Cyanobacterium treated monocot plant seeds and related methods

A method of improving biomass, grain yield, nutrient uptake, nitrogen uptake, lateral root growth, lateral root hair growth, vertical root growth and/or root branching in a monocot plant, the method comprising:

• exposing the monocot plant seed to an effective amount of a composition comprising cyanobacteria comprised of an Aulosira species and a Tolypothrix species, wherein either;
• (1) the composition is free of an agriculturally acceptable adjuvant and/or an agriculturally acceptable excipient;
• or
• (2) the composition further comprises the adjuvant and/or the excipient in an amount less than 0.4 kg/hectare;
• or
• (3) the cyanobacteria consists essentially of the Aulosira species and the Tolypothrix species;
• or
• (4) the composition consists essentially of the Aulosira species and the Tolypothrix species;
• or
• (5) the composition comprises the Aulosira species and the Tolypothrix species in a weight ratio of about 5:1 to about 1:5;
• and
• allowing the monocot plant seed to germinate;
• wherein either:
• (A) grain yield resulting from the treated monocot plant seed other than rice is at least 2.0% greater than grain yield resulting from the same monocot plant seed that is not exposed to the composition when grown under greenhouse conditions;
• or
• (B) grain yield resulting from the treated rice seed is at least 10.0% greater than grain yield resulting from the same rice seed that is not exposed to the composition when grown under the greenhouse conditions;
• or
• (C) nitrogen uptake resulting from the treated monocot plant seed is at least 5% greater than nitrogen uptake resulting from the same monocot plant seed that is not exposed to the composition when grown under the greenhouse conditions;
• or
• (D) biomass resulting from the treated monocot plant seed is at least 2% greater than biomass resulting from the same monocot plant seed that is not exposed to the composition when grown under the greenhouse conditions;
• or
• (E) lateral root growth, lateral root hair growth, vertical root growth or root branching resulting from the treated monocot plant seed exhibits increased branching as compared to lateral root growth, lateral root hair growth, vertical root growth or root branching resulting from the same monocot plant seed that is not exposed to the composition when grown under the greenhouse conditions;
• or
• (F) nutrient uptake resulting from the treated monocot plant seed is at least 2% greater than nutrient uptake resulting from the same monocot plant seed that is not exposed to the composition when grown under the greenhouse conditions;
• wherein the greenhouse conditions are as follows:
• (a) seeds are planted in Captina silt loam soil with application of 40 lb/acre phosphate fertilizer and 20 lb/acre potassium fertilizer with 3 plants per pot for hybrid plant and 6 plants per pot for pureline plant;
• (b) for rice, permanent flood is established at 4-leaf growth stage;
• (c) temperature maintained at 25-28° C., 50-70% relative humidity and natural light supplemented with fluorescent light at 35 μmol m−2 s−2 photosynthetically active radiation to provide a 14 h photoperiod;
• and
• (d) plant grown to 50% heading then entire above-ground biomass is collected and dried, and total weight and nitrogen concentration can be measured.