AGROCHEMICAL OIL DISPERSION FORMULATION

Abstract

The invention relates to an agrochemical formulation comprising a continuous oil phase comprising a water-immiscible solvent; an agrochemical active in the form of particles, which particles are suspended in the continuous oil phase; and water droplets that are emulsified in the continuous oil phase, wherein the agrochemical formulation is substantially free of a thickener. It also relates to a method for preparing the agrochemical formulation, to a method of use of the agrochemical formulation, and to a method for increasing the viscosity of a continuous oil phase comprising the steps of a) providing a continuous oil phase, and b) emulsifying water droplets in the continuous oil phase, wherein the continuous oil phase is substantially free of a thickener.

Claims

1. An agrochemical formulation comprising a) a continuous oil phase comprising a water-immiscible solvent; b) an agrochemical active in the form of particles, which particles are suspended in the continuous oil phase; and c) water droplets that are emulsified in the continuous oil phase; wherein the agrochemical formulation is substantially free of a thickener.

2. The agrochemical formulation of claim 1, containing at least 1 wt % of water based on the total weight of the agrochemical formulation.

3. The agrochemical formulation of claim 1, wherein the particles have a mean diameter of from 0.5 to 10 μm.

4. The agrochemical formulation of claim 1, comprising a dispersant.

5. The agrochemical formulation of claim 1, comprising a water-in-oil emulsifier.

6. The agrochemical formulation of claim 1, comprising an oil-in-water emulsifier.

7. The agrochemical formulation of claim 1, wherein the agrochemical active is selected from the group consisting of herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, nematicides, plant growth regulators, fertilizers, nitrification inhibitors, and urease inhibitors.

8. The agrochemical formulation of claim 1, wherein the continuous oil phase comprises a water-immiscible solvent selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbon solvents, vegetable oils, fatty acid esters, methyl- or ethyl esters of vegetable oils, and mixtures thereof.

9. The agrochemical formulation of claim 8, wherein the water-immiscible solvent has a water-solubility of up to 10 g/l at 20° C.

10. The agrochemical formulation of claim 1, wherein the water-droplets have a mean diameter of up to 25 μm.

11. The agrochemical formulation of claim 1 comprising the water-immiscible solvent in a concentration of from 20 to 80 wt % based on the total weight of the agrochemical formulation.

12. The agrochemical formulation of claim 1 comprising the agrochemical active in a concentration of from 1 to 60 wt % based on the total weight of the agrochemical formulation.

13. The agrochemical formulation according to claim 1, wherein the thickener increases a dynamic viscosity of the agrochemical formulation of at least 10 mPas at 25° C., when the thickener is present at a concentration of 1 wt % based on the total weight of the agrochemical formulation.

14. A method for preparing the agrochemical formulation as defined in claim 1, comprising a) providing a premix by contacting the agrochemical active and the water-immiscible solvent; b) milling the premix to form a raw suspension; and c) emulsifying water in the raw suspension.

15. A method for controlling phytopathogenic fungi and/or undesired plant growth and/or undesired attack by particular pests and/or for regulating the growth of plants, where the agrochemical formulation as defined in claim 1 is allowed to act on the particular pests, their habitat or the plants to be protected from the particular pests, the soil and/or on undesired plants and/or the useful plants and/or their habitat.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the particular pests are insects or mites.

Description

EXAMPLE-1

[0105] The agrochemical formulations AF-1 to AF-7 containing Pesticide A were prepared with the ingredients as indicated in Tables 1 and 2 as follows. The solvent was mixed with the pesticide, the dispersant and the O/W-emulsifier to a premix. Mixing was performed with an Ultra-Turrax IKA T18 device for 1.5 minutes at 16,000 rpm. A volume of 250 ml of the premix was then milled with a Getzmann basket mill at 3000 rpm for 20 minutes at a maximum temperature of 35° C. under addition of 28 ml of zirconium oxide beads with a diameter of 1.0 to 1.2 mm to a raw suspension. Subsequently, the W/O-emulsifier was added to the raw suspension and the resulting composition was again mixed with the Ultra-Turrax device at 5,000 rpm under the addition of water. After the complete amount of water had been added, the agrochemical formulation was mixed with the Ultra-Turrax device for another two minutes at 5,000 rpm.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Ingredients of agrochemical formulations AF-1 to AF-4 in [%] w/w Ingredient Formulation AF-1 AF-2 AF-3 AF-4 Pesticide A 10 10 10 10 Dispersant A 10 10 10 10 O/W-Emulsifier A  5  5  5  5 W/O-Emulsifier A  5 —  5 — W/O-Emulsifier B —  5 — — W/O-Emulsifier C — — —  5 W/O-Emulsifier D — — — — W/O-Emulsifier E W/O-Emulsifier F — — — — Water 15 25 25 25 Solvent A 55 45 45 45

