Methods for controlling plant pathogens using N-phosphonomethylglycine

Abstract

The present invention relates to compositions and methods for disease control in plants. The compositions for use in the methods of the invention include glyphosate as the active compound. In addition, methods and compositions are disclosed to prevent and treat pest infection in glyphosate tolerant plants.

1 . A method of controlling a plant pathogen induced disease in a glyphosate tolerant crop plant comprising, 
 identifying said crop, other than wheat, in need of disease control; and    contacting said crop with an effective amount of a composition having glyphosate, whereby said disease of said crop induced by said plant pathogen is controlled.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said plant pathogen is a fungal pathogen and comprises a glyphosate sensitive 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said fungal pathogen is selected from the group consisting of an obligate parasite, a facultative parasite and a facultative saprophyte.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said obligate parasite is selected from the group consisting of Uredinales, Ustilaginales, Erysiphales, and Oomycetes.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said crop is selected from the group consisting of forage crop, oilseed crop, grain crop, fruit crop, vegetable crop, fiber crop, spice crop, nut crop, turf crop, sugar crop, beverage crop, and forest crop.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said composition comprising glyphosate is contacted with said crop pre-infection of said crop by said plant pathogen.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said composition comprising glyphosate is contacted with said crop post-infection of said crop by said plant pathogen.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said effective amount of said composition having glyphosate yields a concentration of glyphosate in a plant pathogen susceptible tissue of said plant from about 0.1 ppm to about 10 ppm.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein said tissue is a leaf, vascular tissue, flower, root, stem, tuber, seed, or fruit.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said crop comprises an exogenous nucleic acid molecule encoding a peptide that confers tolerance to glyphosate.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein said peptide is a 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase that is resistant to glyphosate.  
   
   
       12 . A method of controlling weeds and plant pathogen induced disease in a field of glyphosate tolerant crop plants, said method comprising, 
 applying a first composition comprising a first glyphosate composition comprising an effective amount to control said weeds; and    applying a second composition comprising an effective amount of a second glyphosate composition, whereby said second composition controls said disease of said crop plants.    
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein said first and said second compositions are applied at different times.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein said second composition comprises a fungicide compound.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein said second composition is applied to the crop pre-infection by the plant pathogen, whereby said second composition prevents establishment of an infection site by said pathogen.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein said second composition is applied to the crop post-infection by the plant pathogen, whereby said second composition treats an infection to prevent crop loss due to disease.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein said plant pathogen is a fungal pathogen selected from the group consisting of an obligate parasite, a facultative parasite and a facultative saprophyte.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said obligate parasite is selected from the group consisting of Uredinales, Ustilaginales, Erysiphales, and Oomycetes.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein said effective amount of glyphosate is sufficient to yield a concentration of glyphosate in a plant pathogen susceptible tissue of said crop of from about 0.1 ppm to about 10 ppm.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein said tissue is a leaf, vascular tissue, flower, root, stem, tuber, seed, or fruit.  
   
   
       21 . A method of controlling weeds and a plant pest in a field of glyphosate tolerant crop plants, other than wheat, said method comprising, 
 applying a glyphosate composition comprising a pesticidal composition comprising an effective amount to control said weeds and said plant pest.    
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein said plant pest is a plant pathogen.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein said plant pathogen is a fungal pathogen selected from the group consisting of an obligate parasite, a facultative parasite and a facultative saprophyte.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein said obligate parasite is selected from the group consisting of Uredinales, Ustilaginales, Erysiphales, and Oomycetes.  
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein said effective amount of glyphosate is sufficient to yield a concentration of glyphosate in a plant pathogen susceptible tissue of said crop plant of from about 0.1 ppm to about 10 ppm.  
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein said tissue is a leaf, vascular tissue, flower, root, stem, tuber, seed, or fruit.  
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein said glyphosate tolerant crop plant selected from the group consisting of Roundup Ready® Cotton 1445 and 88913; Roundup Ready® corn GA21, nk603, MON802, MON809; Roundup Ready® Sugarbeet GTSB77 and H7-1; Roundup Ready® Canola RT73 and GT200; oilseed rape ZSR500, Roundup Ready® Soybean 40-3-2, Roundup Ready® Bentgrass ASR368, Roundup Ready® alfalfa J-101 and J-163, and Roundup Ready® potato RBMT22-082.  
   
   
       28 . A method of increasing the yield of a crop, said method comprising, 
 growing a crop having an exogenous nucleic acid molecule encoding a polypeptide, wherein said polypeptide confers plant tolerance to glyphosate; and    identifying said crop as in need of disease control; and    applying a composition comprising glyphosate to said crop to control said disease; and    harvesting from said crop, a tissue, wherein said increase in yield is due to the control of the disease by the action of the glyphosate composition.    
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein said harvest is increased about 5% compared to an untreated diseased crop of the same cultivar.  
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein said harvest is increased about 10% compared to an untreated diseased crop of the same cultivar.  
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein said harvest is increased about 20% compared to an untreated diseased crop of the same cultivar.  
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein said crop plant is selected from the group consisting of forage crop, oilseed crop, grain crop, fruit crop, vegetable crop, fiber crop, spice crop, nut crop, turf crop, sugar crop, beverage crop, and forest crop.  
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein said exogenous nucleic acid molecule encodes a 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase that is resistant to glyphosate.  
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein said tissue is selected from the group consisting of seeds, fruits, grain, bolls, leaves, roots, stems, and tubers.  
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein a source leaf of is protected from disease symptoms.  
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein a vascular tissue is protected from disease symptoms.  
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein a stem tissue is protected from disease symptoms.  
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the root is protected from disease symptoms.  
   
