Endophytic Seed Microbe Formulations for Plant Growth and Carbon Sequestration

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current agricultural practices face challenges in enhancing plant productivity and resilience to abiotic and biotic stresses, particularly due to climate changes, soil degradation, and increasing global food demands, while existing methods for carbon sequestration are inefficient and often environmentally harmful.

Innovation Solution

The development of endophytic microbial seed treatments using strains like Trichoderma and Bacillus, which colonize plant roots, produce specific metabolites, and induce systemic resistance and enhanced nutrient uptake, leading to improved growth, yield, and carbon sequestration.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If endophytic microbial seed treatments are applied to enhance plant productivity and carbon sequestration, then plant growth and yield increase, but the complexity of the treatment formulation and application process increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveplant growth and yieldVSAvoidtreatment formulation complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple beneficial microbes (Trichoderma and Bacillus strains) into a single seed treatment formulation, merging their functions to simultaneously enhance plant growth, induce systemic resistance, and promote carbon sequestration through one application process rather than multiple separate treatments

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The microbial formulation is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: colonizing roots, producing metabolites that stimulate growth, inducing systemic resistance against pathogens, and enhancing carbon sequestration capacity, making a single treatment solution for multiple plant health challenges

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Quantity of substance

If conventional carbon sequestration methods are used, then carbon sequestration is achieved, but environmental harm and inefficiency occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecarbon sequestrationVSAvoidenvironmental harm

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the plant's natural metabolic processes into beneficial carbon sequestration by using microbial-induced growth enhancement to increase photosynthetic activity and root biomass, transforming ordinary plant growth into an effective carbon capture mechanism without external chemical inputs

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The microbial formulation enables plants to sequester carbon more effectively through their own natural growth processes, with the microbes stimulating the plant's intrinsic photosynthetic and biomass accumulation capabilities rather than requiring external carbon management interventions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

These treatments result in increased plant growth, yield, and carbon sequestration, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving soil health by enhancing root development and nutrient efficiency, while being environmentally friendly and cost-effective.

Implementation Method 1

produce specific metabolites

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMetabolite production: Fermentation

Implementation Method 2

The microbes also have the ability to bioluminesce

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectBioluminescence: Bioluminescence

Implementation Method 3

This increase in C is expected to reflect total photosynthetic capabilities of the plants and to represent C sequestration from the atmosphere

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPhotosynthesis: Photosynthesis

Data Source

PatentUS11477952B2Endophytic microbial seed treatment formulations and methods related thereto for improved plant performance

Publication Date: 2022.10.25 AGRAUXINE CORP

AI summary

This invention describes discovery and development of a biological system of plant growth promotion and environmental improvement by carbon sequestration and/or nitrogen utilization by application of a microbial agent, e.g., a highly effective strain of T. viride, particularly strains NRRL B-50520 and/or K5. This strain outperforms the best current strains of Trichoderma used for this purpose available commercially. The highly active products also are expected to increase plant productivity and improve quality of fruits, vegetables, flowers or other plant products. The invention also describes and demonstrates that strain combinations including Bacillus amyloliquifaciens AS2 or AS3, as well as disclosed metabolites, promote plant growth. This is true across monocots and dicots, seed treatments and foliar sprays. In the field plant height, shoot weight, root weight, and photosynthesis (Spad meter readings) were all increased in comparison to the untreated control as well as the leading biological seed treatments. The invention also describes metabolite utilization for enhancing plant growth.