MXPA99004920A - Agricultural compositions containing bacteria - Google Patents

Abstract

An agriculturally effective active ingredient is applied to plant foliage before, after, or simultaneously with an enhancer component containing a substantially pure bacterial culture, suspension, spores, or cells of a bacteria selected from the genus Bacillus or a soil bacteria.

Description

AGRICULTURAL COMPOSITIONS CONTAINING BACTERIA FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to the treatment of plants with a composition containing an agriculturally effective active ingredient and a flattening additive containing a culture of substantially pure bacteria selected from the genus Bacillus or a soil bacterium. The added culture may be in the form of a cell, spores or suspensions. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Manufacturers of chemical compounds for agriculture always seek ways to -improve the efficacy of the active ingredients used in plants. This is particularly true in cases where the applied material is a regulator of plant growth (growth-weakening or growth-promoting), herbicide or systemic agent (eg, insecticide or "fungicide") The transport mechanisms within the plant and of translocation between the various tissues of the plant are important and, in some In the case of some active ingredients, an improvement in the transport mechanism could translate into better performance at current application rates, the need for a less active ingredient. , or the ability to treat new species that were previously resistant to the active ingredient. "" "Mepicuat-chloride is an active ingredient in which" the absorption of the plant and its transport are important. of N, N-dimethylpiperidinium) is used annually as the active ingredient to weaken the growth of the vegetative cotton plant and increase retention of fruits in millions of acres of cotton. Mepicuat-chloride also has certain uses in potatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts, grapes, corn, wheat, citrus fruits, tomatoes, and onions. The mepicuat-chloride has the effect on the cotton plants of weakening the vegetative growth, forcing the plant to redirect its energies to the production of fruits (cotton capsule). With the proper application of mepicuat-chloride in plants that begin to show excessive vegetative growth, the yield of cotton plant can be maintained or increased without damage to the plant. The effects of weakening growth are particularly desired when the crop is grown in fertile soil or after climatic conditions that favor the growth of the plant rather than the production of the fruit.

Cotton plants have a life cycle and a foreseeable growth period. Cotton plants emerge 7-10 days after the seeds are planted in a furrow. The cotton plant shows growth of a root system and the extension of the height of the plant through the growth of the stem and the branch in a pattern called vegetative accretion approximately until the 4th to 8th spadix. Thereafter, the plant produces a reproductive branch (the first fruitful), and all the posterior branches are reproductive. The cotton growers try to control the growth of the plant to ensure that the proportion of vegetative growth in relation to reproductive growth (cotton production) favors the desired range of reproductive growth. Cotton harvesters usually prefer to see about 2 inches (5 cm) between the spadices of the main stem. This ratio represents a balance between too much reproductive growth (cotton production) that can cause plant growth to be faster than the rate of vegetative growth and end before yield is maximized, and too much vegetative growth that reduces the number of mature cotton growers. The cotton plants that have directed most of the available plant energy to vegetative growth are called Ade ranges and produce cotton plants that mature later and are vulnerable to extremes of climate for longer periods of time. Cotton that shows signs of becoming Ade rows is easily visible because of the abnormal height of the plant in relation to the cotton loads and the number of spadices of the main reproductive stem. Mepicuat-chloride is used to prevent the cotton from becoming Ade rows by modifying the growth characteristics of the cotton plant. The branches of the main stem usually extend always to alternate sides. Each place on the branch is called Aespádices forming 5-7 spadices above the cotyledon leaves before the first fruitful branch with true leaves forms. The counting of spadices begins at the bottom of the plant and extends up the main stem. The elongation between spadices is the distance between the places of the branch where a new spadix is being formed approximately every three days. For measurement and comparison purposes, the number of spadices and the length between spadices above the spadix 8 are generally used to eliminate the variations of fruit spadices between plants because the fruitful branches will necessarily have formed towards the spadix 8. The count of fruitful spadices is therefore initiated , conventionally, from the first reproductive spadix, usually the number 7 or the number 8. The fruitful places in the cotton are called Acuadros = .