U.S. patent application number 16/498006 was filed with the patent office on 2020-01-23 for alleviation of corn rootworm damage with microbial seed treatments.
The applicant listed for this patent is ADVANCED BIOLOGICAL MARKETING, INC. Invention is credited to Molly Cadie-Davidson, Gary HARMAN, Andrea Shelley Marino, Walid Nosir.
Application Number | 20200022375 16/498006 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 63676930 |
Filed Date | 2020-01-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20200022375 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HARMAN; Gary ; et
al. |
January 23, 2020 |
ALLEVIATION OF CORN ROOTWORM DAMAGE WITH MICROBIAL SEED
TREATMENTS
Abstract
Corn rootworms are potentially devastating pests in corn
production, especially in the corn belt of the United States. The
microbial tools developed provide abilities to endophytically
colonize plant roots. These endophytic microbes can be applied as
seed treatments or in numerous other ways that allow them to
colonize plant roots where they provide systemic beneficial changes
in the plant physiology. Treatment with Trichoderma organisms on
seeds alleviated damage on roots, even though the number of corn
rootworm larvae on roots were not reduced.
Inventors: |
HARMAN; Gary; (Geneva,
NY) ; Cadie-Davidson; Molly; (Geneva, NY) ;
Nosir; Walid; (Geneva, NY) ; Marino; Andrea
Shelley; (Pittsford, NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
ADVANCED BIOLOGICAL MARKETING, INC, |
Geneva |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
63676930 |
Appl. No.: |
16/498006 |
Filed: |
March 30, 2018 |
PCT Filed: |
March 30, 2018 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US2018/025592 |
371 Date: |
September 26, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62479080 |
Mar 30, 2017 |
|
|
|
62479084 |
Mar 30, 2017 |
|
|
|
62479074 |
Mar 30, 2017 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01N 63/10 20200101;
A01N 43/90 20130101; C05G 3/00 20130101; A01N 63/30 20200101; A01N
63/12 20200101; A01N 31/02 20130101; A01N 43/16 20130101; A01N
43/08 20130101; C05F 11/08 20130101; A01N 43/72 20130101; A01N
43/36 20130101; A01C 1/06 20130101; C05G 3/60 20200201; C05F 11/08
20130101; C05G 5/30 20200201 |
International
Class: |
A01N 63/02 20060101
A01N063/02; A01N 63/04 20060101 A01N063/04; C05G 3/02 20060101
C05G003/02; A01C 1/06 20060101 A01C001/06 |
Claims
1. A method for treating plants or plant seeds and increasing plant
tolerance to corn rootworms comprising: applying an agent to one or
more locations in, on, around, proximal or by a plant, seed, crop,
or root, wherein the application occurs at the location and in such
a way that impacts the plant or organism of interest in a
beneficial manner; wherein the agent includes a microbial
metabolite, or mixture of microbial metabolites, that increases the
resistance of plants to pests and diseases or otherwise improves
plant performance or resistance to stress.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the metabolite is derived from
Trichoderma spp.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the metabolite is selected from
the group consisting of Trichoderma virens strain K1 (ATCC 20906),
Trichoderma afroharzianum strain K2 (ATCC PTA 9708), Trichoderma
afroharzianum strain K3 (ATCC PTA 9709), Trichoderma atroviride
strain K4 (ATCC PTA 9707), and Trichoderma atroviride strain K5
(NRRL B-50520).
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the metabolite is derived from
Bacillus spp.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the metabolite is selected from
the group consisting of Bacillus spp. TR4 and Bacillus spp.
PH1.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent is applied using an
in-furrow application method.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent is applied using a soil
drench application method.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent is used to coat a
granule designed for application to agricultural soil or plant
medium systems.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the granule coated is a plant
fertilizer.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the result is an enhancement of
plant growth.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the result is an enhancement of
plant biotic stress resistance.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the result is an enhancement of
plant abiotic stress resistance.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the result is an enhancement of
corn rootworm resistance.
14. A composition for treating plant seeds and increasing plant
tolerance to corn rootworms comprising a microbial metabolite, or
mixture of microbial metabolites.
15. The composition of claim 14, wherein the metabolite is derived
from Trichoderma spp.
16. The composition of claim 15, wherein the metabolite is selected
from the group consisting of Trichoderma virens strain K1 (ATCC
20906), Trichoderma afroharzianum strain K2 (ATCC PTA 9708),
Trichoderma afroharzianum strain K3 (ATCC PTA 9709), Trichoderma
atroviride strain K4 (ATCC PTA 9707), and Trichoderma atroviride
strain K5 (NRRL B-50520).
17. The composition of claim 14, wherein the metabolite is derived
from Bacillus spp.
18. The composition of claim 17, wherein the metabolite is selected
from the group consisting of Bacillus spp. TR4 and Bacillus spp.
PH1.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application No. 62/479,074, filed Mar. 30, 2017; U.S. Provisional
Application No. 62/479,080, filed Mar. 30, 2017; and U.S.
