Method for treatment and control of plant disease

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016309723-A1
Application number	US-201615174589-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 6, 2016
Priority date	Oct 19, 2012
Publication date	Oct 27, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods and compositions are provided for preventing or reducing symptoms or disease associated with Xylella fastidiosa or Xanthomonas axonopodis in a plant. The invention provides novel bacteriophages virulent to Xylella fastidiosa or Xanthomonas axonopodis , including XfaMija and XfaMijo, and further provides methods for treating or preventing Pierce's Disease or Citrus Canker in plants.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of preventing or reducing symptoms or disease associated with Xylella fastidiosa or Xanthomonas axonopodis in a plant, comprising contacting said plant with particles of at least one virulent bacteriophage, wherein Xylella fastidiosa and/or Xanthomonas axonopodis are hosts of the bacteriophage, wherein the bacteriophage belongs to the Myoviridae family.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said bacteriophage is capable of lysing said Xylella fastidiosa and/or Xanthomonas axonopodis bacteria.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said bacteriophage infects a cell by binding to a Type IV pilus.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said bacteriophage comprises a contractile tail with a capsid size ranging from 85 nm 95 nm in diameter.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the genomic size of said bacteriophage is about 190,000 bp to 230,000 bp.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said bacteriophage prevents or reduces symptoms associated with Pierce's Disease in a plant or plants.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein contacting comprises introducing the bacteriophage particles into the plant.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plant is selected from the group consisting of a grapevine plant, a citrus plant, almond, coffee, alfalfa, oleander, oak, sweetgum, redbud, elm, peach, apricot, plum, blackberry, mulberry, olive, and Chitalpa tashkentensis.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the bacteriophages are introduced into the plant by injection, by an insect vector, via the root system, by spray, by mist, or by dust on the plant.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the insect vector is a glassy winged sharpshooter.

11 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the number of said bacteriophage to be introduced into said plant is from 1 to 10 12 PFU/ml.

12 . The method of claim 7 , wherein said bacteriophage virulent to Xylella fastidiosa and Xanthomonas axonopodis species are introduced simultaneously or sequentially to the plant by a combination of two, three, four, five, or six virulent bacteriophage strains.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the virulent bacteriophage strains introduced simultaneously or sequentially to the plant is selected from Siphoviridae or Podoviridae bacteriophage.

14 . A method of preventing or reducing symptoms or disease associated with Xylella fastidiosa or Xanthomonas axonopodis in a plant, comprising contacting said plant with particles of at least one virulent bacteriophage, wherein Xylella fastidiosa and/or Xanthomonas axonopodis are hosts of the bacteriophage, wherein the bacteriophage have been deposited under ATCC Accession Numbers ATCC PTA-122743 and ATCC PTA-122742, or variants thereof.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the bacteriophage displays the following characteristics:
(a) the bacteriophage is capable of lysing said Xylella fastidiosa and/or Xanthomonas axonopodis bacteria; (b) the bacteriophage infects a cell by adsorption to a Type IV pilus; (c) the bacteriophage comprises a contractile tail with a capsid size ranging from 85 nm-95 nm in diameter; (d) the genomic size of the bacteriophage is about 190,000 bp to 230,000 bp; and (e) the bacteriophage prevents or reduces symptoms associated with Pierce's Disease in a plant or plants.

16 . A plant disease biocontrol composition formulated for delivery to a plant, the composition comprising at least one carrier, and at least one virulent bacteriophage which belongs to the Myoviridae family; wherein said bacteriophage is virulent to Xylella fastidiosa and Xanthomonas axonopodis species.

17 . The plant disease biocontrol composition of claim 16 , wherein said carrier is a non-naturally occurring carrier.

18 . The plant disease biocontrol composition of claim 16 , wherein said composition increases the virulence of said bacteriophage relative to the same bacteriophage in the absence of said composition.

19 . The plant disease biocontrol composition of claim 16 , wherein said composition maintains the virulence of said bacteriophage for a longer period of time relative to the same bacteriophage in the absence of said composition.

20 . The plant disease biocontrol composition of claim 16 , further comprising at least one additional bacteriophage isolate or type.

21 . The plant disease biocontrol composition of claim 16 , further defined as being formulated for introduction to a plant via injection, spraying, misting, or dusting.

22 . The plant disease biocontrol composition of claim 21 , further defined as being formulated for topical administration to a plant.

Assignees

• Texas A & M Univ Sys

Inventors

• Gonzalez Carlos F
• Ahern Stephen J
• Das Mayukh
• Young Iii Ryland F
• Bhowmick Tushar Surva

Classifications

• C12N2795/10331

  Uses of virus other than therapeutic or vaccine, e.g. disinfectant · CPC title

• C12N2795/10321

  Viruses as such, e.g. new isolates, mutants or their genomic sequences · CPC title

• C12N2795/10121

  Viruses as such, e.g. new isolates, mutants or their genomic sequences · CPC title

• C12N2795/10221

  Viruses as such, e.g. new isolates, mutants or their genomic sequences · CPC title

• C12N15/8281

  for bacterial resistance · CPC title