- - Each fruitful branch will form from 1 to 6 fruitful places (Acuadros =), normally some 3, with approximately six days between the frame formations in each branch. The new frames and the beginning of the reproductive growth in the cotton plants are called Ade Adeps head due to their barely visible size. After about 5 to 10 days, the painting has grown to a size equal to the head of a match and is a period in the life cycle of the plant called Match Head Match. - The phosphorus head chart continues to grow to the size of an average adult nail before flowering (early blooms). Three days later, a cotton tree has formed under the bloom. About thirty days after the early blooming, the cotton grower is fully ripe and ready to harvest. In general, 80% of l cotton production is established within the first 3 weeks after early blooming and 95% of l production is established within 5 weeks of early blooming. Usually, mepicuat-chloride is applied to cotton plants in one of two ways. The method used until about 1986 was a unique application of 8-16 ounces per acre of a 4.2% by weight solution in early flowering. This type of unique treatments controlled the height of the plant, although it was noticed that the production of the plant was occasionally reduced, particularly if the plant was stressed during or after the application. Since 1987, the tendency has been to apply mepicuat-chloride in a series of applications, each having a lower dose than the application of the single dose. The first treatment occurs in the phosphorus head frame with a second treatment 7-14 days after it. Both treatments are done at a rate within the range of approximately 8 ounces of 4.2% by weight solution per acre with the specific application rate depending on whether the cotton plant showed signs of being stressed (no application), moderate growth (approximately 2 ounces of solution per acre), or vigorous growth (approximately 4 ounces of solution per acre). From this, two additional treatments can be applied at intervals of 7-14 days with application rates of up to about 8 ounces of mepicuat-chloride solution at 4.2% by weight depending on the rate of specific application of the amount of vegetative growth in field. Additional experimentation by individual harvesters has resulted in a variety of multiple application rates. It would be desirable if the use of mepicuat-chloride could be integrated into a treatment system that would increase the mass of the plant tissue in the roots, stems and leaves to provide higher level transfer levels while restricting vegetative growth to favor the production of fruits. The technology of herbicides for plants has a continuous desire for greater efficiency without a corresponding increase in the rate of application. Many herbicides could also use an activity improvement without an increase in the amount of herbicide applied. Farmers and herbicide manufacturers often face the need to control weeds and harmful plants without increasing levels of proven herbicide application, if the plants can be controlled at all. Some plants, such as the Florida Pusley Richardia Sabrá, Bull Grass, Bermuda Grass, Hedionda Chamomile and Primula are very resistant to the herbicides that have proven their effectiveness. It would be useful to have a means to increase the efficacy of active ingredients in agriculture, such as herbicides, without increasing the amount of active ingredient applied. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a composition and method of use therefrom to increase the effectiveness of active ingredients effective from the agricultural point of view.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a composition and method for its application in fruitful plants and seeds that increase the number of fruitful places in the treated plants with the goal of providing greater fruit production. It is another object of the invention to provide a composition and method for its application in which the treated plants grow in a healthier condition. In accordance with these and other objects of the invention that will become apparent from the description herein, a composition according to the invention comprises: (a) an agriculturally effective active ingredient, and (b) ) a flattener containing a culture that includes bacteria of the genus Bacillus or a soil bacterium in the form of cells, cultures or suspensions and in an amount sufficient to promote the effectiveness of the active ingredient. Preferably the flattener is free of plant growth hormones when used in combination with agents that weaken the growth of the plant, for example, mepicuat-chloride which suppresses the growth hormones of the plant in the treated plant. The compositions according to the present invention improve the efficacy of the active ingredient applied agriculturally. The same amount of active material that is conventionally applied will be more effective. Lower levels of the active ingredient can be used to achieve the same effect as the higher conventional application rate. In addition, the plants that have been treated with the compositions according to the invention are healthier with the concomitant benefit of being more resistant to diseases by other stress in addition to showing greater number of fruitful places and higher production. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The invention provides a method for treating plants with a composition containing an agriculturally effective active ingredient and a promoter containing a culture of a bacterium selected from the genus Bacillus or a soil bacterium in an amount sufficient to favor the effectiveness of an active active ingredient from the agricultural point of view applied simultaneously, before or after the application of the flattener. The greater effectiveness attributable to the flattering component containing bacteria can be exploited to reduce the amount of the active ingredient applied from an agricultural point of view or, when the ingredient is applied at the same rate, the bacillus increases the effectiveness of the effective applied active ingredient from the agricultural point of view. Said greater effectiveness useful for controlling weeds that are otherwise difficult to control with normal herbicides.

