FUNGAL ENDOPHYTES FOR IMPROVED CROP YIELDS AND PROTECTION FROM PESTS

• US 20180092365A1
• Filed: 10/02/2017
• Published: 04/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas A&M University System
• Original Assignee: Texas A&M University System
• Inventors: Sword, Gregory A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,375,966 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 63/30 Microbial fungi; Substances produced thereby or obtained therefrom

Abstract

The invention provides a synthetic combination of a crop and at least one fungal endophyte, wherein the crop is a host plant of the endophyte. Provided are also methods and compositions for producing such synthetic combinations. The endophyte reproduces and enhances the agronomic characteristics of the crop. Methods for inoculating the host plant with the endophyte, for propagating the host-endophyte combination, and for detecting the presence of the endophyte and of its metabolites within a host plant are also described.

Claims

1. A method for improving drought resistance in a cotton plant, the method comprising:

contacting a cotton seed with a formulation comprising purified filamentous, spore-forming, facultative fungal endophytes of at least one Chaetomium species, wherein the facultative fungal endophytes are present in the formulation in an amount effective to improve drought resistance of a cotton plant grown from the seed compared to a reference cotton plant grown from a reference seed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the formulation contains at least 100 (10̂

2) spores/ml or 100,000 (10̂

5) spores/g dry weight of the facultative fungal endophytes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the facultative fungal endophytes are present in the formulation in an amount effective to increase biomass.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the facultative fungal endophytes are species Chaetomium globosum.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the cotton plant is variety LA122.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the cotton plant is variety LA122.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the facultative fungal endophytes are present in the formulation in an amount effective to reduce yield loss.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein yield loss is reduced by at least 5%.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the reduction in yield loss results in a yield increase of at least 5%.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein enhanced resistance to drought stress is assessed by withholding water from 7-day old seedlings of the cotton plant grown in the greenhouse, wherein the seedlings have increased time to wilt as compared to a seedling grown from a reference seed.

11-20. -20. (canceled)