Chlorella-based composition for application to plants and methods of its preparation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10869484-B2
Application number	US-201916430200-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2019
Priority date	Dec 16, 2014
Publication date	Dec 22, 2020
Grant date	Dec 22, 2020

Abstract

Methods of preparing a liquid Chlorella based composition comprising pasteurization and stabilization of a low concentration of mixotrophic or non-mixotrophic Chlorella whole cells are disclosed. The liquid composition can be used to enhance the emergence and growth of plants in low concentration and low frequency soil, foliar, seed soak, capillary action, and hydroponic applications.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of preparing a whole cell Chlorella liquid plant growth treatment composition that enhances a characteristic of a plant compared to a composition comprising non-pasteurized Chlorella cells, lacking the whole pasteurized Chlorella cells, comprising:
heating a culture comprising the whole Chlorella cells in a liquid culture medium at a temperature in the range of 50-90° C.;
cooling the heated composition, wherein the heating and cooling steps pasteurize the whole Chlorella cells in the composition, making them suitable in the enhancement of a plant compared to a composition comprising non-pasteurized Chlorella cells, lacking the whole pasteurized Chlorella cells; and
adjusting the composition to a pH in the range of 3-5.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of adjusting the concentration of the whole Chlorella cells in the heated composition to be in the range of 5-30% whole Chlorella cells by weight.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of diluting the liquid composition to a concentration in the range of 10-11% whole Chlorella cells by weight.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of diluting the liquid composition to a concentration in the range of 0.001-0.400% whole Chlorella cells by weight.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of diluting the liquid composition to a concentration in the range of 1-150 mL/gallon.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the culture comprising whole Chlorella cells in the liquid culture medium is heated for a time between 15-360 minutes.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the composition is cooled to a temperature in the range of 35-45° C.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of adjusting the composition to a pH in the range of 3-5.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the pH of the composition is adjusted by contacting the composition with an acid.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the acid comprises phosphoric acid.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the amount of phosphoric acid is in the range of 0.01-0.3% by weight of the composition.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of contacting the composition with a culture stabilizer suitable for plants.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the culture stabilizer is selected from: potassium sorbate, phosphoric acid, ascorbic acid, sodium benzoate, and any combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the heating and cooling steps render the whole Chlorella cells to be non-viable.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the whole Chlorella cells are cultured in mixotrophic conditions.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the whole Chlorella cells are cultured in axenic mixotrophic conditions.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the whole Chlorella cells are cultured in non-axenic mixotrophic conditions.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the whole Chlorella cells have been subjected to a drying process or the whole Chlorella cells have not been subjected to a drying process.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the composition comprises phytohormones selected from: abscisic acid, abscisic acid metabolites, cytokinins, auxins, gibberellins, and any combination thereof.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the plant characteristic is selected from: seed germination rate, seed germination time, seedling emergence, seedling emergence time, seedling size, plant fresh weight, plant dry weight, utilization, fruit production, leaf production, leaf formation, thatch height, plant health, plant resistance to salt stress, plant resistance to heat stress, plant resistance to heavy-metal stress, plant resistance to drought, maturation time, yield, root length, root mass, color, insect damage, blossom end rot, softness, fruit quality, and sunburn.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the whole Chlorella cells are cultured in non-mixotrophic conditions.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the whole Chlorella cells are prepared through heterotrophy.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the whole Chlorella cells are prepared through phototrophy.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein the liquid treatment composition is supplemented with at least one of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in a concentration of at least 1% of the composition.

25. The method of claim 15 wherein the mixotrophic conditions comprises supplying an organic carbon source to the culture.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the organic carbon source is one of acetic acid and acetate and is supplied to the culture in a feed via a pH auxostat system.

27. The method of claim 15 wherein the mixotrophic conditions comprises culturing the whole Chlorella cells with a dissolved oxygen concentration of between 0.1-4 mg/L.

28. The method of claim 15 wherein the mixotrophic conditions comprises supplying light to the culture as an energy source.

29. A method of preparing a whole cell Chlorella liquid plant growth treatment composition that enhances a characteristic of a plant compared to a composition comprising non-pasteurized Chlorella cells, lacking the whole pasteurized Chlorella cells, comprising:
heating a culture comprising the whole Chlorella cells in a liquid culture medium at a temperature in the range of 50-90° C.; and
cooling the heated composition, wherein the heating and cooling steps pasteurize the whole Chlorella cells in the composition, making them suitable in the enhancement of a plant compared to a composition comprising non-pasteurized Chlorella cells, lacking the whole pasteurized Chlorella cells,
wherein the composition comprises phytohormones selected from: abscisic acid, abscisic acid metabolites, cytokinins, auxins, gibberellins, and any combination thereof.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising the step of adjusting the concentration of the whole Chlorella cells in the heated composition to be in the range of 5-30% whole Chlorella cells by weight.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein the composition is heated for a time period in the range of 15-360 minutes.

32. The method of claim 29 wherein the whole Chlorella cells are pasteurized in a culture having a concentration greater than 11% by weight of the whole Chlorella cells, at between 55-65° C. for between 90-150 minutes, and wherein the culture is then diluted to 10-11% whole Chlorella cells by weight and cooled to between 35-45° C.

33. The method of claim 30 further comprising the step of diluting the liquid composition to a concentration in the range of 0.001-0.400% whole Chlorella cells by weight.

34. The method of claim 30 further comprising the step of diluting the liquid composition to a concentration in the range of 1-150 mL/gallon.

35. The method of claim 29 further comprising the step of adjusting the composition to a pH in the range of 3-5.

36. The method of claim 29 further comprising the step of contacting the composition with a culture stabilizer suitable for plants, wherein the culture stabilizer is selected from: potassium sorbate, phosphoric acid, ascorbic acid, sodium benzoate, and any combination thereof.

37. The method of claim 29 wherein the heating and c

Assignees

• Heliae Dev Llc

Inventors

• Shinde Sandip
• Ventre Stephen
• Donowitz Nicholas
• Rohlfsen Michael
• Carney Laura

Classifications

• A01N65/00 Primary

  Biocides, pest repellants or attractants, or plant growth regulators containing material from algae, lichens, bryophyta, multi-cellular fungi or plants, or extracts thereof (containing compounds of determined constitution A01N27/00 - A01N59/00) · CPC title

• A01N63/00 Primary

  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 title

• A01N65/03

  Algae · CPC title

• C12N1/12

  Unicellular algae; Culture media therefor (as new plants A01H13/00) · CPC title

• A01N25/22

  containing ingredients stabilising the active ingredients · CPC title