Fungal endophytes for improved crop yields and protection from pests

摘要

The invention provides a synthetic combination of a crop and at least one fungal endophyte, wherein the crop is a host plant of the endophyte. Provided are also methods and compositions for producing such synthetic combinations. The endophyte reproduces and enhances the agronomic characteristics of the crop. Methods for inoculating the host plant with the endophyte, for propagating the host-endophyte combination, and for detecting the presence of the endophyte and of its metabolites within a host plant are also described.

主权项

1. A method for improving a trait in a cotton plant, the method comprising:
contacting a cotton a seed of said cotton plant with a formulation comprising purified filamentous, spore-forming, facultative fungal endophytes of at least one species, wherein the facultative fungal endophytes are Dothideomycetes capable of producing substances that are beneficial to plants or detrimental to pests or both, and are present in the formulation in an amount effective to decrease the colonization frequencies of endophytes of genus Alternaria that are native to the cotton plant and to provide a benefit to the cotton plant compared to a reference cotton plant grown from a seed untreated with the Dothideomycetes facultative fungal endophytes, wherein the benefit is selected from the group consisting of increased square retention, increased boll retention, increased biomass, increased root length, increased root mass, enhanced resistance to drought stress and increased yield.