Patent

1. A composition comprising:

a compound having the structure (I):

wherein

R 1 and R 2 are each independently —CH(CH 3 ) 2 or —CH(CH 3 )CH 2 CH 3 ;

R 3 is —CH 2 C(O)NH 2 or —(CH 2 ) 2 C(O)NH 2 ; and

n is an integer between 13 and 20;

including salts, hydrates, solvates, polymorphs, optical isomers, geometrical isomers, enantiomers, diastereomers, and mixtures thereof;

and an agriculturally acceptable carrier.

2. The composition according to claim 1 , wherein n is 14 or 16 in the compound having the structure (I).

3. The composition according to claim 2 , wherein the compound having the structure (I) is

4. The composition according to claim 1 , further comprising a compound having the structure (II):

wherein

R 1 is —CH 2 OH or —CH(OH)CH 3 ;

R 2 is —CH 2 C(O)NH 2 or —(CH 2 ) 2 C(O)NH 2 ; and

R 3 is H or CH 3 ;

with the proviso that if R 1 is —CH 2 OH and R2 is —CH 2 C(O)NH 2 then R 3 is H;

including salts, hydrates, solvates, polymorphs, optical isomers, geometrical isomers, enantiomers, diastereomers, and mixtures thereof.

5. The composition according to claim 4 , wherein the compound having the structure (II) is

6. The composition according to claim 1 , wherein the composition is a fermentation product of a Paenibacillus sp. strain.

7. The composition according to claim 6 , wherein the Paenibacillus sp. strain comprises a variant fusaricidin synthetase lacking a functional adenylation domain in the third module (FusA-A3),

wherein the lack of a functional FusA-A3 inhibits synthesis of fusaricidins with a tyrosine or a phenylalanine at amino acid residue (3) compared to synthesis of fusaricidins by a Paenibacillus sp. strain comprising a wild-type fusaricidin synthetase.

8. The composition according to claim 7 , wherein the variant fusaricidin synthetase comprises an amino acid sequence exhibiting at least 90% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 10.

9. The composition according to claim 8 , wherein the Paenibacillus sp. strain is Paenibacillus sp. strain NRRL B-50972, Paenibacillus sp. strain NRRL B-67129, or a fungicidal mutant strain thereof.

10. The composition according to claim 6 , wherein the fermentation product further comprises a formulation ingredient selected from the group consisting of a wetting agent, extender, solvent, spontaneity promoter, emulsifier, dispersant, frost protectant, thickener, and adjuvant.

11. The composition according to claim 4 , further comprising a fusaricidin;

wherein combination of the fusaricidin and the compound having the structure (I) or the compound having the structure (II) results in a synergistic effect.

12. The composition according to claim 11 , wherein the fusaricidin is Fusaricidin A.

13. The composition according to claim 12 , wherein the compound having the structure (I) is

14. The composition according to claim 12 , wherein the compound having the structure (II) is

15. The composition according to claim 11 , wherein a weight ratio of the fusaricidin and the compound having the structure (I) or the compound having the structure (II) is in the range of 1:1000 to 1000:1.

16. A method of treating a plant to control a disease, wherein the method comprises applying an effective amount of a composition according to claim 1 to the plant, to a part of the plant and/or to a locus of the plant.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the method comprises applying the composition to foliar plant parts.

18. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the disease is caused by a fungus selected from the group consisting of Alternaria alternata, Alternaria solani, Botrytis cinerea, Colletotrichum lagenarium, Fusarium culmorum, Phaeosphaeria nodorum, Zymoseptoria tritici, Phytophthora cryptogea, Phytophthora infestans, Pythium ultimum, Magnaporthe oryzae, Thanatephorus cucumeris, Ustilago segetum var. avenae, Uromyces appendiculatus , and Puccinia triticina.

19. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the disease is a mildew or a rust disease selected from the group consisting of powdery mildew, downy mildew, wheat leaf rust, leaf rust of barley, leaf rust of rye, brown leaf rust, crown rust, and stem rust.

20. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the disease is caused by bacteria selected from the group consisting of Xanthomonas campestris, Pseudomonas syringae , and Erwinia carotovora.