Protection of plants against frost injury using ice nucleation-inhibiting species-specific bacteriophages
AssigneeUniversity Patents, Inc.
InventorsLloyd M. Kozloff, Russell C. Schnell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Frost-sensitive plants are protected against frost injury by topical application thereto of non-phytotoxic virulent bacteriophages which are species-specific to the ice-nucleating bacteria normally present on the plants. The bacteriophages selectively attack the ice-nucleating bacteria and inhibit their ice-nucleating activity, thereby reducing the temperature at which frost injury occurs.
Claims14
A method for protecting frost-sensitive plants against frost injury comprising applying to the plants non-phytotoxic virulent bacteriophages which are species-specific to the ice-nucleating bacteria normally present on the plant, said application being at a time sufficiently prior to the onset of freezing temperature and in a sufficient concentration so as to inhibit the ice-nucleating activity of said bacteria, thereby reducing the temperature at which frost injury occurs.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.