Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Whole live micro-organism – cell – or virus containing – Fungus
Patent
1996-09-23
1998-09-22
Naff, David M.
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Whole live micro-organism, cell, or virus containing
Fungus
424405, 424409, 435174, 435260, 435267, 435911, 4352541, A01N 6300, A01N 2500, C12N 1100, C12N 1116
Patent
active
058110909
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to biological control of plant diseases and concerns specifically new microorganisms belonging to the genus Nectria, as well as their use for controlling fungal infections in plants. The invention concerns also compositions comprising new strains of the genus Nectria and their use to said purpose. The invention provides also a method for screening effective control organisms from microbial strains isolated from soil.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Agricultural crops are afflicted with various fungal, bacterial and viral diseases as well as a number of insect pests. Many cultivation technical, chemical and biological control methods have been developed in order to control these. The purpose of such methods is to prevent the qualitative and quantitative crop losses caused by plant diseases and other pests.
In general the term biological control of plant diseases means the control of plant pathogens by other organisms, which can be called biological control agents (BCA). Products developed of BCA's are often called biopesticides. The mechanisms of the biological control of plant diseases do vary, and the effect is often based on the cooperative action of many different mechanisms. The control effect may be based on inhibitory metabolites produced by the control agent, sometimes it can parasitize the pathogen or compete with it for space and/or nutrients available.
The need of discovering new biological control agents has been increased by the fact that many of the traditional chemical control agents has turned out to be deleterious to the environment and human beings. A disadvantage of the chemicals is also the fact that many pests have become resistant to one or even a number of control agents. The development of resistance to biopesticides is instead improbable because the effect thereof is based on a number of mechanisms of different types. The chemicals usually effect faster and more effectively than biopesticides. Biopesticides for their part are often longer-acting than chemicals as their effect is based on a viable and reproducible microorganism.
The most important group of biopesticides are bacterial products directed against insects. Bioinsecticides based on the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis are the most commonly used. A biofungicide based on the actinomycete Streptomyces being effective against a number of soil-borne and seed-borne fungal diseases of plants is produced in Finland. A product which is able to prevent the spreading of Fomes root rot (caused by Heterobasidion annosum) in coniferous forests has been developed from a harmless wood rotting fungus Phlebia gigantea.
Bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas, especially of the species Pseudomonas fluorescens have been studied a lot and nowadays a great amount of P. fluorescens strains are known which have fungicidic activity. See e.g. published patent applications WO 92/18613, FI 92 1722 and WO 90/01327, as well as EP-patent 228 457.
While searching microorganisms suitable for biological control great amounts of microbial strains are usually screened for control activity or another certain property. Some screening methods have been described in patent publications.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,533 a three-step screening method is described where bacteria are first isolated from soil which contains plenty of spores of the deleterious fungus Pythium. In the second step the isolated bacteria are screened in a greenhouse by growing cereal seeds in soil containing a great amount of Pythium spores with suspension of each bacterium to be tested and (the control test) without it, and from this test those bacteria are selected in the presence of which the plants develop biggest leaves and grow also otherwise tallest. In the third step the selected bacteria are further selected in field in a similar test than the greenhouse test. Also at this step those bacteria are selected in the presence of which the plants grow best.
In the FI patent application No. 92 1722 on the other hand the following process is used.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4647533 (1987-03-01), Weller et al.
patent: 4748021 (1988-05-01), Chet et al.
patent: 4818530 (1989-04-01), Marois et al.
patent: 4996157 (1991-02-01), Smith et al.
patent: 5260302 (1993-11-01), Fattori et al.
Keskinen Milja Tuulikki
Lahdenpera Marja-Leena
Seiskari Pekka Tapani
Tahvonen Risto Tapio
Teperi Esa Petri
Kemira Agro Oy
Naff David M.
Ware Deborah K.
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