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EP-4739116-A1 - BIOSTIMULANT COMPOSITION AND METHODS OF USE

EP4739116A1EP 4739116 A1EP4739116 A1EP 4739116A1EP-4739116-A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a composition comprising: (i) a seaweed, (ii) an oil, and (iii) at least two surfactants, wherein said composition has a pH ranging from about 3 to about 6. Optionally, the composition further comprises at least one agriculturally acceptable carrier and/or additives, such as chelating agents and/or rheological aids. The present invention further relates to methods and uses for seed treatment of the plant biostimulant composition for mitigating abiotic stress or to manage crop productivity.

Inventors

  • HAINES, Robbie Moss
  • HAWKINS, Emma Louise

Assignees

  • Acadian Seaplants Limited

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240621

Claims (15)

  1. 1. A composition comprising: (i) a seaweed, (ii) an oil, and (iii) at least two surfactants, wherein said composition has a pH ranging from about 3 to about 6.
  2. 2. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the seaweed is a brown algae.
  3. 3. The composition according to claim 2, wherein said brown algae is a member of the class Phaeophyceae.
  4. 4. The composition according to claim 3, wherein said member of the class Phaeophyceae is the species Ascophyllum nodosum.
  5. 5. The composition according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the seaweed is seaweed or seaweed extract, preferably seaweed extract, wherein the amount of said seaweed extract is from about 1 % to about 20 % by weight based on dry matter of the seaweed extract, relative to the total weight of the composition.
  6. 6. The composition according to claim 5, wherein said oil is rape seed oil.
  7. 7. The composition according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the amount of said oil is from about 1 % to about 20 % by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition.
  8. 8. The composition according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein one of said surfactants is a polymeric amphoteric surfactant; and the other one is a polyol-based surfactant, preferably a sorbitol-based surfactant.
  9. 9. The composition accordingto claim 8, wherein the amount of said polymeric amphoteric surfactant is from about 5 % to about 10 % by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition; and the amount of said polyol-based surfactant is from about 5 % to about 10 % by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition.
  10. 10. The composition according to any one of claims 1-9, comprising: (i) an Ascophyllum nodosum seaweed extract in the form of a Soluble Seaweed Extract Powder (SSEP) or Liquid Seaweed Extract (LSX), (ii) a rape seed oil, (iii) a mixture of two surfactants wherein one of said surfactants is a polymeric amphoteric surfactant; and the other one is a polyol-based surfactant such as a sorbitol- based surfactant, (iv) water, and (v) citric acid and/or a salt thereof.
  11. 11. A method of crop productivity management in a plant comprising applying to the plant, to a seed of the plant or to a growth medium of the plant an effective amount of the composition according to any of claims 1 to 10.
  12. 12. A method of preventing or mitigating the effects of abiotic stress in a plant comprising applying to the plant, a seed of the plant or to a growth medium of the plant an effective amount of the composition according to any of claims 1 to 10.
  13. 13. The method accordingto any one of claims 11 or 12, wherein said composition is applied at a rate of from about 0.1 L to about 8 L per tonne of seed.
  14. 14. A coated seed which is obtainable by applying the composition according to any one of claims 1-10 to a seed and optionally drying.
  15. 15. Use of a composition according to any one of claims to 1-10 in crop productivity management and/or to prevent or mitigate the effects of abiotic stress in a plant.

Description

Biostimulant composition and methods of use Field of the invention The present disclosure generally relates to compositions, more specifically biostimulant compositions, which are useful for preventing or mitigating the effects of abiotic stress and crop productivity management in a plant and/or plant seed. Background of the invention Plant biostimulants are products that enhance flowering, plant growth, fruit set, crop productivity, and nutrient use efficiency (NUE), and are able also to improve the tolerance against a wide range of abiotic stressors. Recently, the agricultural sector is facing concomitant challenges of raising the productivity to feed the growing global population and increasing the efficiency in using resources, while reducing the environmental impact on the ecosystems and human health. In fact, fertilizers and pesticides play a crucial role in agriculture, representing a powerful tool for growers to increase yield and guarantee continuous productivity throughout the seasons under both optimal and suboptimal conditions. A promising and environmental-friendly innovation would be the use of natural plant biostimulants (PBs) - seaweed extracts are considered to be one of these biostimulants (Rouphael et al., Frontiers in Plant Science, February 2020, Volume 11, Article 40, doi: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00040). The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defines food security as a "situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life". Climate change affects agriculture and food production in complex ways. It affects food production directly through changes in agro-ecological conditions and indirectly by affecting growth and distribution of incomes, and thus demand for agricultural produce (Schmidhuber et al., PNAS, 2007, vol. 104, no. 50, pages 19703-19708, www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.0701976104). Climate change and food security are two main issues of the 21st century. The world population is expected to reach 9 billion by the end of 2050, and food requirements are expected to escalate by 85%. The agriculture sector is highly threatened by the increased frequency of droughts, heavy rainfall, fluctuations in temperature, salinity, and insect pest attacks on major food crops (Ullah et al., Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 2021, Volume 5, Article 618092, doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2021.618092). A decrease in water availability to a plant due to drought, heat, cold and salt stresses can have a direct impact on crop growth and productivity. Some plants have evolved to mitigate the effects of some of these stresses. However, the impacts from prolonged exposure of crops/plants to anyone of these abiotic stressors identified with water availability can have negative effects on growth, productivity and yield. The optimal solution to the presented problems lies in creating high productivity of plants in agriculture which might meet the rising worldwide demand for food. Until recent decades, the agrochemical industry has created fertilizers and synthetic pesticides, like insecticides and fungicides. But, in recent years, more and more synthetic pesticides are being banned from most of the world's markets, mainly due to resistance and toxicity, while new compounds are not being introduced fast enough. Currently, seaweed extracts (SE) are widely used as plant biostimulants, which are 'any substance or microorganism applied to plants with the aim to enhance nutrition efficiency, abiotic stress tolerance and/or crop quality traits, regardless of its nutrients content'. Seaweed extracts constitute more than 33% of the total biostimulant market worldwide. Moreover, it is estimated that seaweeds or macroalgae comprise nearly 10,000 species, which are subdivided mainly to three categories based on their pigmentation, Phaeophyta (Brown), Rhodophyta (Red), and Chlorophyta (Green). Brown seaweeds with Ascophyllum, Fucus, Laminaria are the dominant group. Seaweed extracts biochemical composition is complex (polysaccharides, minerals, vitamins, oils, fats, acids, antioxidants, pigments, hormones). SE can be applied on soil and/or on plants as a foliar spray and/or as a seed treatment application. They act positively on soil retention and remediation, and soil microflora, they could be a source of nutrients, and they may show hormonal effects (El Boukhari et al., Plants 2020, 9, 359; doi:10.3390/plants9030359). High concentration of a seaweed extract and the direct connection between the concentrated extract to the increase in activity, is known. However, the art is silent on how to obtain a seaweed extract-based agrochemical stable, compatible product. Seed treatments need to have good adhesion to seed to a) reduce operator exposure and b) ensure that the product is available to the seed during the appropriate development stage. Sedimentation of se