Brachiaria-urochloa endophytes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9872502-B2
Application number	US-201214127786-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2012
Priority date	Jun 20, 2011
Publication date	Jan 23, 2018
Grant date	Jan 23, 2018

Abstract

The present invention relates to fungi of Acremonium spp, wherein said fungi are purified or isolated from plants of the Brachiaria - Urochloa complex and wherein, when said fungi are inoculated into a plant, said plant has improved resistance to diseases and/or pests relative to an uninocualated control plant. The present invention also relates to plants inoculated with such fungi, products produced by the fungi and related genes, proteins and methods.

First claim

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. A method of increasing resistance to pests and/or diseases in a plant, said method comprising the step of inoculating said plant with a fungi of Acremonium spp., wherein, when said fungus is inoculated into the plant, said plant has improved resistance to diseases and/or pests relative to an uninoculated control plant and wherein the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of said fungi has 99% or greater sequence identity with the internal transcribed spacer of Acremonium 9.2A or Acremonium 3.3A.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said increased resistance to pests and/or diseases is selected from the group consisting of insecticidal activity, insect repellent activity and antifungal activity.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said fungus is purified or isolated from a plant of the Brachiaria - Urochloa species complex.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein said plant of the Brachiaria - Urochloa complex is selected from the group consisting of Brachiaria brizantha, Brachiaria decumbens, Brachiaria humidicola and Urochloa mosambicensis.

5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein said fungus is isolated by a method including providing a plurality of samples of fungi;
subjecting said fungi to genetic analysis;
subjecting said fungi to metabolic analysis; and
selecting fungi having a desired genetic and metabolic profile.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein said method further includes the step of assessing geographic origin of the fungi and selecting fungi having a desired genetic and metabolic profile and a desired geographic origin.

7. The method according to claim 5 , wherein said genetic analysis includes detecting the presence or absence of polymorphic markers.

8. The method according to claim 3 , wherein said plant of the Brachiaria - Urochloa complex is selected from the group consisting of Brachiaria brizantha, Brachiaria decumbens, Brachiaria humidicola, Brachiaria stolonifera, Brachiaria ruziziensis, Urochloa brizantha, Urochloa decumbens, Urochloa humidicola, Urochloa mosambicensis, Brachiaria marlothii, Brachiaria nigropedata, Urochloa dictyoneura, Urochloa oligotricha, Urochloa panicoides, Brachiaria obtusiflora, Brachiaria serrifolia, Urochloa advena, Urochloa arrecta, Urochloa brachyura, Urochloa eminii, Urochloa mollis, Urochloa xantholeuca, Urochloa oligotricha, Urochloa panicoides, Urochloa plantaginea, Urochloa platynota and Urochloa xantholeuca.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said fungus is selected from the group consisting of Acremonium 9.2A, Acremonium 3.3A and Acremonium 5.1B.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inoculated plant is a grass species.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the inoculated plant is a forage, turf or bioenergy grass.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the inoculated plant is a member of the Brachiaria - Urochloa species complex.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the inoculated plant is a member of the genera Lolium or Festuca.

14. A method of increasing resistance to pests and/or diseases in a plant, said method comprising the step of inoculating said plant with a fungi of Acremonium spp., wherein, when said fungus is inoculated into the plant, said plant has improved resistance to diseases and/or pests relative to an uninoculated control plant and wherein the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of said fungi has 99% or greater sequence identity with the internal transcribed spacer of Acremonium 3.3A.

Assignees

• Spangenberg German Carlos
• Guthridge Kathryn Michaela
• Agriculture Victoria Serv Pty

Inventors

• Spangenberg German Carlos
• Guthridge Kathryn Michaela

Classifications

• A01N63/30

  Microbial fungi; Substances produced thereby or obtained therefrom · CPC title

• C12N9/0008

  acting on the aldehyde or oxo group of donors (1.2) · CPC title

• C12Y102/01009

  Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (NADP+) (1.2.1.9) · CPC title

• C07K14/37

  from fungi · CPC title

• A01N43/90

  having two or more relevant hetero rings, condensed among themselves or with a common carbocyclic ring system · CPC title