Method for increasing the vigor and/or crop yield of agricultural plants under essentially non-existent pathogen pressure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9993004-B2
Application number	US-201514662179-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 18, 2015
Priority date	May 6, 2009
Publication date	Jun 12, 2018
Grant date	Jun 12, 2018

Abstract

A method for increasing the vigor and/or crop yield of agricultural plants under essentially non-existent pathogen pressure, wherein the plants, the plant propagules, the seed of the plants and/or the locus where the plants are growing or are intended to grow are treated with an effective amount of a composition comprising a) the Bacillus subtilis strain with NRRL Accession No. B-21661 or a cell-free extract thereof, and/or a mutant of this strain or extract having all the identifying characteristics of the respective strain or extract as component (I), and b) optionally at least one chemical compound as component (II), selected from the active compound groups A) to J): A) strobilurins; B) carboxamides; C) azoles; D) heterocyclic compounds; E) carbamates; F) other active substances; G) growth regulators; H) herbicides; J) insecticides.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for increasing the vigor and/or crop yield of agricultural plants,
wherein the plants, the plant propagules, the seed of the plants and/or the locus where the plants are growing or are intended to grow are treated with an effective amount of a composition comprising the Bacillus subtilis strain with NRRL Accession No. B-21661, a mutant of this strain having all the identifying characteristics of the strain, or a cell-free extract thereof; and
wherein pathogen pressure is non-existent.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the increased yield is characterized by increased plant weight, increased plant height, increased biomass, higher grain yield, more tillers, larger leaves, increased shoot growth, increased protein content, increased oil content, increased starch content, and/or increased pigment content.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plants, the plant propagules, the seed of the plants and/or the locus where the plants are growing or are intended to grow are treated with an effective amount of a composition comprising the Bacillus subtilis strain with NRRL Accession No. B-21661.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein treatment with the Bacillus subtilis strain with NRRL Accession No. B-21661, mutant of this strain having all the identifying characteristics of the strain or cell-free extract thereof results in an increase in vigor and/or crop yield in the agricultural plants;
wherein the yield of a product of the plants is increased by at least 5% over the yield of the same product of the plants without application of the composition.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the composition comprising the Bacillus subtilis strain with NRRL Accession No. B-21661, mutant of this strain having all the identifying characteristics of the strain or cell-free extract thereof increases the vigor and/or crop yield of agricultural plants independently of the pesticidal action of the composition.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the seed is treated.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the application is carried out as in-furrow and/or foliar treatment.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a repeated application is carried out.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the Bacillus subtilis strain with NRRL Accession No. B-21661, mutant of this strain having all the identifying characteristics of the strain or cell-free extract thereof is applied during the Pre-harvest interval.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the agricultural plant is selected from soybean, corn, wheat, triticale, barley, oat, rye, rape, millet, rice, sunflower, cotton, sugar beet, pome fruit, stone fruit, citrus, banana, strawberry, blueberry, almond, grape, mango, papaya, peanut, potato, tomato, pepper, cucurbit, cucumber, melon, watermelon, garlic, onion, broccoli, carrot, cabbage, bean, dry bean, canola, pea, lentil, alfalfa, trefoil, clover, flax, elephant grass, grass, lettuce, sugarcane, tea, tobacco and coffee; each in its natural or genetically modified form.

11. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the yield of the product of the plants is increased by at least 10% over the yield of the same product of the plants without application of the composition.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a commercially available formulation of the Bacillus subtilis strain is used.

13. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the increased yield is characterized by higher grain yield.

14. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the increased yield is characterized by increased plant height.

15. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the increased yield is characterized by increased plant weight.

16. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the increased yield is characterized by increased plant biomass.

Assignees

• Bayer Cropscience Lp

Inventors

• Frank Markus
• Silva David Ernest

Classifications

• A01N47/30

  Derivatives containing the group >N—CO—N aryl or >N—CS—N—aryl · CPC title

• A01N59/20

  Copper · CPC title

• A01N55/02

  containing metal atoms · CPC title

• A01N43/653 Primary

  1,2,4-Triazoles; Hydrogenated 1,2,4-triazoles · 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