THE FAVORIER OUE CONTAINS BACTERIA The flattening component contains spores, cultures and suspensions of a bacterium of the genus Bacillus or a bacterium of the soil. Preferably, the bacteria for the flattening component is in the form of spores as a result of a suitable adjustment in temperature, pH, salinity, etc. Bacteria suitable for use in the present invention include those bacteria that exhibit an ability to increase the effectiveness of an agriculturally effective active ingredient through any mechanism. Methods for reviewing bacterial strains in terms of bioactivity and, therefore, their ability to improve the effectiveness of a plant growth regulator, a herbicide, a systemic fungicide or a systemic insecticide will be apparent to someone who has a normal ability in the art in view of the presentation and the examples specified herein. For example, a candidate bacterial strain, eg, Bacillus cereus, can be grown and maintained under normal laboratory conditions. (See, for example, Sambrook et al. ^ Moléc la "! - Cloning: A Laboratory Manuals Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press (1989).) Specific plants can be chosen for their susceptibility or resistance to a particular agriculturally effective compound., for example, a herbicide or a plant growth regulator. For example, and as specified in the example section included herein, cotton can be used to evaluate the bioactivity of a bacterial strain in combination with a plant growth regulator that is reflected in the number of fruitful sites or number of cotton producers produced and compared to treat similar plants that only have the plant growth regulator or bacteria. Alternatively, plants susceptible to certain fungal diseases, for example late tomato blight, common potato scab, black wheat rust, corn char or leaf rust from several plant species, can be grown under controlled conditions and treat either __with a suitable fungicide, a fungicide with a candidate bacterial species, or the bacterial species alone, either before, simultaneously, or after the controlled inoculation of the plants with the causative organism of the disease, to evaluate the capacity of the bacterial species to improve the activity of the fungicide. These types of experiments can be carried out in the field, in semicontrolled conditions, such as a greenhouse, or under relatively controlled conditions, for example, in a growth chamber. These experiments involve the routine review of organisms in terms of their favorable effect with compounds or compositions on known plant species, and the parameters used to evaluate the effects are known, in the same way, and are measured routinely. These similar types of revisions can be used with bacterial strains described herein to provide a favorable effect to a particular agriculturally effective active ingredient, for example, the Bacillus cereus strain deposited in the American Type Culture Collection with the ATCC No. 55675 provides an adjuvant effect to metiquat chloride plant growth regulator and atricin herbicide, to monitor bacterial species for potential benefit along with other agriculturally active active ingredients, for example systemic insecticides and systemic fungicides. Particularly preferred are cultures, spores and suspensions of soil bacteria that are between the roots of blooming growths of the plant type in the local soil. Foliar application of the local soil bacterium at an application rate in the range of approximately 0.1 X 1010 CFU / acres to approximately 10 X 1010 CFU / acres favors the natural mechanisms related to plant growth and spread to a level sufficient such that the active ingredient from the agricultural point of view shows favored activity in or within the treated plant. A wide variety of bacterial species of the genus Bacillus and within the known species of soil bacteria are useful within the present invention. The following is a list of species for the present invention: Bacteria of the genus Bacillus Bacillus acidocaldarius Bacillus acidoterrestris - - Bacillus alcalophilus Bacillus alvei Bacillus aminoglucosidicus Bacillus aminovorans Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Bacillus amylolyticus Bacillus anthracis Bacillus aneurinolyticus Bacillus apiarius Bacillus azotofixans Bacillus brevis Bacillus badius Bacillus capi tovalis Bacillus cereus Bacillus circulans Bacillus cirroflagellosus Bacillus coagulans Bacillus colofoetidus Bacillus cycloheptanicus Bacillus epiphytus Bacillus fastidiosus Bacillus filicolonicus Bacillus firmus Bacillus freudenreidii Bacillus froctosus Bacillus globigii Bacillus globisporus Bacillus insoli your Bacillus laevolacticus Bacillus larvae Bacillus laterosporus Bacillus lautus Bacillus lentimorbus Bacillus lentus Bacillus licheniformis Bacillus macerans Bacillus macquariensis Bacillus maroccanus Bacillus macroides Bacillus medusa Bacillus megaterium Bacillus mycoides Bacillus natto Bacillus nigrificans Bacillus pabuli Bacillus pacificus Bacillus pantothenticus Bacillus parabrevis Bacillus pasteurii Bacillus polymyxa 10 Bacillus popilliae Bacillus pulvifa Bacillus pulvifaciens Bacillus pumilus Bacillus prodigiosus Bacillus psychrophilus Bacillus psychrosaccharolyticus Bacillus racemilacticus Bacillus sphaericus Bacillus stearothermophilus Bacillus subtilis Bacillus thermodenitrificans Bacillus thiaminolyticus Bacillus thuringiensis Bacillus uniflagellatus Bacillus validus Soil Bacteria Achromobacter pestifer Alcaligenes eutrophus Alcaligenes latus Amycolata autotrophica Archangium gephyra Arthrobacter viscosus Azotobacter chroococcum Bacillus acidovorans Bacillus brevis Bacillus cereus Bacillus circulans Bacillus out more unusual your 15 Bacillus laterosporus Bacillus megaterium Bacillus mojavensis Bacillus mycoides Bacillus pasteurii 20 Bacillus polymyxa Bacillus psychrosaccharolyticus Bacillus sphaericus Bacillus subtilis Bacillus viscosus 25 Chaini to trocyanea hygroa Clostridium absonum Cystobacter fuscus Cytophaga johnsonae ensifer adhaerens Hyphomicrobium