Plant protecting and regulating compositions – Plant growth regulating compositions – Organic active compound containing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-27
2001-09-11
Clardy, S. Mark (Department: 1616)
Plant protecting and regulating compositions
Plant growth regulating compositions
Organic active compound containing
C504S362000, C514S975000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06288010
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to novel aqueous compositions that comprise anti-drift agents and inorganic water-soluble compounds, which can conveniently be applied using conventional spray distribution equipment. The invention also relates to processes of spraying fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides in which the novel compositions are used and methods of reducing spray drift during the spraying process.
It is well known in agriculture to apply various agrochemicals to growing areas by spraying. The growing areas may be crop areas, which can be very large, or smaller growing areas such as those in greenhouses. The agrochemicals applied as sprays include fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides.
Fertilisers can be supplied in various forms, in particular as solid compositions, or as suspensions or solutions of the fertiliser in a liquid. Fertiliser solutions are generally supplied by the manufacturer as an aqueous concentrate in large batches of size around 1 ton in weight. The solutions contain high concentrations, often 10 to 80 wt. % (dry solids), of dissolved inorganic fertiliser.
Herbicides and pesticides can be supplied to the farmer in various forms, for instance as neat liquids, aqueous solutions, aqueous dispersions or slurries of solid herbicide or pesticide. It is normal practice for the manufacturer to supply the farmer with the herbicide or pesticide in the form of a neat liquid or as a high activity solution or slurry. The usual way of applying herbicides or pesticides to an area of land would be by spraying.
Various systems have been devised for convenient dosing of fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides. Spray pumps are well known which spray water from a spray manifold onto the area of land or crop area and which are designed so that concentrated fertiliser solution, herbicide or pesticide can be dosed into the pump, mixed with water before being sprayed.
For some applications it is usual to combine two or more agrochemicals. For instance in the application of herbicides, especially systemic herbicides, it is usual to combine the treatment with a fertiliser, such as for instance ammonium sulphate. The fertiliser stimulates the growth of unwanted plants causing them to take up much more water, together with the herbicide, through the root system. This ensures a more efficient uptake and distribution of herbicide throughout the plant. In this instance the fertiliser may be regarded as an adjuvant in that it increases the efficacy of the herbicide. Thus a fertiliser used in combination with a herbicide is termed a herbicide adjuvant.
During the spraying of fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides it is usual to apply anti-drift agents in order to prevent the formation of fine droplets which could be carried beyond the area intended to be treated. Without the use of anti-drift agents, the spraying of fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides would be inefficient, first of all because there could be inadequate treatment of the land and crop areas intended to be treated and secondly the extraneous spray, if carried beyond the intended treatment zone, could for example be detrimental to other crops, land and water courses.
It is usual to combine the anti-drift agent with either the water which is fed into the spray pumps or to apply it directly into the spray pumps, usually at or shortly after the mixing zone where the water is mixed with the herbicide, pesticide or aqueous fertiliser concentrate. It is important that the spray drift chemical is metered at the correct dose to ensure that extraneous spray is not formed through under dosing or through overdosing the spray angle is too narrow resulting in uneven distribution of the pesticide, herbicide or fertiliser.
Polymers of acrylamide and other ethylenically unsaturated monomers have been used as anti-drift agents. It has been generally accepted that polymers which give optimum spray drift control are either non-ionic (eg acrylamide homopolymer) or have relatively low anionic content (e.g. 5 to 30 wt. %) and also have relatively high intrinsic viscosity, for instance above 6 dl/g. Such polymers tend to form viscous aqueous solutions unless used at low concentration. Normal practice is to mix the polymer powder or reverse phase emulsion form with water directly into the spray tank so as to form an aqueous solution of polymer. However, this has the problem that emulsion polymers can be difficult to activate in this situation and polymer powders take a long time to dissolve. It is sometimes necessary to use more polymer as a result of inefficient dissolution of the polymer. Normally in order to minimise the problems with dissolution it would be usual to use polymers of intrinsic viscosity in the range 6 to 15 dl/g. Typically the water containing the pesticide, herbicide or fertiliser would comprise polymer at a concentration in excess of 0.05 wt. %.
It would be desirable to provide a combined fertiliser composition comprising anti-drift agents that can conveniently be applied through conventional spray distribution equipment without the need for separate dosing of anti-drift control chemicals. It would also be desirable to provide a means for reducing spray drift during the spraying of herbicides or pesticides by conveniently applying a low viscosity, high activity liquid anti-drift control composition.
One aspect of the invention relates to an aqueous composition comprising water, in solution,
a) an inorganic water-soluble compound in an amount of at least 10% by weight,
b) an anti-drift agent which is a water soluble anionic polymer of intrinsic viscosity at least 6 dl/g which is formed from water soluble monomer or monomer blend,
characterised in that the polymer (b) is present in an amount up to 1.9 wt. % based on weight of composition.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the inorganic water-soluble compound is used as a fertiliser. Thus this aspect of the invention relates to a single pack product which provides a combined fertiliser with anti-drift agent that can conveniently be applied through conventional spray distribution equipment and negates separate dosing of additional anti-drift control chemicals. It can be produced by adding polymer (b) to a standard concentrated solution of an inorganic water-soluble salt which is a fertiliser. The amount of polymer used is sufficient to minimise spray drift after dilution of the concentrated solution in the standard manner for fertiliser solutions.
In another aspect of the invention the inorganic water-soluble compound is used as a herbicide adjuvant. The composition of this aspect of the invention enhances the activity of a herbicide with improved anti-drift properties and can be conveniently applied through conventional spray distribution equipment. It can be produced by adding polymer (b) to a standard concentrated solution of an inorganic water-soluble salt which is a herbicide adjuvant, at a concentration that will minimise spray drift after dilution of the concentrated solution in the standard manner for herbicide adjuvant solutions.
It has surprisingly been found that effective spray drift control when spraying pesticide, herbicide or fertiliser can be provided using concentrations of anionic water soluble polymer up to 0.065% based on total weight of dilute aqueous pesticide, herbicide or fertiliser being sprayed, using the aqueous composition comprising at least 10 wt. % inorganic water-soluble salt and up to 1.9 wt. % of an anionic water soluble polymer of intrinsic viscosity of at least 6 dl/g. Furthermore, effective drift control can be achieved by using the water soluble anionic polymers at concentrations of below 0.025%, often below 0.01%, for instance in the range 0.001% to 0.0095%, especially in the range 0.0025% to 0.0075%, based on total weight of dilute aqueous pesticide, herbicide or fertiliser being sprayed.
It has also surprisingly been found that spray drift control is less dose sensitive when using the aqueous composition of the invention. Provided that the minimum amount of anti-drift agent is used, a much wider range of doses will achieve adequat
Rose Simon Alexander Hanson
Snowden Jayne Anne
Ciba Specialty Chemicals Water Treatments Limited
Clardy S. Mark
Crichton David R.
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