Provisional Application No. 62/479,084, filed Mar. 30, 2017. The
entire contents of these applications is hereby incorporated by
reference in their entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This disclosure relates to the control of corn rootworms
using microbial seed treatments.
BACKGROUND ART
[0003] Corn rootworms ("CRW") (Diabrotica spp.) are potentially
devastating pests in corn production, especially in the corn belt
of the United States. Damage exceeds $1 billion per year. Eggs of
the pest are deposited in soils in the summer and over winter to
hatch in late May or early June. They begin to feed on corn roots
and go through three larval instars during their feeding on roots.
After feeding for several weeks they molt and the adults winged
versions emerge into corn fields. The adults (known as cucumber
beetles) feed on corn pollen and silks and may damage silks in
conditions of heavy infestation and prevent pollination. They also
eat leaves of corn and other crops, and they may carry viruses that
infect and damage cucumbers. At the end of the season, they lay
eggs in soil that hatch as noted above to feed on corn roots. The
primary and greatest damage by these insects is from feeding on
corn roots.
[0004] It is also important to note that CRW damage to corn roots
can offer windows of opportunity for infection by pathogenic fungi
in soil. Further, nematode damage to roots can cause a significant
increase in root damage and function. The combined effects of CRW,
disease and nematodes all impact the function of roots. Damage to
root function not only reduces yields under ideal conditions, but
especially under stressful conditions (e.g. drought or soil
compaction) the effects are even more devastating.
SUMMARY
[0005] The applicant is involved in research to provide products
that improve plant performance, including SABREX and GRAPHEX. The
former product is intended for use with corn (Strain K2 (T.
afroharzianum)+Strain K4 (T. atroviride)), while the latter is an
inoculant seed lubricant used with soybeans.
[0006] It is an ongoing concern in agriculture to provide enhanced
root development and the work reported herein is a part of the
effort to provide such development. These and other advantages are
provided by the compositions and methods described in more detail
below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a chart showing root damage ratings of corn plants
grown with several different microbial treatments.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a chart showing plant height of corn plants grown
with several different microbial treatments.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a chart showing root weight of corn plants grown
with several different microbial treatments.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0010] At the outset, it should be clearly understood that like
reference numerals are intended to identify the same structural
elements, portions or surfaces consistently throughout the several
drawing figures, as such elements, portions or surfaces may be
further described or explained by the entire written specification,
of which this detailed description is an integral part. Unless
otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read together
with the specification, and are to be considered a portion of the
entire written description of this invention.
[0011] There are potentially several methods of control of damage
of CRW larvae, none of which are more than partially effective.
These follow, with a discussion of their limitations.
[0012] Chemical Control.
[0013] A number of insecticides are toxic to the larvae. However,
seed treatment chemicals are effective only on or very near the
seed. Since CRW eggs are generally distributed throughout the soil,
most of the insects will encounter roots distant from the seeds,
and so these chemical seed treatments are not very effective.
[0014] Prophylactic insecticide applications may be applied, but
they are expensive and only give a positive return to investment to
farmers about 15% of the time. Other materials such as carbofuran
may be applied post-emergence, but timing is critical. If the
material is applied too early, the product will leach and degrade
before the CRW are present to control. Timed too late and the
product may not have time to reach the root zone to control the
pest before it damages the crop. This material should be explicitly
timed to 1 week before to 1 week after 5% CRW egg hatch (entrance
into the 1st instar).
[0015] In all cases, the decision to use an insecticide is an
economic one and probably requires the use of scouting to determine
the level and timing of infestation and development of the larvae.
Thus, chemical control may be essential to reduce losses under
severe levels of the pest, but it also has major limitations.
[0016] Rotation.
[0017] In earlier days, crop rotation was an effective method to
control the CRW insect, since root feeding was confined to corn and
related grassy weeds. Thus, if corn was not planted, there was no
food for the insect. However, as the insect has evolved, it has
less fidelity to corn as a crop and also can feed, as the adult, on
crops such as soybeans. Thus, the adults lay eggs in soils planted
to such crops and even with rotation, root damage by CRW may be
significant. Further, the insect has evolved to express an extended
diapause. With this variant of the pest, eggs may remain in soil
for two years before hatching, thereby avoiding the effects of
rotation.
[0018] Transgenic resistant varieties.
[0019] Corn has been transformed to contain genes encoding three
different versions of toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis. These
gene products are highly toxic to the insects, but resistance
developed almost as soon as the transgenic varieties were
introduced. This was in part because high levels of killing require
relatively high levels of toxin to be produced, and many varieties
had insufficient levels to kill all of the pest population. If a
low level of pests survive this first onslaught of the new toxic
species, this low level of survivors probably is more resistant to
the expressed material. Therefore, resistance to all three of the
transgene toxins has developed.
[0020] The discussion above strongly indicates that we need new
tools to deal with CRW. Applicant has developed microbial tools
that significantly improve plant performance. The microbial tools
developed provide abilities to endophytically colonize plant roots.