facilis Micrococcus luteus My chromonospora chai cea Micromonospora coerulea My chromospora grísea Micromonospora polytrota Micromonospora glauca Mycobacterium agri Mycobacterium aichiense Mycobacterium aurum 15 Mycoba c t ri um chi tae Mycobacterium chubuense Mycobacterium diernhoferi Mycobacterium furtui tum Mycobacterium neoaurum Mycobacterium parafortui tum Mycobacterium ter rae Mycobacterium thermoresistibile Myxobaccus coralloides Myxococcus fulvus 25 Myxococcus macrosporus Myxococcus xanthus Nannocystis exedens Ni trosolobus mul tiformis Nocardia brasiliensis Nocardioides albus Ochrobactru anthropi Polyangium cellulosum Pseudomonas aeruginosa Pseudomonas fluorescens Pseudomonas glathei Rahnella aquatilis Saccharobacterium acuminatum S aechar omonospor a vi i dis Serratia marcescens 15 Streptomyces anandii Streptomyces aureus faciens Streptomyces chartreusis Streptomyces cyaneus Streptomyces cymarogenes Streptomyces diastatochromogenes Streptomyces flavogriseus Streptomyces gelaticus Streptomyces hygroscopicus Streptomyces indigocolor Streptomyces katrae Streptomyces lip anii S trep tomyces 1 ongi sporus Streptomyces massasporeus Streptomyces nobilis Streptomyces odorifer Streptomyces omiyaensis Streptomyces parvulus Streptomyces phaeochromogenes Streptomyces pseudogriseolus Streptomyces roseoflavus Streptomyces rubiginosohelvolus Streptomyces rutgersensis Streptomyces sclerogranulatus Streptomyces toxytricini Streptomyces víolaceoruber Streptomyces violaceus Streptomyces violarius Thermoactinomyces vulgaris Thiobacillus deni trificans Thiobacillus thioparus non-fluorescent Pseudomonas Rhi zobi um Agrob c t ri um Corynebacterium ureafaciens Arthrobacter ureafaciens Pseudomonas aeruginosa Bacillus fastidosus Micrococcus dentrificans Mycobacterium phlei ~ Aerobacter aerogenes Fusarium moni 1 i forme Histoplasma capsulata Penicillinum chrysogenum Species of B. subtilis, B. cereus, and b are particularly useful. Megaterium Bacillus subtilis and B. cereus are saprophytes that occur naturally in the soil and are found throughout the world. The 1992 edition of the American Type Culture Collection lists 182 strains of B. subtilis and these are incorporated herein by reference. The following is a list of B. subtilis that would be useful in the present invention: B. Subtilis ATCC 10783 ATCC 15818"" "ATCC 15819 ATCC 15245 (Bacillus natto) ATCC 45134 (Bacillus uniflagellatus) ATCC 13542 ATCC 13472 ATCC 15575 ATCC 27505 ATCC 21697 (Achromobacter nitriloclasts) ATCC 15811 ATCC (Bacillus nigrificans) ATCC 27370 ATCC 6051a ATCC 7003 ATCC 11838 ATCC 15563 10 ATCC 33234 ATCC 25369 ATCC 27689 ATCC 55033 ATCC 13933 15 ATCC 15244 ATCC 27328 ATCC 12695 ATCC 12100 ATCC 21554 20 ~~ ATCC 21555 ATCC 15561 ATCC 15562 ATCC 9799 ATCC 12711 25 ATCC 14593 ATCC 4944 ATCC 31002 ATCC 31004 ATCC 9943 ATCC 13407 ATCC 7067 ATCC 29056 ATCC 31524 ATCC 31526 ATCC 21359 ATCC 21360 ATCC 12954 ATCC 13955 ATCC 15044 ATCC 33677 ATCC 31003 ATCC 31522 ATCC 465 N. ATCC 12432 ATCC 43223 ATCC 13952 ATCC 13953 ATCC 14662 ATCC 15039 ATCC 15040 ATCC 15041 ATCC 15042 ATCC 15043 ATCC 15181 ATCC 15182 ATCC 15183 ATCC 15184 ATCC 21183 ATCC 21336 ATCC 49343 ATCC 6537 ATCC 21394 ATCC 8473 ATCC 31523 ATCC 31525 ATCC 31527 ATCC 29233 ATCC 14660 ATCC 14661 ATCC 31268 ATCC 4925 ATCC 55405 ATCC 9524 ATCC 15476 ATCC 23858 ATCC 23859 ATCC 7060 ATCC 7058 ATCC 7059 ATCC 7480 (Bacillus endoparasiticus) ATCC 21584 ATCC 31022 ATCC 21331 ATCC 21332 10 ATCC 21777 ATCC 21778 ATCC 6598 (Bacillus licheniformis) ATCC 49822 ATCC 23857 15 ATCC 19221 ATCC 9858 ATCC 21742 ATCC 4529 ATCC 35148 20 ATCC 33608 ATCC 19549 ATCC 19550 ATCC 21556 ATCC 31340 25 ATCC 49760 ATCC 53325 ATCC 14807 ATCC 21228 ATCC 15512 ATCC 15841 ATCC 10774 ATCC 31091 ATCC 31092 ATCC 31094 ATCC 31096 ATCC 31097 ATCC 35946 ATCC 39374 ATCC 11774 ATCC 15116 ATCC 35021 ATCC 31954 ATCC 19062 ATCC 21059 ATCC 53115 ATCC 15115 ATCC 13956"ATCC 21952 ATCC 82 ATCC 21603 ATCC 31785 ATCC 21697 ATCC 15477 ATCC 31098 ATCC 19162 ATCC 14617 ATCC 14618 ATCC 33713 ATCC 31875 ATCC 55422 ATCC 6461 ATCC 21007 ATCC 21770 ATCC 6984 ATCC 19163 ATCC 21663 ATCC 19217 ATCC 19219 ATCC 19220 ATCC 21005 ATCC 21006 A "preferred strain of B. Subtilis to be used in the present invention includes GB03.B. Subtilis was previously recognized as a biological fungicide commercially used as seed treatment under the names KODIAK ™ HB O GUS 2000 ™ by Gustafson, Inc., Plano, Texas 35093 (EPA Reg. No. 7501-146). This product is available as a 2.75% powder formulation containing not less than 5.5 X 1010 viable spores per gram and should be applied at a rate that varies from 2-4 per 100 pounds of seed. The instructions for use indicate that the product should be applied for the treatment of crop seeds only. It is said that this strain colonizes the developing root systems and competes with the infectious organisms that would attack the roots. _ Foliar application is not mentioned. The following is a list of B. Cereus that would be useful in the present invention. B. Cereus ATCC 55675 (BP01) ATCC 13824 NCIB 2600 (Bacillus cereus var. Fluorescens) ATCC 14603 ATCC 15816 ATCC 15817 ATCC 13472 ATCC 14737 ATCC 9592 (Bacillus metiens). ATCC 27877 ATCC 19637 ATCC 11950 ATCC 23261 ATCC 6464 ATCC 11773 (Erwinia atroseptica). ATCC 10876 ATCC 10987 ATCC 4342 (Bacillus lacticola). ATCC 21182 ATCC 7004 (Bacillus albolactis). ATCC 10702 10 ATCC 12480 ATCC 49063 ATCC 2 (Bacillus agri) ATCC 19265 (Bacillus cereus subsp. Alesti) ATCC 21634 15 ATCC 12826 ATCC 21768 ATCC 21769 ATCC 21771 ATCC 21772 20 ATCC 9139 ATCC 21928 ATCC 27522 ATCC 31430 ATCC 43881 25 ATCC 246 ( Bacillus lactimorbus).

ATCC 21770 (Bacillus cereus). ATCC 21929 (Bacillus cereus). ATCC 13367 ATCC 31429 ATCC 31293 ATCC 21366 (Bacillus coagulans) ATCC 25621 (Bacillus jellyfish) ATCC 7039 (Bacillus metiens) ATCC 14893 (Bacillus subtilis).