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Ingredients of agrochemical formulations AF-5 to AF-7 in [%] w/w Ingredient Formulation AF-5 AF-6 AF-7 Pesticide A 10 10 10 Dispersant A 10 10 10 O/W-Emulsifier A  5  5  5 W/O-Emulsifier A — — — W/O-Emulsifier B — — — W/O-Emulsifier C — — — W/O-Emulsifier D  5 — — W/O-Emulsifier E —  5 — W/O-Emulsifier F — —  5 Water 25 25 25 Solvent A 45 45 45

EXAMPLE-2

[0106] The agrochemical formulations AF-8 to AF-26 containing Pesticide B were prepared with the ingredients as indicated in Tables 3 to 7 in analogy to Example-1.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Ingredients of agrochemical formulations AF-8 to AF-11 in [%] w/w Ingredient Formulation AF-8 AF-9 AF-10 AF-11 Pesticide B 10 10 10 10 Dispersant B 10 10 10 10 O/W-Emulsifier B 5 5  5  5 W/O-Emulsifier G — —  5 — W/O-Emulsifier H 5 — —  5 W/O-Emulsifier A — 5 — — Water 5 5 10 10 Solvent B 43.33 43.33 40 40 Solvent C 21.66 21.66 20 20

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Ingredients of agrochemical formulations AF-12 to AF-15 in [%] w/w Ingredient Formulation AF-12 AF-13 AF-14 AF-15 Pesticide B 10 10 10 10 Dispersant B 10 10 10 10 O/W-Emulsifier B  5  5 5 5 W/O-Emulsifier K  5 — — — W/O-Emulsifier L —  5 — — W/O-Emulsifier G — — 5 — W/O-Emulsifier J — — — 5 Water 10 10 15 15 Solvent B 40 40 36.7 36.7 Solvent C 20 20 18.3 18.3

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Ingredients of agrochemical formulations AF-16 to AF-18 in [%] w/w Ingredient Formulation AF-16 AF-17 AF-18 AF-19 Pesticide B 10 10 10 10 Dispersant B 10 10 10 10 O/W-Emulsifier B 5 5 5 5 W/O-Emulsifier L 5 — — — W/O-Emulsifier M — 5 — — W/O-Emulsifier N — — 5 — W/O-Emulsifier G — — — 10 Water 15 15 15 10 Solvent B 36.7 36.7 36.7 36.7 Solvent C 18.3 18.3 18.3 18.3

TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Ingredients of agrochemical formulations AF-8 to AF-11 in [%] w/w Ingredient Formulation AF-20 AF-21 AF-22 AF-23 Pesticide B 10 10 10 10 Dispersant B 10 10 10 10 O/W-Emulsifier B 5 5 5 5 W/O-Emulsifier A 10 — — — W/O-Emulsifier K — 10 — — W/O-Emulsifier N — — 10 — W/O-Emulsifier G — — — 10 Water 10 10 10 15 Solvent B 36.7 36.7 36.7 33.3 Solvent C 18.3 18.3 18.3 16.7

TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 Ingredients of agrochemical formulations AF-23 to AF-26 in [%] w/w Ingredient Formulation AF-24 AF-25 AF-26 Pesticide B 10 10 10 Dispersant B 10 10 10 O/W-Emulsifier B 5 5 5 W/O-Emulsifier N 10 — 10 W/O-Emulsifier G — 10 — Water 15 20 20 Solvent B 33.3 30 30 Solvent C 16.7 15 15

EXAMPLE 3

[0107] The agrochemical formulations AF-1 to AF-26 were stored at 20 to 25° C. for two months and analyzed for their storage stability by visual inspection. None of the formulations showed the formation of any sediment or phase separation.