   
       39 . A method for treating leaf rust disease in a soybean plant comprising, 
 identifying a soybean plant as being infected with a rust pathogen; and    applying a composition having glyphosate to said soybean plant or portion thereof, whereby said composition results in said infection being controlled.    
   
   
       40 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein said composition comprises a fungicide.  
   
   
       41 . A method for preventing leaf rust disease in a soybean plant comprising, 
 identifying a soybean plant as being at risk of infection by a rust pathogen; and    applying a composition having glyphosate to said soybean plant, whereby the infection is prevented in said soybean plant by said rust pathogen.    
   
   
       42 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein said composition comprises a fungicide.  
   
   
       43 . A method for treating leaf rust disease in a corn plant comprising, 
 identifying a corn plant as being infected with a rust pathogen; and    applying a composition having glyphosate to said corn plant or portion thereof, whereby said composition results in said infection being controlled.    
   
   
       44 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein said composition comprises a fungicide.  
   
   
       45 . A method for preventing leaf rust disease in a corn plant comprising, 
 identifying a corn plant as being at risk of infection by a rust pathogen; and    applying a composition having glyphosate to said corn plant, whereby the infection is prevented in said corn plant.    
   
   
       46 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein said composition comprises a fungicide.  
   
   
       47 . A method for treating a wilt disease in a cotton plant comprising, 
 identifying a cotton plant as being infected with vascular wilt pathogen; and    applying a composition having glyphosate to said cotton plant or portion thereof, whereby said composition results in said infection being controlled.    
   
   
       48 . The method of  claim 47 , wherein said composition comprises a fungicide.  
   
   
       49 . A method for preventing a wilt disease in a cotton plant comprising, 
 identifying a cotton plant as being at risk of infection by vascular wilt pathogen; and    applying a composition having glyphosate to said cotton plant, whereby the infection is prevented in said cotton plant.    
   
   
       50 . The method of  claim 49 , wherein said composition comprises a fungicide.  
   
   
       51 . An admixture of a glyphosate compound and a plant pest control compound for use on a glyphosate tolerant crop plant to prevent or control plant damage caused by a plant pest on said crop, wherein said admixture is applied to said crop at a dose less than that normally applied for said glyphosate compound or said pest control compound.  
   
   
       52 . The admixture of  claim 51 , wherein the pest control compound is a systemic or a contact fungicide compound.  
   
   
       53 . The admixture of  claim 51 , wherein said fungicide compound is selected from the group consisting of members of the chemical groups strobilurins, triazoles, chloronitriles, carboxamides and mixtures thereof.  
   
   
       54 . The admixture of clam  52 , wherein said pest control compound is an insecticide.  
   
   
       55 . A container of a mixture of glyphosate compound and a pest control compound, wherein said container has a volume of at least 0.5 liters.  
   
   
       56 . The container of  claim 55 , wherein said pest control compound is a fungicide compound.  
   
   
       57 . The container of  claim 55 , wherein said pest control compound is an insecticide compound.  
   
   
       58 . The container of  claim 55 , wherein said container comprises an instruction means for use of said mixture.  
   
   
       59 . A method to reduce the residues of a glyphosate compound and a fungicide compound in a crop plant tissue and in an environmental comprising, 
 formulating an admixture of the compounds; and    applying to said crop plant a dose that is less than the dose normally applied to said crop plant of each compound, wherein the treated crop plant is protected from crop losses due to fungal disease, and the glyphosate and fungicide residues in said plant or said environment are reduced.    
   
   
       60 . A method to reduce fungal resistance to a fungicide comprising, 
 providing an admixture of a glyphosate compound and a fungicide compound; and treating a crop plant that is susceptible to a fungal plant pathogen, wherein the compounds have different modes of action to prevent or reduce fungal disease in said plant.    
   
   
       61 . A method for controlling a fungal disease in a glyphosate tolerant crop plant, other than wheat, comprising, treatment of the crop plant comprising plant cells with a glyphosate composition, wherein a chemical exchange occurs between the plant cell and a fungal pathogen cell allowing movement of the glyphosate into the fungal cell from the plant cell, and the fungal cell contains a glyphosate sensitive a 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase.  
   
   
       62 . The method of  claim 61 , wherein the glyphosate composition comprises a plant systemic fungicide.  
   
   
       63 . A method to control a fungal disease in a glyphosate tolerant crop plant comprising treatment of said crop plant with an effective dose of a glyphosate formulation that comprises adjuvants that enhance the uptake and efficacy of glyphosate selected from the group consisting of polyoxyalkylene alkylamines, polyoxyalkylene alkylammonium salts, polyoxyalkylene alkylamine oxides, polyoxyalkylene tertiary and quaternary etheramines, polyoxyalkylene etheramine oxides, mono- and di- (polyoxyalkylene alcohol) phosphates, polyoxyalkylene alkylethers, polyoxyethylene coco and tallow amines, polyoxyethylene C 8-18  alkyl oxypropyl amines, polyoxyethylene C 16-22  alkylethers and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       64 . A kit for controlling pathogens on a glyphosate tolerant crop, other than wheat, comprising, 
 a composition comprising glyphosate, and    an instruction means for applying said composition in a first application to control weeds and a second application to said crop to control a plant pathogen.    
   
   
       65 . The kit of  claim 64 , wherein said instruction means is selected from the group consisting of written instructions, audio instructions, pictorial instructions and video instructions.