Chitooligosaccharides and Methods for use in Enhancing Corn Growth

• US 20130079225A1
• Filed: 09/24/2012
• Published: 03/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novozymes Bioag Incorporated (Novozymes)
• Original Assignee: Novozymes Bioag Incorporated (Novozymes)
• Inventors: Smith, R. Stewart, Habib, Ahsan
• Granted Patent: US 9,055,747 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 504/117
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 25/00 Biocides, pest repellants or attractants, or plant growth regulators, characterised by their forms, or by their non-active ingredients or by their methods of application , e.g. seed treatment or sequential application; Substances for reducing the noxious effect of the active ingredients to organisms other than pests
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 43/16 with oxygen as the ring hetero atom
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 63/30 Microbial fungi; Substances produced thereby or obtained therefrom

Abstract

Disclosed are methods of enhancing growth of corn plants, comprising treating corn seed or the corn plant that germinates from the seed with an effective amount of at least one chitooligosaccharide, wherein upon harvesting the corn plant exhibits at least one of increased plant yield measured in terms of bushels/acre, increased root number, increased root length, increased root mass, increased root volume and increased leaf area, compared to untreated corn plants or corn plants harvested from untreated corn seed.

Claims

1. A method of enhancing growth of corn plants, comprising treating corn seed or the corn plant that germinates from the seed with an effective amount of at least one CO, wherein upon harvesting the plant exhibits at least one of increased plant yield measured in terms of bushels/acre, increased root number, increased root length, increased root mass, increased root volume and increased leaf area, compared to untreated corn plants or corn plants harvested from untreated corn seed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one CO is represented by the formula:

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one CO is illustrated in FIG. 1a.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one CO is illustrated in FIG. 2a.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one CO is represented by the formula:

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one CO is illustrated in FIG. 3a.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one CO is illustrated in FIG. 4a.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one CO is synthetic.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one CO is recombinant.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one recombinant CO is at least 60% pure.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one recombinant CO is at least 70% pure.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one recombinant CO is at least 80% pure.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one recombinant CO is at least 90% pure.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one CO is applied to the corn seed prior to planting or at about the time of planting.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the effective amount of the at least one CO is from about 10⁻

5 to about 10<sup>−

14</sup> Molar.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one CO is applied to the corn seed in furrow.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the effective amount of the at least one CO is from 1 μ

g/acre to about 70 μ

g/acre.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one CO is applied to the corn plant via foliar treatment.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the effective amount of the at least one CO is from 1 μ

g/acre to about 30 μ

g/acre

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying to the corn plant or corn seed thereof at least one agronomically beneficial agent.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the at least one agronomically beneficial agent is a micronutrient.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the micronutrient is selected from the group consisting of vitamins and trace minerals.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the agronomically beneficial agent is a fatty acid or a derivative thereof.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the at least one agronomically beneficial agent is a plant signal molecule.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the plant signal molecule is a lipo-chitooligosaccharide (LCO).

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the LCO is illustrated in FIG. 1b.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the LCO is illustrated in FIG. 2b.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the LCO is illustrated in FIG. 3b.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the LCO is illustrated in FIG. 4b.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein the plant signal molecule is selected from the group consisting of chitinous compounds, flavonoids, jasmonic acid and derivatives thereof, linoleic acid and derivatives thereof, linolenic acid and derivatives thereof, and karrikins and derivatives thereof.

31. The method of claim 20, wherein the agronomically beneficial agent is an herbicide, insecticide, a fungicide or any combination thereof.

32. The method of claim 20, wherein the agronomically beneficial agent is a phosphate solubilising microorganism.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the at least one phosphate solubilizing microorganism comprises a strain of the fungus Penicillium.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the at least one phosphate solubilizing microorganism comprises a strain of P. bilaiae.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the strain of P. bilaiae is selected from the group consisting of NRRL 50162, NRRL 50169, ATCC 20851, ATCC 22348, and ATCC 18309.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein the at least one phosphate solubilizing microorganism comprises a strain of P. gaestrivorus.