EXAMPLE-4

[0108] The agrochemical formulations AF-27 to AF-34 were prepared with the ingredients as indicated in Tables 8 to 10 in analogy to Example-1.

TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 Ingredients of agrochemical formulations AF-27 to AF-29 in [%] w/w Ingredient Formulation AF-27 AF-28 AF-29 Pesticide A 10 10 10 Dispersant A 10 10 10 O/W-Emulsifier A 5 5 5 W/O-Emulsifier A 5 — — W/O-Emulsifier B — 5 — W/O-Emulsifier E — — 5 Water 25 25 25 Solvent A 45 45 45

TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 9 Ingredients of agrochemical formulations AF-30 to AF-31 in [%] w/w Ingredient Formulation AF-30 AF-31 Pesticide B 10 10 Dispersant B 10 10 O/W-Emulsifier B 5 5 W/O-Emulsifier G 5 — W/O-Emulsifier J — 5 Water 15 15 Solvent B 36.7 36.7 Solvent C 18.3 18.3

TABLE-US-00010 TABLE 10 Ingredients of agrochemical formulations AF-32 to AF-34 in [%] w/w Ingredient Formulation AF-32 AF-33 AF-34 Pesticide B 10 10 10 Dispersant B 10 — — Dispersant A — 10 10 O/W-Emulsifier B 5 — — O/W-Emulsifier A —  5  5 W/O-Emulsifier L 5 — — W/O-Emulsifier B —  5 — W/O-Emulsifier E — —  5 Water 15 25 25 Solvent B 33.3 30 30 Solvent C 16.7 15 15

EXAMPLE 5: VISCOSITY MEASUREMENT

[0109] The dynamic viscosities of the agrochemical formulations AF-1 to AF-26 in Examples 1, and 2 were determined. The measurements were carried out with the rheometer AR 2000 ex from TA instruments at 20° C. The rheometer had a cone-plate geometry with an angle between the surface of the cone and the plate of 1°. A volume of 2 to 3 ml of the agrochemical formulation to be measured was put on the plate, upon which the cone was brought onto the plate. The data of the shear stress was recorded at 20° C. at increasing shear rates up to 200 per second.
The true viscosity was calculated as the slope of the tangent of the resulting experimental curve at a shear rate of 100 per second. The apparent viscosity was calculated by dividing the shear stress at a shear rate of 100 per second by the shear rate. The apparent viscosity and the true viscosity are equal for Newtonian fluids. Tables 11 to 14 summarized the measured data.

TABLE-US-00011 TABLE 11 True and Apparent Viscosity values for agrochemical formulations AF-1 to AF-7 Viscosity AF-1 AF-2 AF-3 AF-4 AF-5 AF-6 AF-7 True Viscosity 178 101 336 265 280 164 276 [mPas] Apparent Viscosity 427 245 597 650 546 387 695 [mPas]

TABLE-US-00012 TABLE 12 True and Apparent Viscosity values for agrochemical formulations AF-8 to AF-14 Viscosity AF-8 AF-9 AF-10 AF-11 AF-12 AF-13 AF-14 True Viscosity 328 129 391 570 223 100 139 [mPas] Apparent Viscosity 524 301 584 955 381 189 371 [mPas]

TABLE-US-00013 TABLE 13 True and Apparent Viscosity values for agrochemical formulations AF-15 to AF-21 Viscosity AF-15 AF-16 AF-17 AF-18 AF-19 AF-20 AF-21 True Viscosity 600 780 185 98 288 481 187 [mPas] Apparent Viscosity 881 1516 256 173 485 652 285 [mPas]

TABLE-US-00014 TABLE 14 True and Apparent Viscosity values for agrochemical formulations AF-22 to AF-26 Viscosity AF-22 AF-23 AF-24 AF-25 AF-26 True Viscosity 497 344 718 418 877 [mPas] Apparent Viscosity 669 680 902 628 1183 [mPas]

EXAMPLE 6: PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION

[0110] The particle size distribution of the samples AF-27 to AF-34 was analyzed directly after preparation, and after 2 weeks of incubation at 0° C. or 54° C. The measurement was carried out on a Malvern Mastersizer 2000 by Malvern Instruments GmbH. A sample of the respective agrochemical formulation to be measured was diluted in an excess of water and analyzed by laser diffraction in a range of from 0.1 to 2000 μm. The results as compiled in Table 15 reflected the size of oil droplets formed upon the dilution in water, and the size of the pesticide particles in the agrochemical formulation.

