Endophytic Microbial Symbionts in Plant Prenatal Care

• US 20150230478A1
• Filed: 02/04/2015
• Published: 08/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University Of Saskatchewan
• Original Assignee: University Of Saskatchewan
• Inventors: Vujanovic, Vladimir, Germida, James J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,104,862 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01H 17/00 Symbiotic or parasitic combinations including one or more new plants, e.g. mycorrhiza lichens A01H15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A01H 3/00 Processes for modifying phenotypes , e.g. symbiosis with bacteria A01H4/00 takes precedence
• 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 63/00 Biocides, pest repellants or attractants, or plant growth regulators containing microorganisms, viruses, microbial fungi, animals or substances produced by, or obtained from, microorganisms, viruses, microbial fungi or animals, e.g. enzymes or fermentates containing compounds of determined constitution A01N27/00 - A01N59/00; unicellular algae A01N65/03
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 63/28 Streptomyces
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 63/30 Microbial fungi; Substances produced thereby or obtained therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: B09C 1/105 using fungi or plants
• CPC Class Codes: B09C 2101/00 In situ
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/145 Fungal isolates
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/205 Bacterial isolates
• CPC Class Codes: C12R 2001/465 Streptomyces
• CPC Class Codes: C12R 2001/645 Fungi ; Processes using fungi
• CPC Class Codes: C12R 2001/80 Penicillium

Abstract

The present disclosure provides compositions comprising novel endophytes capable of promoting germination endophytes that have a symbiotic relationship with plants. The present disclosure further provides methods of improving seed vitality, biotic and abiotic stress resistance, plant health and yield under both stressed and unstressed environmental conditions, comprising inoculating a seed with the novel endophyte strains and cultivating a plant therefrom.

Claims

1. A synthetic preparation comprising an agricultural plant seed and a composition comprising an endophyte capable of promoting germination and an agriculturally-acceptable carrier, wherein an agricultural plant grown from the seed has an altered trait as compared to a control agricultural plant.

2. The synthetic preparation of claim 1, wherein the endophyte capable of promoting germination is a coleorhiza-activating endophyte and the agricultural plant seed is a monocot seed.

3. The preparation of claim 1, wherein said composition is disposed on an exterior surface of the agricultural seed in an amount effective to colonize the cortical cells of an agricultural plant grown from the seed and to produce the altered trait, wherein the altered trait is an improved functional trait selected from the group consisting of increased yield, faster seedling establishment, faster growth, increased drought tolerance, increased heat tolerance, increased cold tolerance, increased salt tolerance, increased tolerance to Fusarium infection, increased tolerance to Puccinia infection, increased biomass, increased root length, increased fresh weight of seedlings, increased plant vigor, nitrogen stress tolerance, enhanced Rhizobium activity, enhanced nodulation frequency, and early flowering time.

4. The preparation of claim 3, wherein said composition is disposed on an exterior surface of the agricultural seed in an amount effective to colonize at least 1% of the cortical cells of an agricultural plant grown from the seed.

5. The preparation of claim 1, wherein said composition is disposed on an exterior surface of the agricultural seed in an amount effective to cause a population of seeds inoculated with said composition to have greater germination rate, faster dormancy breakdown, increased energy of germination, increased seed germination vigor or increased seed vitality than a population of control agricultural seeds.

6. The preparation of claim 5, wherein said composition is disposed on an exterior surface of the agricultural seed in an amount effective to cause a population of seeds inoculated with said composition to reach 50% germination faster than a population of control agricultural seeds.

7. The preparation of claim 1, wherein the endophytes are a selected from the group consisting of a spore-forming endophyte, a facultative endophyte, a filamentous endophyte, an endophyte capable of living within another endophyte, an endophyte capable of forming hyphal coils within the plant, an endophyte capable of forming microvesicles within the plant, an endophyte capable of forming micro-arbuscules within the plant, an endophyte capable of forming hyphal knots within the plant, an endophyte capable of forming Hartig-like nets within the plant, and an endophyte capable of forming symbiosomes within the plant.

8. The preparation of claim 1, wherein said composition is disposed on an exterior surface of the agricultural seed in an amount effective to colonize the cortical cells of an agricultural plant grown from the seed and to produce the altered trait, wherein the altered trait is altered gene expression, wherein the gene is selected from the group consisting of a gene involved in plant growth, an acquired resistance gene, and a gene involved in protection from oxidative stress.

9. The preparation of claim 8, wherein the gene is a gene involved in phytohormone production.

10. The preparation of claim 8, wherein the gene is a redox-regulated transcription factor.

11. The preparation of claim 8, wherein the gene is a gene involved in superoxide detoxification or in NO production or breakdown.

12. The synthetic preparation of claim 1, wherein the agricultural plant seed is selected from the group consisting of corn, soy, wheat, cotton, rice, and canola.

13. A population comprising at least 10 synthetic preparations of claim 1 within a packaging material.

14. A method of altering a trait in an agricultural plant seed or an agricultural plant grown from said seed, said method comprising inoculating said seed with a composition comprising endophytes capable of promoting germination and an agriculturally-acceptable carrier, wherein the endophyte replicates within at least one plant tissue and colonizes the cortical cells of said plant.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said endophyte colonizes at least 1% of the cortical cells of said agricultural plant.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the altered trait is an improved functional trait selected from the group consisting of increased yield, faster seedling establishment, faster growth, increased drought tolerance, increased heat tolerance, increased cold tolerance, increased salt tolerance, increased tolerance to Fusarium infection, increased tolerance to Puccinia infection, increased biomass, increased root length, increased fresh weight of seedlings, increased plant vigor, nitrogen stress tolerance, enhanced Rhizobium activity, enhanced nodulation frequency, and early flowering time.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the altered trait is a seed trait selected from the group consisting a greater germination rate, faster dormancy breakdown, increased energy of germination, increased seed germination vigor or increased seed vitality than a population of control agricultural seeds.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the altered trait is reaching 50% germination faster than a population of control agricultural seeds.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the endophytes are a selected from the group consisting of a spore-forming endophyte, a facultative endophyte, a filamentous endophyte, an endophyte capable of living within another endophyte, an endophyte capable of forming hyphal coils within the plant, an endophyte capable of forming microvesicles within the plant, an endophyte capable of forming micro-arbuscules within the plant, an endophyte capable of forming hyphal knots within the plant, an endophyte capable of forming Hartig-like nets within the plant, and an endophyte capable of forming symbiosomes within the plant.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the altered trait is altered gene expression, wherein the gene is selected from the group consisting of a gene involved in plant growth, an acquired resistance gene, and a gene involved in protection from oxidative stress.