Methods of screening for microorganisms that impart beneficial properties to plants

Abstract

The invention relates to methods for the screening, identification and/or application of one or more microorganisms of use in imparting one or more beneficial properties to one or more plants.

1 .- 60 . (canceled) 
     
     
         61 . A method of increasing the biomass of plants of a cereal crop, the method comprising
 (a) growing a plurality of plants in a growth medium, in the presence of a first microbial consortium;   (b) selecting at least one plant from said plurality based upon a beneficial phenotypic trait exhibited by the plant relative to other plants of said plurality;   (c) acquiring a second microbial consortium from the at least one plant selected in step b);   (d) repeating steps (a) to (c) at least once, wherein the second microbial consortium acquired in step (c) is used as an inoculum in step (a) of any successive repeat;   (e) acquiring a final microbial consortium, wherein the final microbial consortium is enriched for Gammaproteobacterium microbes;   (f) applying a composition comprising at least one Gammaproteobacterium microbe from the final microbial consortium of (e) to a new plant, wherein the new plant is a species of cereal crop, and growing the new plant, wherein the new plant exhibits a greater biomass as compared to a control plant not associated with the at least one Gammaproteobacterium microbe.   
     
     
         62 . The method of  claim 61 , wherein the greater biomass is the result of improved nitrogen availability. 
     
     
         63 . The method of  claim 61 , wherein the second microbial consortium of (c) is obtained from root tissue of the at least one plant. 
     
     
         64 . The method of  claim 61 , wherein the at least one Gammaproteobacterium microbe of the composition of step (f) is substantially isolated and purified. 
     
     
         65 . The method of  claim 61 , wherein the cereal crop is maize. 
     
     
         66 . The method of  claim 61 , wherein the composition of step (f) further comprises a carrier, a wetting agent, a stabilizer, a preservative, and/or a nutrient. 
     
     
         67 . The method of  claim 66 , wherein the nutrient is a sugar. 
     
     
         68 . The method of  claim 61 , wherein the growth medium is soil. 
     
     
         69 . The method of  claim 61 , further comprising a non-Gammaproteobacterium microbe. 
     
     
         70 . The method of  claim 61 , wherein at least one Gammaproteobacterium microbe of (f) colonizes the root tissue of the cereal plant. 
     
     
         71 . The method of  claim 61 , wherein the composition of step (f) retains activity for at least four days at room temperature. 
     
     
         72 . The method of  claim 61 , wherein the composition of step (f) retains activity at a pH of about 6. 
     
     
         73 . The method of  claim 61 , wherein the at least one Gammaproteobacterium microbe of (f) is present at a concentration of at least about 10{circumflex over ( )}7 Colony Forming Units (CFU) per milliliter. 
     
     
         74 . A synthetic composition comprising at least one isolated Gammaproteobacterium microbe, a carrier, a sugar, and a preservative; wherein the synthetic composition retains activity at a storage temperature of about 25 degrees Celsius and a pH of about 6. 
     
     
         75 . The synthetic composition of  claim 74 , further comprising at least one additional microbe. 
     
     
         76 . The synthetic composition of  claim 75 , wherein the at least one additional microbe is another Gammaproteobacterium that is of a different genus.