ATCC 9818 (Bacillus lactis) ATCC 33018 ATCC 33019 ATCC 55055 ATCC 53522 15 ATCC 13366 ATCC 7064 (Bacillus siamensis) ATCC 11949 ATCC 10792 (Bacillus cereus) ATCC 27348 20 ATCC 23260 (Bacillus endorhythms) ATCC 13061 ATCC 13062 (Bacillus megaterium) ATCC 25972 ATCC 14579 25 ATCC 19646 ATCC 49064 ATCC 11778 ATCC 39152 ATCC 19146 FDA strain PCI 818 (Pseudomonas sp.) A preferred strain B. cereus to be applied in the present invention includes strain ATCC No. 55675. In another embodiment, strain B. cereus for application in the present invention has the characteristics of ATCC No. 55675. In some other embodiment, strain B. substilis for application in the present invention has the characteristics of ATCC No. 55675. The following is a list of B. megaterium which would be useful in the present invention: B. Megaterium ATCC 33166 ATCC 33167 ATCC 33168 ATCC 33169 ATCC 12872"ATCC 33164 ATCC 11478 ATCC 33165 ATCC 11561 ATCC 11561a" ATCC 11561b ATCC 11561c ATCC 11561d ATCC 11561e ATCC 6458 ATCC 6459 ATCC14946 ATCC 27327 ATCC 33729 ATCC 988510 ATCC 13639 ATCC 13632 ATCC 15374 ATCC 49099 ATCC 49096 ATCC 43725 ATCC 19136 ATCC 25848 ATCC 4531 ATCC 13402 ATCC 15046 ATCC 15047 ATCC 25300 ATCC 19380 ATCC 13368 ATCC 21181 ATCC 35985 ATCC 39383 ATCC 11562 ATCC 15127 ATCC 15128 ATCC 7703 ATCC 14945 ATCC 15177 ATCC 19218 ATCC 25833 ATCC 15450 ATCC 19135 ATCC 19137 ATCC 21916 ATCC 8245 ATCC 15781 ATCC 31294 ATCC 15117 ATCC 15118 ATCC 19160 ATCC 19161 ATCC 89 ATCC 21209 ATCC 35076 ATCC 49098 ATCC39118 ATCC 7051 ATCC 7052 ATCC 10778"" ATCC 8011 ATCC 7056 ATCC 14581 ATCC 49098 ATCC 49097 ATCC 19213 ATCC 71 ATCC 35075 ATCC 21603 ATCC 21738 ATCC 72 ATCC 21737 ATCC 49095 ATCC 15451 ACTIVE INGREDIENTS "" ~ "" "The" Effective agriculturally active ingredients used in the present invention can be selected from a wide range of materials that act on and through the metabolism of the treated plants. For previously mixed materials, it is desirable to select active ingredients that do not degrade or otherwise be impeded by prolonged storage under the conditions used to maintain the flattening component containing bacteria in the form of a spore. The general term Aagente plant growth regulator encompasses several active ingredients that affect the plant in different ways. Generally speaking, regulators of plant growth include agents that weaken the growth of the plant, agents that favor plant growth and herbicides. Among the plant growth promoting agents suitable for the present invention are plant growth hormones, for example, at least one of the 84 gibberellins with GA3, GA4, GA5, GA7 and GAQ cytokinins being preferred (e.g. zeatin, kinetin, benzyladenine, dihydroketine, and isopentenyl adenine), -auxines (for example, indoleacetic acid (IAA), indolebutyric acid (IBA), and naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA)), sodium ortho-nitrophenolate; para-nitrophenolate sodium; Sodium 5-nitro-guaicolate; and polyhydroxycarboxylic acids with structures of 2, 4, 5 and 6 carbon atoms; ethephon; and a variety of fertilizers that contain nitrogen or phosphorus. Among the agents that weaken the growth of the plant suitable for use in the invention are chlormequat-chloride mepicuat-chloride, as well as maleic hydrazide and its esters. Regulators of plant growth affect and alter the metabolic processes of the plant and favor or slow down its growth. All of these agents can be used according to the application and programming rates specified by the manufacturer on the product label. Herbicides include triazines (for example, atrazine), ureas, glyphosphate, sulfosate, glyphosinate, and sethoxydim. Among the appropriate systemic agents that will benefit from the absorption, transport and assimilation of the improved process of the plant stand out the systemic pesticides and fungicides. The systemic agents for plants that benefit from the present invention include, among others, the insecticides Inter alia, acephate, carbofuran, dimethoate, phorate and terbufos. Systemic fungicides that will benefit from the mixtures of the invention include tridemorph, metalaxyl, iprodione, fosetyl-aluminum, thiophanate, benomyl, triadimefon, carboxin, oxycarboxin, carbendazim, thiabendazole, thiophanate, etirimol, bupirimate and dimethirimol. Plants that can be treated with the present invention include virtually any plant grown in the soil and that is affected by an agriculturally effective active ingredient. Among the exemplary plants stand out harvests of production grains (for example, corn, wheat and soybeans), sorghum, desired and unwanted pastures, weeds, grasses, etc. The invention is suitable for increasing the production of fruits in plants that produce fruitful places from which the fruit will grow. Said plants preferably include any of the raw agricultural products and especially cotton, soybeans, peanuts, grapes, apples, citrus fruits (for example, sweet lime, sour lemon, orange, grapefruit), blackberries (for example, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries), tubers, (for example, potatoes, sweet potatoes), corn, cereal grains (for example, wheat, rice, barley), tomatoes, onions, cucurbits (for example, watermelon, cucumbers and melons). METHOD OF APPLICATION The compositions of the present invention can acquire the physical form of a liquid, emulsion, suspension, solid granule, aggregate or composite granule (for example, the solids of the active ingredient are transported in an inert carrier particle). The application of each physical form to the foliage of the plant will usually proceed with conventional techniques. Strains of gram-positive bacteria can be used in the flattening component in the form of cells, spores, cultures or suspensions thereof. In a liquid or dispersible solid form, the flattener is added to a spray tank or other form of liquid distribution tank in the form of a stable, aqueous concentrated solution showing an equivalent spore concentration within the range of approximately 300,000 units of colony formation per