ENDOPHYTES, ASSOCIATED COMPOSITIONS, AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF

• US 20160021891A1
• Filed: 10/09/2015
• Published: 01/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Indigo Agriculture, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Symbiota LLC
• Inventors: von Maltzahn, Geoffrey, Flavell, Richard Bailey, Toledo, Gerardo V., Leff, Jonathan W., Samayoa, Philip, Marquez, Luis Miguel, Johnston, David Morris, Djonovic, Slavica, Millet, Yves Alain, Sadowski, Craig, Lyford, Jeffrey, Ambrose, Karen V., Zhang, Xuecheng
• Granted Patent: US 9,408,394 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: A01N 63/30 Microbial fungi; Substances produced thereby or obtained therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: C05F 11/08 Organic fertilisers containing added bacterial cultures, mycelia or the like

Abstract

Materials and methods for improving plant traits and for providing plant benefits are provided. In some embodiments, the materials, and methods employing the same, can comprise endophytes.

Claims

1. A method for preparing an agricultural seed composition, comprising contacting a plurality of seeds with a formulation comprising an effective amount of a synthetic combination of at least two endophytes heterologously disposed to the plurality of seeds, wherein the at least two endophytes are selected from genus Cladosporium, Fusarium, Nigrospora, Epicoccum, or Alternaria, and the effective amount increases tolerance to drought in plants grown from the agricultural seed compositions, as compared to isoline plants grown from seeds not contacted with the formulation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the endophytes is capable of metabolizing one or more of D-alanine, D-aspartic acid, D-serine, D-threonine, glycyl-L-aspartic acid, glycyl-L-glutamic acid, glycyl-L-proline, glyoxylic acid, inosine, L-alanine, L-alanyl-glycine, L-arabinose, L-asparagine, L-aspartic acid, L-glutamic acid, L-glutamine, L-proline, L-serine, L-threonine, tyramine, uridine, proline, arabinose, xylose, mannose, sucrose, maltose, D-glucosamine, trehalose, oxalic acid, and salicin.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the endophytes is capable of producing one or more of an auxin, acetoin, or siderophore.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the endophytes comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding a protein allowing the endophyte to metabolize arabinose.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the protein comprises a polypeptide sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:

3701-3813.

6. A plant derived from the agricultural seed composition of claim 1, wherein the plant comprises at least one of the endophytes in at least one of its plant elements.

7. A progeny of the plant of claim 6, wherein the progeny comprises at least one of the endophytes in at least one of its progeny plant elements.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the seeds are monocot plant seeds.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the monocot plant is selected from the group consisting of corn, wheat, barley and rice.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the seeds are dicot plant seeds.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the dicot plant is selected from the group consisting of soybean, canola, cotton, tomato and pepper.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the seeds are transgenic seeds.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least two endophytes are detectable within a target tissue of an agricultural plant grown from the agricultural seed composition, the target tissue selected from a fruit, seed, leaf, root or portion thereof.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least two endophytes are detected in an amount of at least 100 CFU or spores, or more, in the plurality of contacted seeds.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the effective amount increases the biomass, or yield of a fruit or seed produced by a plant grown from the agricultural seed composition, by at least at least 5%, at least 10%, or more, when compared with the fruit or seed of isoline plants grown from seeds not contacted with the formulation.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the effective amount increases the rate of germination of the agricultural seed composition compared to seeds not contacted with the formulation.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein plants grown from the agricultural seed compositions show at least a 5% increase in root length when tested in a seedling drought assay, as compared to isoline plants grown from seeds not contacted with said formulation, wherein the seedling drought assay is a seed germination (rolling) paper assay comprising 8% PEG.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein plants grown from the agricultural seed compositions show at least a 20% growth enhancement when tested in a seedling drought assay, as compared to isoline plants grown from seeds not contacted with said formulation, wherein the seedling drought assay is a filter paper growth assay comprising 8% PEG.

17. A method for preparing an agricultural seed composition, comprising contacting a plurality of seeds with a formulation comprising an effective amount of a synthetic combination of at least two endophytes heterologously disposed to the plurality of seeds,

wherein at least one of the endophytes is capable of metabolizing one or more of D-alanine, D-aspartic acid, D-serine, D-threonine, glycyl-L-aspartic acid, glycyl-L-glutamic acid, glycyl-L-proline, glyoxylic acid, inosine, L-alanine, L-alanyl-glycine, L-arabinose, L-asparagine, L-aspartic acid, L-glutamic acid, L-glutamine, L-proline, L-serine, L-threonine, tyramine, uridine, proline, arabinose, xylose, mannose, sucrose, maltose, D-glucosamine, trehalose, oxalic acid, and salicin, and

the effective amount increases tolerance to drought in plants grown from the agricultural seed compositions, as compared to isoline plants grown from seeds not contacted with said formulation.

18. A method for preparing an agricultural seed composition, comprising contacting a plurality of seeds with a formulation comprising an effective amount of a synthetic combination of at least two endophytes heterologously disposed to the plurality of contacted seeds,

wherein at least one endophyte is capable of at least one function or activity selected from the group consisting of:

auxin production, nitrogen fixation, production of an antimicrobial compound, mineral phosphate solubilization, siderophore production, cellulase production, chitinase production, xylanase production, and acetoin production, and

wherein the effective amount increases tolerance to drought in plants grown from the agricultural seed compositions, as compared to isoline plants grown from seeds not contacted with said formulation.