and the anti-caking agent is present on the surface of the TMAO particulate, optionally wherein the anti-caking agent surrounds the TMAO particulate.

4. The plurality of particles of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the TMAO is crystalline in form.

5. The plurality of particles of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the anti-caking agent is selected from the group consisting of a cellulose (e.g., powdered cellulose), magnesium stearate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium ferrocyanide, sodium bentonite, potassium ferrocyanide, calcium ferrocyanide, calcium phosphate (e.g., tricalcium phosphate), calcium bentonite, calcium montmorillonite, starch (e.g., including rice starch, com starch, potato starch, and tapioca starch), silica (e.g., precipitated silica), sodium silicate, silicon dioxide, sodium calcium aluminosilicates, calcium silicate, aluminum silicate, magnesium trisilicate, talcum powder, sodium aluminosilicate, potassium aluminum silicate, calcium aluminosilicate, bentonite, stearic acid, poly dimethyl siloxane, vermiculite, diatomaceous earth, rice hull powder, and any combination thereof.

6. The plurality of particles of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the anti-caking agent is selected from the group consisting of tricalcium phosphate, corn starch, silicon dioxide, and any combination thereof.

7. The plurality of particles of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the TMAO is present in an amount of about 80% to about 99% by weight of the plurality of particles and the anti-caking agent is present in an amount of about 1% to about 20% by weight of the plurality of particles.

8. The plurality of particles of any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or more particles of the plurality of particles has a median mass aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) of about 400 pm to about 700 pm.

9. The plurality of particles of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of particles have improved (e.g., increased) storage and / or improved (e.g., increased) stability (e.g., increased tolerance to melting and / or caking) for the TMAO after exposure to a temperature of about 20°C, 30°C, 40°C, 50°C, 60°C, or 70°C and / or humidity of about 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, or 90% for about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 months(s) or year(s) compared to the storage and / or stability of free TMAO (i.e., TMAO alone) after exposure to the same temperature and / or humidity for the same period of time.

10. The plurality of particles of any of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of particles have an increased shelf-life at room temperature as compared to the shelf-life at room temperature of free TMAO (i.e., TMAO alone), optionally wherein the plurality of particles have a shelf-life of about 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, or 36 months.

11. The plurality of particles of any one of the preceding claims, wherein a respective particle in the plurality of particles has a water content of less than 2% by weight of the particle.

12. A composition comprising: trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO); and an anti-caking agent,wherein the composition has a Basic Flowabilty Energy (BFE) of less than 4,000 mJ when measured by powder rheology, optionally when measured by powder rheology with a - 5° helix, a 100 mm / s blade tip speed, and a sample volume of 160 mL, optionally wherein the TMAO has a water content of less than 2% by weight of the TMAO in the composition.

13. The composition of claim 12, wherein the composition comprises a plurality of particles and each particle of the plurality of particles comprises the TMAO and the anti-caking agent.

14. The composition of claim 12 or 13, wherein the plurality of particles comprises the plurality of particles of any one of claims 1-11.

15. The composition of any one of claims 13-14, wherein the plurality of particles have a D10 particle size about 180 pm (i.e., 10% of the plurality of particles have a particles size smaller than about 180 pm).

16. The composition of any one of claims 12-15, wherein the TMAO is present in the composition in an amount of about 80% to about 99% by weight of the composition and the anti-caking agent is present in the composition in an amount of about 1% to about 20% by weight of the composition.

17. The composition of any one of claims 12-16, wherein the anti-caking agent comprises tricalcium phosphate in an amount of about 1% to about 5% by weight of the composition, corn starch in an amount of about 1% to about 5% by weight of the composition, and silicon dioxide in an amount of about 1% to about 10% by weight of the composition.

18. The composition of any one of claims 12-17, wherein at least a portion of the anticaking agent is present in the form of a particulate that is devoid of the TMAO (i.e., free anticaking particles).

19. The composition of any one of claims 12-18, further comprising a fertilizer.

20. The composition of claim 19, wherein the fertilizer is in the form of a powder (e.g., a powdered fertilizer).

21. The composition of claim 19 or 20, wherein the fertilizer is a water-soluble fertilizer.

22. The composition of any one of claims 19-21, wherein the fertilizer is present in the composition in an amount of about 80% to about 99% by weight of the composition.

23. The composition of any one of claims 12-22, further comprising a plant growth regulator, an insecticide, a nematicide, a bactericide, an herbicide, a fungicide, a urease inhibitor, a biologic, and / or a nitrification inhibitor.

24. The composition of any one of claims 12-23, wherein the composition has reduced cohesion and / or increased flow in a hopper compared to the cohesion and / or flow, respectively, of free TMAO (i.e. TMAO not present in a particle of the present invention and / or TMAO alone) in the hopper optionally under the same conditions and / or test methods.

25. A method of reducing salt stress on a plant, reducing water stress on a plant, increasing drought tolerance in a plant, and / or reducing urea-induced protein denaturation in a plant, the method comprising: contacting the plurality of particles of any one of claims 1-11 and / or the composition of any one of claims 12-24 to a plant or plant part, thereby reducing salt stress on the plant, reducing water stress on the plant, increasing drought tolerance in the plant, and / or reducing urea-induced protein denaturation in the plant optionally compared to salt stress on a control plant, water stress on a control plant, drought tolerance in a control plant, and / or urea-induced protein denaturation in a control plant under the same conditions except in the absence of contact with the particle and / or composition.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising, prior to the contacting, combining the plurality of particles and / or composition with water and / or an aqueous composition to provide a solution comprising the TMAO and the anti-caking agent, and the contacting comprises contacting the solution to the plant or plant part.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the solution has a TMAO concentration of about 1 g to about 10 g TMAO per liter of water or aqueous composition.

28. The method of any one of claims 25-27, wherein the contacting comprises spraying and / or sprinkling the plurality of particles and / or composition onto the plant or plant part.

29. The method of any one of claims 25-28, wherein the contacting comprises applying the plurality of particles and / or composition to the plant or plant part via an irrigation system, optionally wherein the irrigation system sprays the plurality of particles and / or composition onto the plant or plant part.

30. The method of any one of claims 25-29, wherein the contacting comprises contacting the plant or plant part with an effective amount of the TMAO to reduce salt stress on the plant, reduce water stress on the plant, increase drought tolerance in the plant, and / or reduce urea- induced protein denaturation in the plant.

31. The method of any one of claims 25-30, further comprising cultivating the plant, thereby producing a plant with increased tolerance for salt stress, water stress, drought tolerance, and / or urea-induced protein denaturation.