Composition and methods for reducing corn-on-corn yield penalty

Abstract

Planting corn in one or more consecutive growing seasons in the same fields causes a yield reduction (“corn-on-corn yield penalty”). We developed methods and inoculants comprising Penicillium bilaii, to reduce corn-on-corn yield penalty. The disclosure covers the inoculants and methods for reducing corn-on-corn yield penalty.

1 . A method comprising:
 a. applying an inoculant comprising  Penicillium bilaii  to a population of corn plants, corn seeds, soil, or a combination thereof, in need of a reduction of a corn-on-corn yield penalty; and   b. growing or planting said population in need thereof in a field, wherein said population is grown in said field in a growing season immediately following at least one planting of corn plants in said field.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said  Penicillium bilaii  is at least 75% identical to a deposited strain on the basis of 16S rDNA sequence identity, wherein said deposited strain is selected from the group consisting of ATCC 20851, NRRL 50169, ATCC 22348, ATCC 18309, NRRL 50162, NRRL 50776, NRRL 50777, NRRL 50778, NRRL 50779, NRRL 50780, NRRL 50781, NRRL 50782, NRRL 50783, NRRL 50784, NRRL 50785, NRRL 50786, NRRL 50787, NRRL 50788, RS7B-SD1, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said  Penicillium bilaii  strains are NRRL 50169 and NRRL 50162. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said inoculant further comprises a  Penicillium  fungus selected from the group consisting of  P. albidum, P. aurantiogriseum, P. chrysogenum, P. citreonigrum, P. citrinum, P. digitatum, P. frequentas, P. fuscum, P. gaestrivorus, P. glabrum, P. griseofulvum, P. implicatum, P. janthinellum, P. lilacinum, P. minioluteum, P. montanense, P. nigricans, P. oxalicum, P. pinetorum, P. pinophilum, P. purpurogenum, P. radicans, P. radicum, P. raistrickii, P. rugulosum, P. simplicissimum, P. solitum, P. variabile, P. velutinum, P. viridicatum, P. glaucum, P. fussiporus , and  P. expansum.    
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said inoculant further comprises an agronomically acceptable carrier. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said inoculant comprises an amount from 1.0×10 6  to 1.0×10 11  colony forming units (cfu) per hectare. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said inoculant comprises an amount from 1.0×10 6  to 1.0×10 8  cfu per pound of corn seeds. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said inoculant further comprises at least 1.0×10 2  cfu per seed of a second microorganism, a pesticide, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein said second microorganism is selected from the group consisting of:
 bacteria from the genera  Rhizobium , selected from the group consisting of  R. cellulosilyticum, R. daejeonense, R. etli, R. galegae, R. gallicum, R. giardinii, R. hainanense, R. huautlense, R. indigoferae, R. leguminosarum, R. loessense, R. lupini, R. lusitanum, R. meliloti, R. mongolense, R. miluonense, R. sullae, R. tropici, R. undicola , and  R. yanglingense;      bacteria from the genera  Bradyrhizobium , selected from the group consisting of  B. bete, B. canariense, B. elkanii, B. iriomotense, B. japonicum, B. jicamae, B. liaoningense, B. pachyrhizi , and  B. yuanmingense;      bacteria from the genera  Azorhizobium , selected from the group consisting of  A. caulinodans  and  A. doebereinerae;      bacteria from the genera  Sinorhizobium , selected from the group consisting of  S. abri, S. adhaerens, S. americanum, S. aboris, S. fredii, S. indiaense, S. kostiense, S. kummerowiae, S. medicae, S. meliloti, S. mexicanus, S. morelense, S. saheli, S. terangae , and  S. xinjiangense;      bacteria from the genera  Mesorhizobium , selected from the group consisting of  M. albiziae, M. amorphae, M. chacoense, M. ciceri, M. huakuii, M. loti, M. mediterraneum, M. pluifarium, M. septentrionale, M. temperatum , and  M. tianshanense ; and combinations thereof.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said application of said inoculant is selected from the group consisting of:
 coating said corn seeds with said inoculant prior to planting,   applying said inoculant to said soil of said field prior to planting,   applying said inoculant to said soil of said field at planting,   applying said inoculant to said soil of said field after planting,   applying said inoculant to foliage of said population of corn plants growing in said field, and any combination thereof.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises application of a source of phosphorus to soil of said field. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 a. the yield of said corn grown in said field with said inoculant is at least 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%, 11%, 12%, 13%, 14%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 100%, 125%, 150%, 175%, 200%, 250%, 300%, or more than a yield of corn grown in a comparable field after one or more consecutive corn plantings without said inoculant, or   b. where said corn-on-corn yield penalty is less than 20, 21, 22, 23, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 35, 40, 45, or 50 bushels/acre.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said field in which corn was grown during a growing season that immediately precedes planting of said corn seeds was not fallow in any of the two growing seasons that immediately preceded planting of said corn seeds. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said field is not intercropped in any one of the previous two, three, four, or five consecutive growing seasons. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said population of corn plants or corn seeds are further treated with a fertilizer. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said population of corn plants are further treated with a composition selected from the group consisting of a fungicide, herbicide, insecticide, acaricide, nematicide, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said corn seeds are treated with a composition selected from the group consisting of cyantraniliprole, thiamethoxam, clothianidin, imidacloprid, sedaxane, azoxystrobin, fludioxonil, metalaxyl, mefenoxam, thiabenzole, prothioconazole, fluoxastrobin, fluxapyroxad, fluopyram, pyraclostrobin, VOTiVO™, lipo-chitooligosaccharides (LCO),  Bradyrhizobium japonicum , and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises applying one or more compositions selected from the group consisting of:
 one or more agronomically beneficial elements to the soil,   one or more agronomically beneficial elements to the seed,   one or more agronomically beneficial elements to the plant that germinates from the seed,   one or more LCO,   one or more chitooligosaccharides,   one or more chitinous compounds,   one or more isoflavonoids,   jasmonic acid or a derivative thereof,   linolenic acid or a derivative thereof,   linoleic acid or a derivative thereof,   one or more karrakins,   one or more pesticides,   one or more fertilizers, and   any combination of the above compositions.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises a microbe selected from the group consisting of the genera  Rhizobium, Acinetobacter, Arthrobacter, Arthrobotrys, Aspergillus, Azospirillum, Bacillus, Burkholderia, Chryseomonas, Enterobacter, Eupenicillium, Exiguobacterium, Klebsiella, Kluyvera, Microbacterium, Mucor, Paecilomyces, Paenibacillus, Pseudomonas, Serratia, Stenotrophomonas, Streptomyces, Streptosporangium, Swaminathania, Thiobacillus, Torulospora, Vibrio, Xanthobacter , and  Xanthomonas.    
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein one or more characteristics of plant growth such as plant height, plant weight, number of cobs, cob weight, kernel number, kernel weight, and date to maturity, are enhanced by at least 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 100%, 125%, 150%, 175%, 200%, 250%, 300%, or more.