Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Whole live micro-organism – cell – or virus containing – Bacteria or actinomycetales
Patent
1998-01-09
1999-10-19
Saucier, Sandra E.
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Whole live micro-organism, cell, or virus containing
Bacteria or actinomycetales
4352535, 435277, 435898, A01N 6300, C12N 120, D21C 100
Patent
active
059685034
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to new strains of Streptomyces bacteria that are capable of inhibiting the growth of soil borne plant pathogens and enhancing plant growth while also degrading turf thatch.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Fungal phytopathogens are a cause of severe economic losses in the agricultural and horticultural industries. Many different types of fungal phytopathogens have been described: these pathogens cause plant diseases such as damping-off, white-rot, brown-rot and root-rot. Such diseases can kill emerging seedlings, reduce plant vigor and adversely affect crop yields.
To minimize fungal infections, bedding-plant nurseries may grow seedlings in steam sterilized or chemically treated soils. However, such treatments also remove beneficial microorganisms from the soil, including microorganisms that would normally compete with soil fungi. In such cases, if a fungal pathogen is accidentally introduced, it may spread rapidly and produce widespread disease.
In agricultural settings, soils infested with phytopathogenic fungi may be unsuitable for growing certain crops. For example, soybean production in Michigan and in other soybean growing states is often severely limited by Phytophthora root rot caused by the fungus Phytophera megasperma (Filinow and Lockwood, 1985). Species of Pythium fungi are widespread in soils in parts of California, Washington State and Idaho. Pythium ultimum is the most common pathogenic species encountered and is associated with pre- and post-emergence damping-off of seedlings. This species is a serious pathogen of wheat, peas and chickpeas and other crop plants grown in these soils and in soils in other states and other countries (Trapero-Casas et al., 1990; Stanghellini and Hancock, 1970; Kraft and Burke, 1971; Westerlund et al., 1988). The use of chemical agents to control fungal phytopathogens is often not practical due to high costs, lack of efficacy and the emergence of resistant strains of the fungi. Additionally, the use of chemical fungicides is not desirable from an environmental viewpoint.
It is an object of the present invention to provide new biological control means of reducing fungal pathogen infection of plants. It is also an object of this invention to simultaneously provide new means for the biological degradation of turf thatch.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The foregoing object has been achieved by the isolation of a number of actinomycete bacteria that are shown to be effective in both inhibiting the growth of fungal phytopathogens and in degrading turf thatch. In particular, three of the isolated actinomycete bacteria, herein named Streptomyces WYEC 108, Streptomyces WYE 53 and Streptomyces YCED 9, are shown to exhibit strong antagonism towards a wide range of fungal plant pathogens, including pathogens that cause the plant diseases commonly known as damping-off, root rot, white rot and brown rot. Biologically pure cultures of Streptomyces YCED 9 and Streptomyces WYE 53 are one aspect of the present invention.
Streptomyces YCED 9 and Streptomyces WYE 53 are also shown to be effective in degrading turf thatch, the dead and dying grassy stem material that accumulates in turf. As a result of their ability to metabolize thatch as a carbon source, YCED 9 and WYE 53 are well suited to growth and persistence in the rhizosphere of plants. Such growth also allows optimal biocontrol activity.
The present invention sets forth various compositions suitable for treating plant seeds or plant roots with Streptomyces YCED 9 or WYE 53. Such compositions are useful to reduce the susceptibility of plants to fungal infection, to prevent fungal infection and to reduce the accumulation of turf thatch.
In one embodiment, such compositions comprise a biologically pure culture of Streptomyces YCED 9 or a biologically pure culture of Streptomyces WYE 53 and a delivery medium. The combination of Streptomyces WYE 53 and YCED 9 is shown to produce a superior thatch-degrading ability than the individual strains under certain conditions. Thus, another
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Idaho Research Foundation Inc.
Saucier Sandra E.
Vera Afremova
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