Plant seed assemblies comprising fungal/ bacterial antagonists

Abstract

A seed treated with a fungal/bacterial antagonist combination and a seed assembly comprising a seed and a fungal/bacterial antagonist combination. The fungal/bacterial antagonist combination comprises a Trichoderma virens fungal antagonist and a Bacillus amyloliquefaciens bacterial antagonist for controlling plant pathogens as a biocontrol agent, bio-pesticide or bio-fungicide. In preferred embodiments, the invention produces an increase in plant yield. Control of early and late season stalk and root rot caused by fungi such as Fusarium, Phythium, Phytophthora and Penicillium in tomatoes, peppers, turf grass, soybeans, sunflower, wheat and corn is achieved.

1 . A seed assembly made by combining a plant seed with a spore-forming  Bacillus amyloliquefaciens  bacterial antagonist and a spore-forming  Trichoderma virens  fungal antagonist to produce a combination;
 wherein the spore-forming  Trichoderma virens  fungal antagonist does not produce a substance that inhibits the growth of the spore-forming  Bacillus amyloliquefaciens  bacterial antagonist and the spore-forming  Bacillus amyloliquefaciens  bacterial antagonist does not produce a substance that inhibits the growth of the spore-forming  Trichoderma virens  fungal antagonist; and   wherein said spore forming antagonists are applied to said plant seed at a rate of no less than about 10,000 spore counts per plant seed;   wherein said combination suppresses growth of pathogenic plant fungi; and   wherein the composition is effective at increasing the manganese content of a plant grown from the plant seed.   
     
     
         2 . A seed assembly made by combining a plant seed with a  Trichoderma virens  fungal antagonist and a  Bacillus amyloliquefaciens  bacterial antagonist to produce a combination;
 wherein said combination suppresses growth of pathogenic plant fungi.   
     
     
         3 . The seed assembly of  claim 2  wherein the seed is a seed of a plant selected from the group consisting of:
 a monocot, and 
 a dicot. 
 
     
     
         4 . The seed assembly of  claim 2  wherein the seed is a seed of a plant selected from the group consisting of:
 a legume plant, and 
 a non-legume plant. 
 
     
     
         5 . The seed assembly of  claim 2  wherein the seed is a seed of a plant selected from the group consisting of:
 corn, 
 sunflower, 
 soybean, 
 field pea, and 
 wheat. 
 
     
     
         6 . A composition for application to a seed, said composition being made by combining:
 a spore-forming fungal isolate of  Trichoderma virens ; and   a spore-forming bacterial strain of  Bacillus amyloliquefaciens;      wherein the spore-forming fungal isolate is incapable of producing a substance that substantially inhibits the growth of the spore-forming bacterial strain and the spore-forming bacterial strain is incapable of producing a substance that substantially inhibits the growth of the spore-forming fungal isolate; and   wherein the composition is effective at increasing the yield of a plant grown from the seed to which the composition has been applied.   
     
     
         7 . The composition of  claim 6  wherein the composition is effective at increasing the manganese content of the plant. 
     
     
         8 . A seed assembly made by combining a plant seed with a spore-forming bacterial antagonist and a spore-forming fungal antagonist to produce a combination;
 wherein the spore-forming fungal antagonist does not produce a substance that inhibits the growth of the spore-forming bacterial antagonist and the spore-forming bacterial antagonist does not produce a substance that inhibits the growth of the spore-forming fungal antagonist; and   wherein said combination suppresses growth of pathogenic plant fungi.   
     
     
         9 . The seed assembly of  claim 8  wherein the seed is a seed of a plant selected from the group consisting of:
 a monocot, and 
 a dicot. 
 
     
     
         10 . The seed assembly of  claim 8  wherein the seed is a seed of a plant selected from the group consisting of:
 a legume plant, and 
 a non-legume plant. 
 
     
     
         11 . The seed assembly of  claim 8  wherein the seed is a seed of a plant selected from the group consisting of:
 corn, 
 sunflower, 
 soybean, 
 field pea, and 
 wheat. 
 
     
     
         12 . A seed assembly made by combining a plant seed with a spore-forming bacterial antagonist and a spore-forming fungal antagonist to produce a combination;
 wherein the spore-forming fungal antagonist is free of a substance that inhibits the growth of the spore-forming bacterial antagonist and the spore-forming bacterial antagonist is free of produce a substance that inhibits the growth of the spore-forming fungal antagonist; and   wherein said combination suppresses growth of pathogenic plant fungi.   
     
     
         13 . The seed assembly of  claim 12  wherein said spore forming antagonists are applied to said plant seed at a rate of no less than about 10,000 spore counts per plant seed. 
     
     
         14 . The seed assembly of  claim 12  wherein said spore forming antagonists are applied to said plant seed at a rate of at least 100,000 spore counts per plant seed. 
     
     
         15 . The seed assembly of  claim 12  further comprising:
 a wettable clay based powder, a dextrose granule or powders, a sucrose granules or powder or a maltose-dextrose granule or powder. 
 
     
     
         16 . The seed assembly of  claim 12  further comprising:
 a carrier that is non-phytotoxic, non-bacteriostatic, and non-bactericidal. 
 
     
     
         17 . The seed assembly of  claim 12  wherein said plant seed selected from the group consisting of a corn seed, a sunflower seed, a soybean seed, a field pea seed, a wheat seed, a cotton seed, a barley seed, an oat seed, a millet seed, and an alfalfa seed.