TABLE-US-00015 TABLE 15 D50 values for agrochemical formulations AF-27 to AF-34 in μm directly after preparation (“No storage”), after 2 weeks at 0° C.. or after 2 weeks at 54° C. Storage condition AF-28 AF-29 AF-30 AF-31 AF-32 AF-33 AF-34 No storage 2.72 4.1 2.38 4.95 5.79 1.85 2.01 2 weeks at 3.82 3.81 4.04 7.5 7.66 3.75 4.33 0° C. 2 weeks at 2.88 3.01 2.46 8.2 — 1.92 2.09 54° C.
Visual inspection of the samples AF-28 to AF-34 showed no phase separation under the conditions as outlined above. The D50 values of all samples were in an acceptable range.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1

[0111] An oil dispersion OD-1 containing Pesticide B but no water droplets was prepared with the ingredients as indicated in Table 16 as follows. The solvent was mixed with the pesticide, the dispersant and the O/W-emulsifier to a premix. Mixing was performed with an Ultra-Turrax IKA T18 device for 1.5 minutes at 16,000 rpm. A volume of 250 ml of the premix was then milled with a Getzmann basket mill at 3000 rpm for 20 minutes at a maximum temperature of 35° C. under addition of 28 ml of zirconium oxide beads with a diameter of 1.0 to 1.2 mm to the final formulation OD-1.

TABLE-US-00016 TABLE 16 Ingredients of OD-1 in [% w/w] Ingredient Formulation OD-1 Pesticide B 10 Dispersant B 10 O/W-Emulsifier B 5 Solvent B 50 Solvent C 25

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 2

[0112] The dynamic viscosity of OD-1 was measured in analogy to Example 5. The true viscosity was determined to be 39.8 mPas, the apparent viscosity was measured as 44.5 mPas. These results showed that the viscosity of an oil dispersion without the addition of water droplets is considerably reduced.

EXAMPLE-7

[0113] The agrochemical formulations AF-35 to AF-45 were prepared with the ingredients as indicated in Tables 17 to 19 in analogy to Example-1.

TABLE-US-00017 TABLE 17 Ingredients of agrochemical formulations AF-35 to AF-38 in [%] w/w Ingredient Formulation AF-35 AF-36 AF-37 AF-38 Pesticide A 10 10 10 10 Dispersant A 10 10 10 10 O/W-Emulsifier A 5  5  5  5 W/O-Emulsifier G 5 — — — W/O-Emulsifier B —  5 — — W/O-Emulsifier J — —  5 — W/O-Emulsifier O — — —  5 W/O-Emulsifier A — — — — W/O-Emulsifier P — — — — W/O-Emulsifier C — — — — W/O-Emulsifier D — — — — W/O-Emulsifier E — — — — W/O-Emulsifier F — — — — W/O-Emulsifier N — — — — Water 20 20 20 20 Solvent A 50 50 50 50

TABLE-US-00018 TABLE 18 Ingredients of agrochemical formulations AF-39 to AF-42 in [%] w/w Ingredient Formulation AF-39 AF-40 AF-41 AF-42 Pesticide A 10 10 10 10 Dispersant A 10 10 10 10 O/W-Emulsifier A  5  5  5  5 W/O-Emulsifier G — — — — W/O-Emulsifier B — — — — W/O-Emulsifier J — — — — W/O-Emulsifier O — — — — W/O-Emulsifier A  5 — — — W/O-Emulsifier P —  5 — — W/O-Emulsifier C — —  5 — W/O-Emulsifier D — — —  5 W/O-Emulsifier E — — — — W/O-Emulsifier F — — — — W/O-Emulsifier N — — — — Water 20 20 20 20 Solvent A 50 50 50 50

