(12) INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT) (19) World Intellectual Property Organization International Bureau (43) International Publication Date PCT (10) International Publication Number 30 October 2008 (30.10.2008) WO 2008/129060 A2 (51) International Patent Classification: (74) Agent: FITZNER, Uwe; Hauser Ring 10, 40878 Ratingen C12N 15/82 (2006.01) AOlN 47/02 (2006.01) (DE). AOlN 43/56 (2006.01) AOlN 47/24 (2006.01) (81) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every (21) International Application Number: kind of national protection available): AE, AG, AL, AM, PCT/EP2008/054924 AO, AT,AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BH, BR, BW, BY, BZ, CA, CH, CN, CO, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DK, DM, DO, DZ, EC, EE, (22) International Filing Date: 23 April 2008 (23.04.2008) EG, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, GT, HN, HR, HU, ID, (25) Filing Language: English IL, IN, IS, JP, KE, KG, KM, KN, KP, KR, KZ, LA, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LY, MA, MD, ME, MG, MK, MN, (26) Publication Language: English MW, MX, MY, MZ, NA, NG, NI, NO, NZ, OM, PG, PH, (30) Priority Data: PL, PT, RO, RS, RU, SC, SD, SE, SG, SK, SL, SM, SV, 60/913,349 23 April 2007 (23.04.2007) US SY, TJ, TM, TN, TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, US, UZ, VC, VN, ZA, ZM, ZW (71) Applicant (for all designated States except US): BASF SE [DE/DE]; 67056 Ludwigshafen (DE). (84) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every kind of regional protection available): ARIPO (BW, GH, (72) Inventors; and GM, KE, LS, MW, MZ, NA, SD, SL, SZ, TZ, UG, ZM, (75) Inventors/Applicants (for US only): VOESTE, Dirk ZW), Eurasian (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), [DE/DE]; Berliner Platz 11, 671 17 Limburgerhof (DE). European (AT,BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, HADEN, Egon [DE/DE]; Romerstr. 1, 67259 Klein- FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, LT,LU, LV,MC, MT, NL, niedesheim (DE). MCKERSIE, Bryan [CA/US]; 11032 NO, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK, TR), OAPI (BF, BJ, CF, CG, Fair Chase Court, Raleigh, North Carolina 27617 (US). CI, CM, GA, GN, GQ, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG). WANG, Xi-Qing [CN/US]; 205 Laurens Way, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516 (US). HUDELSON, Timothy Published: [US/US]; 5637 Glen Oaks Drive, Durham, North Carolina — without international search report and to be republished 27712 (US). upon receipt of that report [Continued on next page] (54) Title: :MOD- IFICATIONS Fig. 1 p-Ubi[dow] (57) Abstract: The present invention relates to the enhancement of plant productivity by combining chemical agents with transgenic modifications. with sequence listing part of description published sep a rately in electronic form and available upon request from the International Bureau Plant Produtivity Enhancement by Combining Chemical Agents with Transgenic Modifications The present invention relates to the enhancement of plant productivity by combining chemical agents with transgenic modifications. Chemical amendments and transgenic modifications can both increase plant perform ance. Chemical agents can be applied e.g. as a seed coating or as a spray on a grow ing plant. When applied as a coating, chemical amendments may improve seed resis tance to biotic and abiotic stresses and stimulate and/or improve germination as well as early germination. Seedlings are thus better able to establish in the greenhouse or the field. Spray applications on growing plants may affect growth by e.g. enhancing plant metabolism, inducing plant vigor, modifying plant canopy and stem architecture, or by improving fruit set. Many products that enhance plant performance or improve grain quality and quantity are on the market. For instance, fipronil is a broad-spectrum insecticide from the in- secticide chemistry class of phenyl pyrazoles. It is highly effective against all major insect pests in crop and non-crop markets. The most important applications are soil and seed treatment in crops and termite control in non-crops. Fipronil has been re ported to enhance overall root system and root hair development, increase tiller num ber and productivity, increase photosynthetic capacity (plant greenness), increase leaf area and plant height, stimulate early flowering and grain maturation leading to signifi cant increases in yield (Fipronil-Worldwide technical Bulletin, BASF). Transgenic plants, such as Round-up ready crops, have exhibited enhanced produc tivity, primarily due to elimination of competition for water and nutrients with weeds. Round-up ready crops are not susceptible to the herbicide when applied at field rates (24-32 oz/A). Most weeds are susceptible to the herbicide, allowing more of the avail able nutrients to be sequestered by the crop plants and, therefore, increase yield. Combinations of chemical, physical, biological, and transgenic approaches are used in integrated pest management (IPM). For example, a transgenic plant with increased resistance is the so called Bt corn (Bt = Bacillus thuringiensis), which