millimeter (CFU / ml) to about 1.5 million CFU / ml, preferably about 1 million to about 1.2 million CFU / ml to make a composition that is applied to the foliage of the plant at a rate within the range from about 0.1 X 1010 CFU / acre to about 100 X 1010 CFU / acre, preferably at a rate within a range of about 0.1 X 1010 CFU / acre to about 10 X 1010 CFU / acre, and more preferably within the range of approximately 0.5 X 1010 CFU / acre (0.5 f.oz./acre of concentrate) to approximately 8 X 1010 CFU / acre (2 f.oz./acre of concentrate) Optionally, and in a form of preferred embodiment, the spray tank will also include the component of the active ingredient effective from the agricultural point of view for the simultaneous application of both components. The solid forms of the components can be mixed dry or formed into aggregates before the emission. One or more conventional adjuvants can be used to enhance dispersion, decomposition, adhesion to foliage, etc. the specific application rate may vary somewhat depending on the method in which the solution will be applied to the surfaces of the plant. For example, aerial spraying will employ a different dilution rate and an application amount also different than spraying with a retractable tube, manual sprays, or the emission of granules. Conventional equipment can be used for the application. If desired, the flattering component can be mixed with other treatments and applied simultaneously or applied in a discrete treatment step. Foliar application is the preferred method to increase the number of fruitful places in fruitful plants. The concentrate can also be used to formulate a packaged mixture ready for use. Thus prepared, the flattener is diluted in an amount in the package container that is in the range of about 150,000 CFU / ml to about 600,000 CFU / ml and under the appropriate conditions to ensure that the bacterial components remain in a spore form but they become vegetative after the application. - For many bacteria, the use of a pH of less than 7 (that is, acid) will keep the bacteria in the form of a spore.

If necessary, any acidifying agent or buffer (preferably food grade or those classified as generally considered as safe by the United States Environmental Protection Agency) may be used to maintain an adequate acid pH during storage. such conditions, the spores remain stable and show good storage stability.When diluted for use and subsequent application, the pH of the solution will increase to more than 7, causing the bacteria found in the flattener to "become in living and vegetative colonies. The bacteria will therefore reproduce on the surface of the treated plant and facilitate the translocation of the agriculturally effective active ingredient. The flattering component containing bacteria can be applied in the form of a discrete treatment or simultaneously with several other active ingredients that are effective from an agricultural point of view. Among the active ingredients that are effective from the agricultural point of view, there are agents that favor the growth of the plant, agents that weaken the growth of the plant, herbicides, insecticides and systemic fungicides. Preferably, the composition is a combination of either an agent that weakens the growth of the plant or a herbicide and a promoter that contains a substantially pure strain of B. subtilis, B. cereus, or ATCC 55675 (BP01) applied at a rate of at least 0.1 X 1010 CFU / acre. In a preferred embodiment, a gibberellin-free flattener containing the bacillus is applied to the foliage of cotton plants at the same time that the plants are treated with mepicuat-chloride. An aqueous tank mixture containing the flattener containing bacteria (preferably ATCC 55675) and mepicuat-chloride is a convenient method for simultaneously applying the components. If pre-mixed, the mepicuat-chloride and the flattener containing bacteria can be easily stored at a pH within the range of about 4-6.5, more preferably within the range of about 5-6.5. It should be noted that the formulations according to the present invention desirably do not include combinations of materials that attempt to act in a contradictory way in the metabolism of the plant. For example, mepicuat-chloride is commonly used in cotton foliage to suppress plant growth hormones and weaken the vegetative growth of the plant. A formulation would preferably be prepared in such a way as not to include plant growth hormones because the effects of mepicuat-chloride and growth hormones would require things that contradict the metabolism of the plant, reduce the efficacy of mepicuat-chloride and lead to results inconstant With the present invention, however, the combination of mepicuat-chloride and ATCC 55675 consistently produces treated plants which have higher production, healthier growth and greater resistance to diseases. Although we do not wish to be bound by any particular theory of operation and with respect to the combined use of the flattener containing bacteria and the mepicuat-chloride in the cotton, the bacteria seem to affect the growth mechanism of the plant to increase the retention of cotton in the places fruitful 1 and 2 and increase the number of cotton growers in general by producing fruitful retention sites in normally vegetative branches. For the present invention, mepicuat-chloride is used at application rates and during the conventional growth stages of the cotton plant. Conventionally applied mepicuat-chloride rates are up to approximately 60 g / acre (25 g / acre) or approximately 1-16 ounces per acre, with individual application rates falling within the range of approximately 2.5 g / acre (1.0 g / hectare). ) for a 2 oz / acre application of 4.2% by weight solution at 10 / acre (4.1 g / hectare) for an 8 oz / acre application of the same 4.2% by weight solution. If mepicuat-chloride of greater or lesser purity or activity is used, the specific application rate must be adjusted according to the change in the conventional