TABLE-US-00019 TABLE 19 Ingredients of agrochemical formulations AF-43 to AF-45 in [%] w/w Ingredient Formulation AF-43 AF-44 AF-45 Pesticide A 10 10 10 Dispersant A 10 10 10 O/W-Emulsifier A  5  5  5 W/O-Emulsifier G — — — W/O-Emulsifier B — — — W/O-Emulsifier J — — — W/O-Emulsifier O — — — W/O-Emulsifier A — — — W/O-Emulsifier P — — — W/O-Emulsifier C — — — W/O-Emulsifier D — — — W/O-Emulsifier E  5 — — W/O-Emulsifier F —  5 — W/O-Emulsifier N — —  5 Water 20 20 20 Solvent A 50 50 50

EXAMPLE-8

[0114] The agrochemical formulations AF-46 to AF-56 were prepared with the ingredients as indicated in Tables 20 to 22 in analogy to Example-1.

TABLE-US-00020 TABLE 20 Ingredients of agrochemical formulations AF-46 to AF-49 in [%] w/w Ingredient Formulation AF-46 AF-47 AF-48 AF-49 Pesticide A 10 10 10 10 Dispersant A 10 10 10 10 O/W-Emulsifier A 5  5  5  5 W/O-Emulsifier G 5 — — — W/O-Emulsifier B —  5 — — W/O-Emulsifier J — —  5 — W/O-Emulsifier O — — —  5 W/O-Emulsifier A — — — — W/O-Emulsifier P — — — — W/O-Emulsifier C — — — — W/O-Emulsifier D — — — — W/O-Emulsifier E — — — — W/O-Emulsifier F — — — — W/O-Emulsifier N — — — — Water 25 25 25 25 Solvent A 45 45 45 45

TABLE-US-00021 TABLE 21 Ingredients of agrochemical formulations AF-50 to AF-53 in [%] w/w Ingredient Formulation AF-50 AF-51 AF-52 AF-53 Pesticide A 10 10 10 10 Dispersant A 10 10 10 10 O/W-Emulsifier A  5  5  5  5 W/O-Emulsifier G — — — — W/O-Emulsifier B — — — — W/O-Emulsifier J — — — — W/O-Emulsifier O — — — — W/O-Emulsifier A  5 — — — W/O-Emulsifier P —  5 — — W/O-Emulsifier C — —  5 — W/O-Emulsifier D — — —  5 W/O-Emulsifier E — — — — W/O-Emulsifier F — — — — W/O-Emulsifier N — — — — Water 25 25 25 25 Solvent A 45 45 45 45

TABLE-US-00022 TABLE 22 Ingredients of agrochemical formulations AF-54 to AF-56 in [%] w/w Ingredient Formulation AF-54 AF-55 AF-56 Pesticide A 10 10 10 Dispersant A 10 10 10 O/W-Emulsifier A  5  5  5 W/O-Emulsifier G — — — W/O-Emulsifier B — — — W/O-Emulsifier J — — — W/O-Emulsifier O — — — W/O-Emulsifier A — — — W/O-Emulsifier P — — — W/O-Emulsifier C — — — W/O-Emulsifier D — — — W/O-Emulsifier E  5 — — W/O-Emulsifier F —  5 — W/O-Emulsifier N — —  5 Water 25 25 25 Solvent A 45 45 45

EXAMPLE 9: VISCOSITY MEASUREMENT

[0115] The dynamic viscosities of the agrochemical formulations AF-35 to AF-56 in Examples 7 and 8 were determined directly after production of the formulations. The measurements were carried out with the rheometer AR 2000 ex from TA instruments at 20° C. The rheometer had a cone-plate geometry with an angle between the surface of the cone and the plate of 1°. A volume of 2 to 3 ml of the agrochemical formulation to be measured was put on the plate, upon which the cone was brought onto the plate. The data of the shear stress was recorded at 20° C. at increasing shear rates up to 200 per second.

