Method of enhancing the metabolic function and the growing...

Details Method of enhancing the metabolic function and the growing... Method of enhancing the metabolic function and the growing...

1999-11-29

2001-06-05

Clardy, S. Mark (Department: 1616)

Plant protecting and regulating compositions

Plant growth regulating compositions

Inorganic active ingredient which contains boron, silicon,...

C504S188000, C504S319000, C504S320000, C504S326000, C504S350000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06242384

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods of enhancing the growing process of vegetables, preferably living vegetables, most preferably living plants and/or seeds, and in general the invention is applicable to several fields of plant growing such as extensive and intensive agriculture, biotechnology, forest engineering, horticulture and gardening. The invention involves the use of nitric oxide (NO) to improve, enhance and/or increase the crop performance during any of the stages in the crop culturing, including sowing, growth and development, flowering and fruit formation or during any process associated with culture handling, such as transplantation, rooting, and other activity that could involve or lead to stress conditions for the plants and seeds.
To the purpose of the present specification, all the times that reference is made to the application of the invention to plants it is meant that the invention is broadly and generically applied to vegetables and plants in their broadest definition, including vegetables, plants,stem cutting, plantlets and seeds, preferably in a living state.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that the nitric oxide (NO) is an endogenous free radical formed in a variety of cell types by NO-synthase. Several roles and applications have been described for NO in animals (Hibb et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 157: 87-94, 1988; Ignarro et al., Annu. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol. 30: 535-560, 1990 and Snyder, S. H. Science 257: 494, 1992).
Evidence has been reported to demonstrate that NO may also be part of the functional complexity in the plant kingdom, thus, some publications and works have been referred to this matter such as the accumulation of potato phytoalexins by application of a NO-releasing compound (Noritake et al., Plant Cell Physil. 37: 113-116, 1996); the presence of NO/cyclic guanylyl monophosphate (cGMP)-sensitive transduction pathway in potato (Pfeiffer et al., J. Endothelial Cell Res. Vol. 3, Abstract 66, 1995); and western blot analysis revealed positive immunoreactivity with rabbit anti-brain Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS) antibodies in pea embryonic axes and wheat germ (Sen et al., Biochem. Arch. 11: 221-227, 1995).
In senescing pea foliage NO emission was promoted by the addition of an ethylene precursor whereas in rapidly growing pea foliage three NO-releasing compounds inhibited expansion, this being suggested as a new pathway in the regulation of plant growth (Leshem et al., J. Plant Physiol. 148: 258-263, 1996).
The WO 99/15022 discloses a method for reducing the rate of deterioration of perishable horticultural produce by the use of NO. This method is applicable in fruit, vegetables and/or flowers during post-harvest handling, storage and marketing. This WO Document remarks that the application of nitric oxide at low concentrations has been found to reduce the production of ethylene by young, growing vegetative cells from epidermis and foliar cells.
Both toxic and protective activities for NO have been demonstrated in different cellular systems. Toxic effects have been predominantly observed at high NO concentrations, in human immunological system for example, where a high NO production also has been described (Filep et al., Blood 87: 5136-5143, 1997). On the other side, in systems where toxicity comes mainly from the generation of other free radicals, like reactive oxygen species, NO can provide protection against cellular damage. This is accomplished by NO ability to scavenge ROS and, therefore, end chain-propagate reactions (Wink et el., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90: 9813-9817, 1993). NO reduced cell death produced in several systems, especially when mediated by the Fenton reaction (Sergent et al., Hepathology 25: 122-127, 1997 and Yoshie et el., Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 342: 13-21, 1997). Moreover, NO preserves the level of chlorophyll and diminishes cell death in potato leaves infected by Phytophthora infestans (Laxalt et al., Europa J. Plant Pathol. 103: 643-651, 1997).
It would be therefore convenient to have a method, based in the application of nitric oxide, for enhancing the metabolic functions and growing process of plants and seeds that result in better developments and productions of plants, in the agricultural field, for example.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a method of enhancing the metabolic process and functions as well as the growing process and conditions of plants, also increasing the chlorophyll level and the dry matter of the plants, also the rooting of stem cutting, the process being based in contacting the plant with nitric oxide (NO). The method may be applied not only to plants but also to seeds with the purpose of enhancing the germination and facilitate the early developments of the plantlets.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method of enhancing the metabolic function and the growing conditions of plants, such as plants and stem cutting under culturing, plants and seeds under germination, wherein the dry matter and the productive yield of the plant is increased and the germinating capacity of the seed is enhanced, the method comprising the step of contacting the plant or the seed with nitric oxide or any NO-releasing chemical.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of enhancing the growing as well as the productive capacity of plants and seeds, capable of being applied to any kind of plant including such plants obtained under intensive or extensive culturing, in the agriculture area, or in green houses, the method being also applied to plants obtained under micro propagation techniques, plants obtained through stem cutting, transgenic plants, monocotyledons, dicotyledons and gymnosperms. The method is proper and recommended to be applied in plants cultured under stress conditions, such as low temperatures, soils having high salinity, lack of water, drought, infection by organisms, herbicides, etc.
It is even another object of the present invention to provide a method of enhancing the growing process, the resistance and productivity of plants and seeds by applying to the plants and seeds NO generated by compounds, compositions, etc., generally known as NO-releasing chemicals, wherein the NO is used preferably in concentrations between about 10 nM and about 1 &mgr;M and may be applied, either to plants or seeds, by several application techniques such as aspersion, fumigation, immersion, irrigation, soil fertilization, etc.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be better understood when taken in connection with the following description which is given as exemplary and no limitative.


REFERENCES:
J.B. Hibbs, Jr. et al.; Nitric Oxide: A cytotoxic Activated Macrophage Effector Molecule; Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, vol. 157, No. 1, Nov. 30, 1988, pp. 87-94.
L.J. Ignarro; Biosynthesis and Metabolism of Endothelium-derived Nitric Oxide; Annu. Rev. Pharmacol Toxicol, 1990, pp. 535-560.
S.H. Snyder; Nitric Oxide: First in a New Class of Neurotransmitters?; Science, vol. 257, Jul. 24, 1992; pp. 494-496.
T. Noritake, et al.; Nitric Oxide Induces Phytoalexin Accumulation in Potato Tuber Tissues; Plant Cel Physiol. 37(1) 1996; pp. 113-116.
S. Pheiffer, et al., Detection of Nitric Oxide-Sensitive Guanylyl Cyclase in Higher Plants; Journal of Endothelial Cell Research, Abstracts of the Fourth International Meeting of Biology of Nitric Oxide Sep. 17-21, 1995, p. 66.
S. Shukdeb et al.; Nitric Oxide Synthase and Calmodulin Immunoreactivity in Plant Embroyonic Tissue; Biochemical Archives, vol. 11, 1995; pp. 221-227.
Y.Leshem et al.; The Characterization and Contrasting Effects of the Nitric Oxide Free Radical in Vegetative Stress and Senescence ofPisum sativumLinn. Foliage; J. Plant Physiol. vol. 148 1996; pp. 258-263.
J. Filep et al.; Nitric Oxide Co-Operates with Hydrogen Peroxide in Inducing DNA Fragmentation and Cell Lysis in Murine Lymphoma Cells; Biochem. J. 321

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