Antifungal plant proteins, peptides, and methods of use

A composition comprising an antifungal protein comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 95% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:

• 16 or SEQ ID NO:
• 17, wherein the amino acid residues corresponding to the defensin gamma core amino acid sequence at residues 33 to 44 of SEQ ID NO:
• 16 or SEQ ID NO:
• 17 comprise the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:51 or SEQ ID NO:52and are unmodified, wherein any substitutions of other said amino acid residues of SEQ ID NO:
• 16 or SEQ ID NO:
• 17 are conservative amino acid residue substitutions.

A method of preventing, treating, controlling, combating, reducing, or inhibiting damage to a plant susceptible to damage from a species of fungus selected from the group consisting of an Alternaria sp., an Ascochyta sp., an Aspergillus sp., a Botrytis sp.;

• a Cercospora sp., a Colletotrichum sp., a Diplodia sp., an Erysiphe sp., a Fusarium sp., Gaeumanomyces sp., Helminthosporium sp., Macrophomina sp., a Nectria sp., a Peronospora sp., a Phakopsora sp., a Phoma sp., a Phymatotrichum sp., a Phytophthora sp., a Plasmopara sp., a Puccinia sp., a Podosphaera sp., a Pyrenophora sp., a Pyricularia sp., a Pythium sp., a Rhizoctonia sp., a Scerotium sp., a Sclerotinia sp., a Septoria sp., a Thielaviopsis sp., an Uncinula sp., a Venturia sp., and a Verticillium sp., comprising providing to the locus of said susceptible plant an antifungal effective amount of an antifungal protein comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 95% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 16 or SEQ ID NO:
• 17 wherein the amino acid residues corresponding to the defensin gamma core amino acid sequence at residues 33 to 44 of SEQ ID NO:
• 16 or SEQ ID NO:
• 17 comprise the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:51 or SEQ ID NO:52 and are unmodified, wherein any substitutions of other said amino acid residues of SEQ ID NO:
• 16 or SEQ ID NO:
• 17 are conservative amino acid residue substitutions.