The true viscosity was calculated as the slope of the tangent of the resulting experimental curve at a shear rate of 100 per second. The apparent viscosity was calculated by dividing the shear stress at a shear rate of 100 per second by the shear rate. The apparent viscosity and the true viscosity are equal for Newtonian fluids. Tables 23 to 26 summarized the measured data.

TABLE-US-00023 TABLE 23 True and Apparent Viscosity values for agrochemical formulations AF-35 to AF-41 measured directly after production. Viscosity AF-35 AF-36 AF-37 AF-38 AF-39 AF-40 AF-41 True Viscosity 97.29 76.03 86.66 66.10 178.1 86.59 92.95 [mPas] Apparent Viscosity 157.7 142.1 86.66 115.1 426.9 118.9 140.5 [mPas]

TABLE-US-00024 TABLE 24 True and Apparent Viscosity values for agrochemical formulations AF-42 to AF-48 measured directly after production. Viscosity AF-42 AF-43 AF-44 AF-45 AF-46 AF-47 AF-48 True Viscosity 146 92.14 86.33 103.9 252.6 101.1 183.7 [mPas] Apparent Viscosity 331.3 151 150.5 134.6 680.8 245 183.7 [mPas]

TABLE-US-00025 TABLE 25 True and Apparent Viscosity values for agrochemical formulations AF-49 to AF-55 measured directly after production Viscosity AF-49 AF-50 AF-51 AF-52 AF-53 AF-54 AF-55 True Viscosity 149.4 335.6 67.92 265 280.2 163.6 275.5 [mPas] Apparent Viscosity 317.6 597.2 151.8 650.1 546.8 386.5 695.1 [mPas]

TABLE-US-00026 TABLE 26 True and Apparent Viscosity values for agrochemical formulation AF-56 measured directly after production. Viscosity AF-56 True Viscosity  98.42 [mPas] Apparent Viscosity 174 [mPas]

EXAMPLE 10: VISCOSITY MEASUREMENT

[0116] The dynamic viscosities of the agrochemical formulations AF-35 to AF-56 in Examples 7 and 8 were determined after 14 days of storage at 54° C. after production of the formulations. The measurements were carried out with the rheometer AR 2000 ex from TA instruments at 20° C. The rheometer had a cone-plate geometry with an angle between the surface of the cone and the plate of 1°. A volume of 2 to 3 ml of the agrochemical formulation to be measured was put on the plate, upon which the cone was brought onto the plate. The data of the shear stress was recorded at 20° C. at increasing shear rates up to 200 per second.

The true viscosity was calculated as the slope of the tangent of the resulting experimental curve at a shear rate of 100 per second. The apparent viscosity was calculated by dividing the shear stress at a shear rate of 100 per second by the shear rate. The apparent viscosity and the true viscosity are equal for Newtonian fluids. Tables 27 to 30 summarized the measured data.

TABLE-US-00027 TABLE 27 True and Apparent Viscosity values for agrochemical formulations AF-35 to AF-41 after 14 days of incubation. Viscosity AF-35 AF-36 AF-37 AF-38 AF-39 AF-40 AF-41 True Viscosity 93.45 79.23 85.76 68.23 181.5 90.15 95.88 [mPas] Apparent Viscosity 145.1 150.9 85.76 120.2 446.7 120.4 145.7 [mPas]

TABLE-US-00028 TABLE 28 True and Apparent Viscosity values for agrochemical formulations AF-42 to AF-48 after 14 days of incubation. Viscosity AF-42 AF-43 AF-44 AF-45 AF-46 AF-47 AF-48 True Viscosity 150.2 97.75 85.58 109.4 250.7 100.3 185.2 [mPas] Apparent Viscosity 320.8 156.9 155.1 139.3 688.8 250.4 185.2 [mPas]

TABLE-US-00029 TABLE 29 True and Apparent Viscosity values for agrochemical formulations AF-49 to AF-55 after 14 days of incubation. Viscosity AF-49 AF-50 AF-51 AF-52 AF-53 AF-54 AF-55 True Viscosity 145.6 340.4 70.73 250.6 285.2 170.1 280.3 [mPas] Apparent Viscosity 320.4 588.8 155.7 655.9 550.1 390.9 701.6 [mPas]

