Fungal endophytes for improved crop yields and protection from pests
First Claim
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1. A method for improving a trait in a cotton plant, the method comprising:
- contacting a seed of said cotton plant with a formulation comprising purified filamentous, spore-forming, facultative fungal endophytes of at least one species,wherein the facultative fungal endophytes are Dothideomycetes capable of producing substances that are beneficial to plants or detrimental to pests or both,and are present in the formulation in an amount effective to decrease colonization frequencies of endophytes of genus Alternaria native to the cotton plant and to provide a benefit to the cotton plant compared to a cotton plant grown from a seed untreated with the Dothideomycetes facultative fungal endophytes,wherein the benefit is selected from the group consisting of reduced nematode reproduction, reduced insect infestation, increased boll retention, increased yield, reduction of yield loss, increased growth, modulated phytohormone, enhanced resistance to drought stress, enhanced resistance to cold stress, enhanced resistance to heat stress, enhanced resistance to nutrient deficiency, enhanced resistance to salt toxicity, enhanced resistance to aluminum toxicity, enhanced resistance to grazing by herbivores, enhanced resistance to nematode infection, enhanced resistance to fungal infection, enhanced resistance to bacterial infection, enhanced resistance to viral infection and pest reduction.
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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.
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35 Claims
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1. A method for improving a trait in a cotton plant, the method comprising:
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contacting a seed of said cotton plant with a formulation comprising purified filamentous, spore-forming, facultative fungal endophytes of at least one species, wherein the facultative fungal endophytes are Dothideomycetes capable of producing substances that are beneficial to plants or detrimental to pests or both, and are present in the formulation in an amount effective to decrease colonization frequencies of endophytes of genus Alternaria native to the cotton plant and to provide a benefit to the cotton plant compared to a cotton plant grown from a seed untreated with the Dothideomycetes facultative fungal endophytes, wherein the benefit is selected from the group consisting of reduced nematode reproduction, reduced insect infestation, increased boll retention, increased yield, reduction of yield loss, increased growth, modulated phytohormone, enhanced resistance to drought stress, enhanced resistance to cold stress, enhanced resistance to heat stress, enhanced resistance to nutrient deficiency, enhanced resistance to salt toxicity, enhanced resistance to aluminum toxicity, enhanced resistance to grazing by herbivores, enhanced resistance to nematode infection, enhanced resistance to fungal infection, enhanced resistance to bacterial infection, enhanced resistance to viral infection and pest reduction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A synthetic combination of a cotton seed and purified filamentous, spore-forming facultative fungal endophytes of at least one species,
wherein the facultative fungal endophytes are Dothideomycetes capable of producing substances that are beneficial to plants or detrimental to pests or both and are present in the synthetic combination in an amount effective to decrease the colonization frequencies of genus Alternaria native to the cotton plant grown from the seed and to provide a benefit to the cotton plant compared to a cotton plant grown from a seed untreated with the Dothideomycetes facultative fungal endophytes wherein the benefit is selected from the group consisting of reduced nematode reproduction, reduced insect infestation, increased boll retention, increased yield, reduction of yield loss, increased growth, modulated phytohormone, enhanced resistance to drought stress, enhanced resistance to cold stress, enhanced resistance to heat stress, enhanced resistance to nutrient deficiency, enhanced resistance to salt toxicity, enhanced resistance to aluminum toxicity, enhanced resistance to grazing by herbivores, enhanced resistance to nematode infection, enhanced resistance to fungal infection, enhanced resistance to bacterial infection, enhanced resistance to viral infection and pest reduction.
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