activity of mepicuat-chloride. EXAMPLES Example 1 An aqueous mixture of mepicuat-chloride of 4.2% by weight and 560,000 CFU / ml (laboratory sample BP01, ATCC 55675) was prepared in a volumetric ratio of 1: 1. This solution was applied by conventional sprayer in four applications to the foliage of growing cotton plants in the test areas of field A (10 of 50 acres in Mississippi) and field B (8 of 60 acres in Tennessee). Field A was treated with a dose at a rate of 4 fluid ounces per acre followed by five weeks of treatment at a rate of 8 fluid ounces per acre. Field B received a different treatment regimen. The first three applications in field B were at a rate of 4 fluid ounces per acre. (The first and second were separated by 24 days, the second and third by 6). The final application in field B was a rate of 8 fluid ounces per acre 11 days later. In all cases, the control fields were treated with the same rate but only with mepicuat-chloride. After the treatment, sampling was carried out in fields A and B by hand of the representative rows. All the known biases were placed in favor of the control treatment with only mepicuat-chloride. In fields A and B, the initial and final heights of the treated cotton plants were measured. The total heights of the plants of the control fields were comparable to what was treated according to the invention. See Table 1. Table 1 During the growing season, the differences between the control plants and those treated were easily observable. When the young plants contained only squares in the first month of fruiting, an unusually large number and an unusually large number of additional fruit branches were observed in cases where the main fruit branch emerged from the main stem. Many were as large or almost as large as the main fruiting branch and contained fruit before the first flowering. Additional fruit was also observed at the intersection of the fruitful branches and the main stem. As the flowering extended upward in the plant and only cotton plants or missing sites were found under the flowering, an unexpected amount of subsequent fruiting was also observed. Double fruiting was observed in paintings, blooms, small cottons and "cotton now open" (extraordinary). Although double fruiting occurred in both the control and treated plants, the substances were higher in the treated plants. Approximately 3-4 weeks before the end of the growth period, the plants were inspected for the number of fructification sites, number of cotton plants in spadices 1 and 2, as well as the type of cotton plant. Table 2 reports on the results of that inspection.

Table 2 In field B and at the end of the trial period, 20 plants were inspected. All the plants were cut. There were no open cotton growers in the control group and only 7 in the treated group. However, the younger fruit was larger and older for the treated plants compared to the control plants. This indicates that the plants grew at a faster and more favorable rate. The treated plants had a total of 265 cottons compared to 238 cotton growers in the control group, an improvement of 11%.

The treated plants also showed an increase in the number of fruit in the vegetative branches in the proportion of 88:51, an increase of approximately 73%. The treated plants also produced an increase in another fruit, that is, the one that fructified in branch 3 and wider positions, at a ratio of 86:50 (72% increase). The estimated weight (seed cotton) of the fruit of the 20 plants was also higher in the treated plants, 1796 g. compared to 1456 g. (23% increase). The extra fruit in the plants produced the expectation that it would be a derivation of the plant system the additional plant and fruit parts. The cotton growers would open sooner, but would adversely affect production. This expectation was not met. The treated plants grew at a higher rate and in a healthier condition than the control ones. To reduce bias, all hand-ginned cotton was harvested in test fields including cotton ginned from partially open cotton. This non-fluffed ginned cotton usually comes from cotton plants that never opened properly and are in the lower part of the plant or from cotton plants that are just opening and are located in a very high part of the plant. Table 3 reports on the weight of seed cotton and the number of green cottons per 10 feet of row in the treated and control fields Table 3 The results of the test show that the mepicuat-chloride combination applied simultaneously with a flattener containing ATCC 55675 according to the invention produces higher yields of healthier cotton and plants than the use of mepicuat-chloride alone. Use 2 _ Strain BP01 (ATCC 55675) from Bacillus cereus was used in combination with a widely used herbicide, atrazine, to determine if BP01 would affect control over weeds that are recognized as difficult to treat with tyrosines. Atrazine is used to provide control throughout the season in corn, sorghum and other crops at a suggested rate of 2 pounds of active ingredient per acre. At sufficiently high rates, for example, that applied in this example, atrazine is recognized for its ability to provide non-selective weed control. In sandy soil, three replicates of each test were performed on plots of 12 feet X 25 feet using a randomized complete block pattern. Weeds were 2-6 inches (5-15 dm) tall when applying the treatment. Atrazine was applied in aqueous solutions at rates equivalent to either 1 or 2 pounds of active ingredient per acre. BP01 concentrate was added to atrazine in an amount equivalent to either 0.5"or 1 fluid ounce per acre (0.5-1 X 1010 CFU per acre) For comparison purposes, crop oil concentrate (approximately 85%) was used. of paraffinic oil and approximately 17% surfactant) as is conventional with triazine herbicides to increase its effectiveness Table 4-8 reports the degree of control for Richardia Sabra (Table 4), Muhlenbergia Emersleyi (Table 5), Pasture Bermuda (Picture 6), Chamomile Hedionda (Picture 7) and Primula (Picture 8).