TABLE-US-00030 TABLE 30 True and Apparent Viscosity values for agrochemical formulation AF-56 after 14 days of incubation. Viscosity AF-56 True Viscosity [mPas] 101.8 Apparent Viscosity [mPas] 183.2

EXAMPLE 11: PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION

[0117] The particle size distribution of the samples AF-35 to AF-56 from Examples 7 and 8 was analyzed directly after preparation, and after 2 weeks of incubation at 54° C. The measurement was carried out on a Malvern Mastersizer 2000 by Malvern Instruments GmbH. A sample of the respective agrochemical formulation to be measured was diluted in an excess of water and analyzed by laser diffraction in a range of from 0.1 to 2000 μm. The results as compiled in Tables 31 to 34 reflected the size of oil droplets formed upon the dilution in water, and the size of the pesticide particles in the agrochemical formulation.

TABLE-US-00031 TABLE 31 D50 values for agrochemical formulations AF-35 to AF-41 in μm directly after preparation (“No storage”), after 14 days at 20° C. Storage condition AF-35 AF-36 AF-37 AF-38 AF-39 AF-40 AF-41 No storage 2.05 2.06 5.04 2.76 1.86 1.93 1.77 14 days at 2.32 2.29 6.03 3.03 2.36 1.92 1.95 20° C.

TABLE-US-00032 TABLE 32 D50 values for agrochemical formulations AF-42 to AF-48 in μm directly after preparation (“No storage”), after 14 days at 20° C. Storage condition AF-42 AF-43 AF-44 AF-45 AF-46 AF-47 AF-48 No storage 1.94 1.53 1.98 2.42 2.01 2.05 4.58 14 days at 2.23 1.75 2.33 2.71 2.23 2.4 5.04 20° C.

TABLE-US-00033 TABLE 33 D50 values for agrochemical formulations AF-50 to AF-56 in μm directly after preparation (“No storage”), after 14 days at 20° C. Storage condition AF-49 AF-50 AF-51 AF-52 AF-53 AF-54 AF-55 No storage 2.12 1.96 1.44 1.95 1.95 2.02 2.11 14 days at 2.53 2.36 1.63 2.39 2.37 2.33 2.4 20° C.

TABLE-US-00034 TABLE 34 D50 values for agrochemical formulations AF-50 to AF-56 in μm directly after preparation (“No storage”), after 14 days at 20° C. Storage condition AF-56 No storage 2.12 14 days at 20° C. 2.53

EXAMPLE 12: PHASE SEPARATION

[0118] The samples AF-35 to AF-56 were stored at 54° C. in transparent bottles without shaking or stirring for 14 days. Subsequently, the phase separation of the samples was analyzed. To this end, the height of the supernatant was measured and compared to the total filling height. The relative phase separation was calculated by dividing the height of the supernatant phase to the total filling height. The results are summarized in Tables 35 to 38.

TABLE-US-00035 TABLE 35 Relative phase separation of formulations AF-35 to AF-40 after 2 weeks of incubation at 54° C. Formulation AF-35 AF-36 AF-37 AF-38 AF-39 AF-40 Relative phase 22 8 71 28 0 46 separation [%]

TABLE-US-00036 TABLE 36 Relative phase separation of formulations AF-41 to AF-46 after 2 weeks of incubation at 54° C. Formulation AF-41 AF-42 AF-43 AF-44 AF-45 AF-46 Relative phase 29 1 28 22 39 22 separation [%]

TABLE-US-00037 TABLE 37 Relative phase separation of formulations AF-48 to AF-52 after 2 weeks of incubation at 54° C. Formulation AF-47 AF-48 AF-49 AF-50 AF-51 AF-52 Relative phase 0 43 20 0 14 0 separation [%]

TABLE-US-00038 TABLE 38 Relative phase separation of formulations AF-53 to AF-56 after 2 weeks of incubation at 54° C. Formulation AF-53 AF-54 AF-55 AF-56 Relative phase 0 0 0 23 separation [%]
Visual inspection of the samples AF-35 to AF-56 showed no sediment after 2 weeks of incubation at 54° C.
Surprisingly, samples that displayed phase separation could be easily homogenized by inversion of the bottles containing them.