has been modi- fied to increase levels of certain crystal proteins. Bt is effective at controlling Lepidop- tera larvae, most notably the corn borer (http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/cropsystems/DC7055.htmWch2). The pro tein is selective, generally not harming insects of other orders, such as the Tricho- gramma minutum wasp, which is also used to control corn borer (http://ipmworld.umn.edu/chapters/chippen.htm). Crops carrying the Bt gene, there fore, have been considered compatible with biological control programs. A combination of a transgenic event having activity against corn rootworm and treat ment of the seed with certain pesticides provides unexpectedly synergistic advan- tages to seeds having such treatment, showing unexpectedly superior efficacy in the protection against damage by corn rootworm is disclosed in US 6,593,273. According to the teaching of the WO1 99903591 3 treating transgenic useful plants which carry one or more genes expressing a pesticidal active ingredient, or which are tolerant against herbicides or which are resistant against the attack of fungi, with a nitroimino-or nitroguanidino-compound for controlling pests, has a synergistic effect on the pests to be controlled. A method for increasing the vigor and the yield of an agronomic plant is known from US 20030060371 , US 20040023081 or US 200301 14308. The method includes treat- ment of a plant with herbicides or other pesticides, whereby the plant is a transgenic plant having a transgenic event that confers resistance to the herbicide or pesticide which is employed. The advantages of applying chemicals and/or chemical compositions comprising at least one active ingredient on the transgenic plants themselves to improve perform- ance, however, are unknown. There is no known product system, which combines agrochemical application with transgenic modifications to enhance plant productivity and grain quality. Object of the present invention is a new process for increasing plant health and/or controlling pests. A further object is a method which integrates chemicals and transgenic material to improve plant performance. The object is achieved according to the invention by providing the present method. Summarized, the present invention relates to a method for increasing plant health and/or controlling pests in plants with at least one transgenic modification related to yield increase as compared to a corresponding wild-type plant comprising treating the location where the plant with at least one transgenic modification is growing or is ex pected to grow and/or the transgenic plant with at least one transgenic modification or propagation material of the plant with at least one transgenic modification with an ef fective amount of a chemical composition comprising at least one active ingredient. In one embodiment of the invention the method of the invention comprises a) treating the location where the plant with at least one transgenic modification is growing or is expected to grow and/or treating the plant with at least one transgenic modification or propagation material of the plant with at least one transgenic modification with an effective amount of a chemical composition compris- ing at least one active ingredient and b) cultivating a transgenic plant with increased plant health and increased productivity as compared to a corresponding non-treated plant and growing said plant under conditions which permit the development of the plant. In one embodiment the invention is related to a method for increasing plant productiv- ity which comprises an increase in plant health and/or pest control. Surprisingly, it has now been found that treating that plant with at least one transgenic modification related to yield increase with an effective amount of a chemical composi tion comprising at least one active ingredient results in a synergistic effect. Synergistic effect in the present context means that a) the use of a pesticide in combination with a transgenic modification exceeds the additive effect, to be expected on the pests to be controlled and thus extends the range of action of the active ingredient and of the active principle expressed by the transgenic plant and/or b) results in an increase in plant health and increased yield. The term "synergistic", however, is to be understood in this connection as synergistic pesticidal activity and/or synergistic plant health effects. Synergistic pesticidal activity means extension of the pesticidal spectrum of action to other pests, for example to resistant strains; and/orreduction in the application rate of the pesticides, and/or sufficient control of the pests with the aid of the pesticides even at an application rate of the pesticides alone and the transgenic plant alone are e n tirely ineffective. In one embodiment of the invention at least one transgenic modification of said plant does not confer resistance to the active ingredient which is employed. According to the present invention, "increasing the plant productivity" means that ce r tain plant traits are increased or improved by a measurable or noticeable amount over the same factor of the control, e.g.