Table 4 - Richardia Sabrá Table 5 - Muhlenbergia Emersleyi Table 6 - Bermuda grass Table 7 - Smelly Chamomile Table 8 - Primula From Tables 4-8, it can be seen that BP01 generally improved the effectiveness of atrazine at 23 days after treatment. The control rate at 1 Ib. of atrazine with the bacillus was better than the control rate of 2 Ib. of Atrazine for Bermudagrass, Hedionda Chamomile and Primrose, and both treatments had the same control rate for Muhlenbergia Emersleyi. Only with the Richardia Sabrá and 1 lb / acre atrazine with BP01 the control rate relative to the treatment of 2 lb / acre with atrazine was reduced. Similarly, BP01 also improved the atrazine control rate in relation to a mix of atrazine and harvest oil concentrate in all the weeds except for Richardia Sabrá and Primula. Said improvement suggests that the bacillus is not acting as a surfactant, but improving the efficacy of either the metabolic activity or the translocation characteristics, or both, of the agent applied together. The foregoing is solely for the purpose of illustrating the invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (40)

1. CLAIMS 1. A composition for promoting the activity of an agriculturally effective active ingredient comprising: (a) an agriculturally effective active ingredient selected from a group consisting of a growth regulating agent of the plant, a herbicide, a systemic fungicide and a systemic insecticide; and (b) a promoter of spores, cultures or suspensions of a Bacillus or soil bacterium suitable at a pH sufficiently less than 7 to maintain the flatter in the form of a spore, provided that the composition does not include plant growth hormones when The agent regulating the growth of the plant is an agent of weakening the growth of the plant. The composition of claim 1 wherein the plant growth regulating agent comprises mepicuat-chloride, chlormequat-chloride or ethephon. 3. The composition of claim 1 wherein the agriculturally effective active ingredient comprises a herbicide. 4. The composition of claim 3 wherein the herbicide is a triazine, glyphosphate, or sulfosate. The composition of claim 1 wherein the flattener includes a strain of Bacillus bacteria. 6. The composition of claim 1 wherein the flattener includes a strain of soil bacteria. 7. The composition of claim 1 wherein the flattener contains a B. cereus. 8. The composition of claim 1 wherein the flattener contains a B. cereus with a characteristic of ATCC 55675. 9. The composition of claim 1 wherein the flattener contains a B. subtilis. The composition of claim 1 wherein the flattener contains a B. subtilis that has a characteristic of ATCC 55675. 11. The composition of claim 1 wherein the flattener contains B. megaterium. The composition of claim 1 wherein the flattener contains ATCC 55675. 13. A non-liquid composition comprising: a non-liquid mixture of (a) an agriculturally effective active ingredient selected from a group consisting of a plant growth-weakening agent, ethephon, a plant growth hormone, naphthalene acetic acid, sodium ortho-nitrophenolate, sodium para-nitrophenolate, sodium 5-nitro-guaicolate, polyhydroxycarboxylic acids with 2, 4, 5 and 6 carbon atoms, and a herbicide, and (b) a promoter containing spores or cultures of a suitable bacillus or soil bacterium, provided that the composition does not include plant growth hormones when a growth-enhancing agent of the plant is the active ingredient. The composition of claim 13 wherein the active ingredient is mepicuat-chloride, chlormequat-chloride or ethephon. 15. The composition of claim 13 wherein the herbicide is glyphosate or sulfosphate. 16. A method to increase the number of fruitful sites of a fruitful plant by a. the dilution of a composition containing (a) an agriculturally effective active ingredient of a plant growth regulating agent; and (b) a flattener containing spores of a suitable soil bacillus or bacterium at a pH of less than 7 and low enough to maintain said spore-shaped Bacillus, and b. Apply the diluted composition to the foliage of a plant that contains fruitful places. 17. The method of claim 16 wherein the fruitful plant is cotton. 18. The method of claim 16 wherein the growth regulating agent of the plant is a growth-weakening agent of the plant or ethephon. 19. The method of claim 16 wherein the flattening S5 contains a strain of Bacillus bacteria. The method of claim 16 wherein the flattener contains a B. cereus having a characteristic of ATCC 55675. 21. The method of claim 16 wherein the flattener contains a B. subtilis having a characteristic of ATCC 55675. 22. The method of claim 16 wherein the flattener contains a B. megaterium, one B . subtilis or a B. cereus. 23. The method of claim 16 wherein the flattener contains ATCC 55675. 24. A method for improving the effectiveness of an agriculturally effective active ingredient by applying to a plant an effective active ingredient from the agricultural point of view of an agent that weakens the growth of the plant, ethephon, or a herbicide; and (b) a promoter of spores, cultures or suspensions of a suitable bacillus or soil bacterium. 25. The method according to claim 24 wherein the agriculturally effective active ingredient is a triazine, glyphosphate or sulfosate. 26. The method of claim 24 wherein the active ingredient is mepicuat-chloride or chlormequat-chloride. 27. The method of claim 24 wherein the flattener contains a strain or bacterium of the genus Bacillus. 28. The method of claim 24 wherein the flattener contains a strain of soil bacteria. 29. The method of claim 24 wherein the flattener contains a B. cereus. 30. The method of claim 24 wherein the flattener contains a B. cereus having a characteristic of ATCC 55675. 31. The method of claim 24 wherein the flattener contains a B. subtilis. 32. The method of claim 24 wherein the flattener contains a B. subtilis that has a characteristic of ATCC 55675. The method of claim 24 wherein the flattener contains B. megaterium. 34. The method of claim 24 wherein the promoter contains ATCC 55675. 35. A composition comprising a Bacillus in the form of a spore, "culture or suspension and a plant growth-weakening agent, wherein the composition does not contain ATCC. 55675. 36. The composition of claim 35 wherein the plant growth regulating agent comprises mepicuat-chloride. 37. The composition of claim 36 wherein the plant growth regulating agent comprises chlormequat-chloride. 38. The composition of claim 35 wherein the Bacillus is a B. cereus. 39. The composition of claim 35 wherein the Bacillus is a B. subtilis. 40. The composition of claim 35 wherein the Bacillus is a 23. megaterium.