COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING HEAD BLIGHT DISEASE

• US 20130031673A1
• Filed: 07/24/2012
• Published: 01/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monsanto Technology LLC (Bayer AG)
• Original Assignee: Monsanto Technology LLC (Bayer AG)
• Inventors: Green, Wayne A., McCann, Ryan, Grandlic, Christopher J., Kenovuo, Janne S.
• Granted Patent: US 10,405,554 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 800/298
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 63/20 Bacteria; Substances produced thereby or obtained therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/20 Bacteria; Culture media therefor
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/205 Bacterial isolates
• CPC Class Codes: C12R 2001/07 Bacillus

Abstract

Compositions comprising microbiological strains and cultures and methods of use thereof are provided herein. Certain strains, cultures, and compositions thereof are useful for the control of head blight disease, for example, of various crop plants. Biological control compositions, and methods of use thereof to prevent, inhibit or treat the development of plant pathogens or disease and for preserving plant yield, are also provided.

Claims

1. An isolated microbial strain selected from the group consisting of a Microbacterium sp. strain, a Bacillus sp. strain, a Mycosphaerella sp. strain, and a Variovorax sp. strain, wherein said microbial strain has suppressive activity against head blight disease.

2. An isolated microbial strain according to claim 1, wherein said microbial strain is selected from the group consisting of Mycosphaerella sp. strain SGI-010-H11 (deposited as NRRL 50471), Microbacterium sp. strain SGI-014-006 (deposited as NRRL B-50470), Microbacterium sp. strain SGI-005-G08 (deposited as NRRL ______-______), Variovorax sp. strain SGI-014-G01 (deposited as NRRL B-50469), Bacillus sp. strain SGI-015-F03 (deposited as NRRL B-50760), Bacillus sp. strain SGI-015-H06 (deposited as NRRL B-50761), and pesticidally active variants of any thereof.

3. An isolated microbial strain according to claim 2, wherein said microbial strain comprises a DNA sequence exhibiting at least 85% sequence identity to any one of the nucleotide sequences in the Sequence Listing.

4. A biologically pure culture of a microbial strain according to claim 1.

5. An enriched culture of a microbial strain according to claim 1.

6. A composition comprising a microbial strain of claim 1 or a culture thereof, and an agriculturally effective amount of a compound or composition selected from the group consisting of an acaricide, a bactericide, a fungicide, an insecticide, a microbicide, a nematicide, a pesticide, and a fertilizer.

7. A composition comprising a microbial strain of claim 1 or a culture thereof, and a carrier.

8. A composition according to claim 7, wherein said carrier is an agriculturally acceptable carrier.

9. A composition according to claim 7, wherein said carrier is a plant seed.

10. A composition according to claim 7, wherein said composition is prepared as a formulation selected from the group consisting of an emulsion, a colloid, a dust, a granule, a pellet, a powder, a spray, an emulsion, and a solution.

11. A composition according to claim 7, wherein said composition is a seed coating formulation.

12. A seed having a coating comprising a composition according to claim 7.

13. A method for preventing, inhibiting or treating the development of a plant pathogen, wherein said method comprises growing a microbial strain of claim 1 or a culture thereof in a growth medium or soil of a host plant prior to or concurrent with host plant growth in said growth medium or soil.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein said plant pathogen causes head blight disease.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein said plant pathogen is Fusarium graminearum.

16. A method for preventing, inhibiting or treating the development of head blight disease of a plant, wherein said method comprises applying to the plant, or to the plant'"'"'s surroundings, an effective amount of a microbial strain of claim 1 or a culture thereof.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein said microbial strain or culture thereof is applied to soil, a seed, a root, a flower, a leaf, a portion of the plant, or the whole plant.

18. A method according to claim 16, wherein said plant is susceptible to Fusarium graminearum.

19. A method according to claim 16, wherein said plant is a wheat plant, a corn plant, a barley plant, or an oat plant.

20. A method according to claim 16, wherein said microbial strain or culture thereof is established as an endophyte on said plant.

21. A non-naturally occurring plant that is a plant artificially infected with a microbial strain of claim 1 or a culture thereof.

22. Seed, reproductive tissue, vegetative tissue, plant parts, or progeny of a non-naturally occurring plant of claim 21.

23. A method for preparing an agricultural composition, wherein said method comprises inoculating a microbial strain of claim 1 or a culture thereof into or onto a substratum and allowing said microbial strain or culture thereof to grow at a temperature of 1-37°

C. until obtaining a number of cells or spores of at least 10²-10³ per milliliter or per gram.