Microbial compositions and methods for bioprotection

1. A method for protecting a plant from a damage due to a plant pathogen comprising,

contacting the plant, or a soil or a plant growth media for the plant, with a bioprotectant composition comprising a cell-free supernatant of a microbial culture and diluent water,

wherein the cell free supernatant is produced by

inoculating IN-M1, deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-12383, or IN-M2, deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-121556 into a culture media comprising water, molasses, mineral powder, sea salt, and wheat bran; and

incubating the inoculated culture media for 3-10 weeks at 30-32 or 35-37 or 32-37 degrees Celsius to obtain a microbial culture; and

centrifuging the microbial culture to separate microbial culture cells from a supernatant; and

filter sterilizing the supernatant to obtain the cell-free supernatant of the microbial culture, wherein the cell free supernatant comprises high levels of potassium, nitrogen, calcium, and magnesium, and significant levels of volatile fatty acids;

wherein the ratio between the cell-free supernatant and the diluent water is between 1:25 and 1:1000; and

wherein the plant has been infected with the plant pathogen, and

wherein the plant has reduced pathological damage after the step of contacting with the bioprotectant composition compared to an untreated control plant.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bioprotectant composition further comprises an herbicide, a pesticide, a nematocide, a fungicide, a fertilizer, or a nutrient component, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the culture media comprises humic acid, potato starch, or molasses.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bioprotectant composition further comprises a wetting agent, a gelling agent, a higher fatty acid, 3-hydroxydecanoic acid, 3-hydroxydodecanoic acid, 3-hydroxytetradecanoic acid, 3-hydroxy-5-cis-dodecenoic acid, a volatile fatty acid, acetic acid, butyric acid, isobutyric acid, propionic acid, or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pH of the bioprotectant composition is from pH 5.0 to 7.0.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plant is rice, wheat, corn, tomato, banana, coffee, soybean, potato, a citrus, orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime, cucumber, cauliflower, strawberry, a vegetable plant, an ornamental plant or a tree.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of contacting the plant comprises contacting plant parts, seeds, roots, shoots, tubers, leaves or stalks of the plant with the bioprotectant composition.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of contacting with the bioprotectant composition comprises contacting the soil or the plant growth media for the plant with the bioprotectant composition.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plant is grown under hydroponic conditions, aeroponic conditions or combined aeroponic and hydroponic conditions.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plant is grown in a greenhouse or in a field.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of contacting comprises contacting seeds of the plant with the bioprotectant composition prior to planting the seeds or prior to storage of the seeds.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of contacting is performed during transplantation of the plant, during the plant's vegetative stage, at the plant's flowering stage, at the plant's reproductive stage, or a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plant has been infected with the plant pathogen before the step of contacting, wherein the plant pathogen is a nematode.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plant has been infected with the plant pathogen before the step of contacting, wherein the plant pathogen is a microbial plant pathogen.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plant is infected with the plant pathogen after the step of contacting, wherein the plant pathogen is a nematode.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of contacting comprises providing the bioprotectant composition admixed with irrigation water, by spraying the bioprotectant composition onto the plant, or the soil or the plant growth media.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein step of contacting comprises contacting the plant or the soil or the plant growth media of the plant with an article comprising the bioprotectant composition.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the article comprises a biochar, a bead, a filter, a container, a nanoparticle, a microparticle, a mat, a screen, a powder, a particulate, or a cloth.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the article comprises a woven material, a non-woven material, a plant material, a mat, a container, a polymeric material, a porous material, a non-porous material, or a zeolite.

20. A method for reducing abiotic stress of a plant comprising,

contacting the plant, or a soil or a plant growth media for the plant, with a bioprotectant composition comprising a cell-free supernatant of a microbial culture and diluent water,

wherein the cell free supernatant is produced by inoculating IN-M1, deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-12383, or IN-M2, deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-121556, into a culture media comprising water, molasses, mineral powder, sea salt, and wheat bran; and

incubating the inoculated culture media for 3-10 weeks at 30-32 or 35-37 or 32-37 degrees Celsius to obtain a microbial culture; and

centrifuging the microbial culture to separate microbial culture cells from a supernatant; and

filter sterilizing the supernatant to obtain the cell-free supernatant of the microbial culture, wherein the cell free supernatant comprises high levels of potassium, nitrogen, calcium, and magnesium, and significant levels of volatile fatty acids;

wherein the ratio between the cell-free supernatant and the diluent water is between 1:25 and 1:1000; and

wherein the plant has been exposed to abiotic stress, and

wherein the plant has reduced damage associated with the abiotic stress after the step of contacting with the bioprotectant composition compared to an untreated control plant.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the bioprotectant composition further comprises an herbicide, a pesticide, a nematocide, a fungicide, a fertilizer, or a nutrient component, or combinations thereof.