These endophytic microbes can be applied as seed treatments or in
numerous other ways that allow them to colonize plant roots where
they provide systemic beneficial changes in the plant
physiology.
[0021] The microbes and products based upon such novel microbial
compositions are a preventative biological fungicide and nematicide
that enhance plant growth and yield and minimize the effects of
root pathogens such as Fusarium, Rhizoctonia and Pythium (examples
of parasitic fungi), through control or suppression of the
pathogens and through root growth enhancement and that provide
nematode control plus systemic disease control that provide control
from pathogens such as leaf blights. Effects last throughout the
season and provide systemic resistance to stresses such as drought,
salt and flooding. These materials are compatible with chemical
seed treatments making them very amenable to large-scale
agricultural practices.
[0022] These advantages and related treatment methods have been
documented in patents and patent applications including U.S. Pat.
No. 8,716,001, PCT/US16/30392 and co-terminally filed provisional
patent application No. 62/479,074 entitled Enhanced Microbial and
Biorational Control of Nematode Pests of Plants, each of which are
incorporated by reference in their entirety.
[0023] Demonstration of efficacy.
[0024] Seeds of commercial corn variety without Bt traits or
fungicides were treated with the following strains identified in
Table 1 and sent for laboratory testing by Applicants.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Treatment # Organism 1 Trichoderma virens
strain K1 (ATCC 20906) 2 Trichoderma afroharzianum strain K2 (ATCC
PTA 9708) 3 Trichoderma afroharzianum strain K3 (ATCC PTA 9709) 4
Trichoderma atroviride strain K4 (ATCC PTA 9707) 5 Trichoderma
atroviride strain K5 (NRRL B-50520) 6 Bacillus spp. TR4 7 Bacillus
spp. PH1 Untreated control 9 K2 + K4 (SabrEx corn) 10 K2 + K3
(SabrEx wheat)
[0025] The procedure used for the evaluation is as follows:
[0026] Procedure for evaluating western corn rootworm larvae
infested on corn seeds provided for a trial. The trial was set up
to evaluate the ten different seed treatments.
[0027] The seeds were planted on 26 Jan. 2017 in 4-inch plastic
pots with three seeds per pot. These pots were placed in the green
house to get fast germination and growth. On 8 Feb., each pot was
thinned to two plants. The next day, each was infested with 25
neonate western corn rootworm non-diapausing larvae, which is the
only type of corn rootworm larvae that Applicant was allowed to use
in these types of studies by the US Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service.
[0028] On 23 Feb. 2017, each plot was evaluated for the number of
corn rootworms surviving, the instar of each larvae, the plant
height, the plant root length and the weight of each root mass in
grams. The length of time from 9 February to 23 February is the
approximate time for western corn rootworm larvae to go through
three larval instars. At this time, the CRW should be near the
prepupal stage of development.
[0029] The results are as follows and as indicated in the several
FIGS. Data with dissimilar letters are significantly different at
P=0.10.
[0030] FIG. 1 is a chart showing root damage ratings of corn plants
grown with several different microbial treatments. Most of the
treatments showed reduced root damage. FIG. 2 is a chart showing
plant height of corn plants grown with several different microbial
treatments. Many of the treatments increased plant heights in the
presence of root damage caused by the CRW. FIG. 3 is a chart
showing root weight of corn plants grown with several different
microbial treatments. In most of the cases, treated root weights
were greater than the untreated control root weights in the
presence of CRW.
[0031] There were not significant reductions in the number of
larvae present on roots as influenced by the microbial agents. This
is in contrast with results with nematodes (a very different pest)
where not only were root symptoms reduced but numbers of numbers of
the pests were reduced.
[0032] These data support the following:
[0033] Treatment with the disclosed organisms on seeds alleviated
damage on roots, even though the number of larvae on roots were not
reduced. This is indicative of a mechanism by which tolerance is
induced in the corn to CRW. In addition, the microbial organisms
used for treatment also increased root and plant growth and, at the
same time, reduced damage to roots by pathogens and nematodes.
[0034] Microbial treatment methods other than seed treatments are
also contemplated by this disclosure. Since the disclosed treatment
methods are effective as a seed and as a foliar treatment, there
are various other embodiments and applications that are effective,
such as, e.g., including: applications as an in-furrow granule;
application as a soil drench where the organism will come into
contact with roots and colonize roots; application as a root
treatment, e.g, during transplant operations; and as a component of
liquid or solid fertilizers.
[0035] This illustrates that the treatments described herein are a
unique tool to limit damage of CRW to non-damaging levels. Not only
is damage lessened but the increase in root growth and control of
other pests provides a method to limit damage to yields and
productivity by CRW and other root attacking pests.
[0036] The present disclosure contemplates that many changes and
modifications may be made. Therefore, while the presently-preferred
form of the system has been shown and described, and several
modifications and alternatives discussed, persons skilled in this
art will readily appreciate that various additional changes and
modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the
disclosure, as defined and differentiated by the following
claims.
* * * * *