PESTICIDAL COMPOSITIONS

Abstract

A pesticidal composition comprising: (i) A compound of Formula (I) active ingredient, wherein: A is hydrogen or methyl; U is independently chloro or methyl; n is 1 or 2; G is hydrogen or —C(═O)OCH.sub.2CH.sub.3; and X is N or C(H); or an agrochemically acceptable salt thereof; and (ii) an adjuvant combination comprising: (a) an oxirane/methyl oxirane block co-polymer (polyoxyethylene/polyoxypropylene block copolymer); and (b) an alcohol alkoxylate; wherein the weight ratio of component (a) to component (b) is 1:3 to 3:1; and the weight ratio of component (i) to (ii) is 1:1 to 1:4.

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Claims

1. A pesticidal composition comprising: (i) A compound of Formula (I) as active ingredient: ##STR00006## wherein: A is hydrogen or methyl; U is independently chloro or methyl; n is 1 or 2; G is hydrogen or —C(═O)OCH.sub.2CH.sub.3; and X is N or C(H); or an agrochemically acceptable salt thereof; and (ii) an adjuvant combination comprising components: (a) an oxirane/methyl oxirane block co-polymer (polyoxyethylene/polyoxypropylene block copolymer); and (b) an alcohol alkoxylate; wherein the weight ratio of component (a) to component (b) is 1:3 to 3:1; and the weight ratio of component (i) to (ii) is 1:1 to 1:4.

2. The composition according to claim 1, which is a suspension concentrate formulation.

3. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the compound of Formula (I) is spiropidion.

4. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the oxirane/methyl oxirane block co-polymer comprises a POE-POP-POE sequence, wherein POE represents a polyoxyethylene block and POP represents a polyoxypropylene block, wherein the co-polymer has a molecular mass (g/mol) of 2500 to 7000.

5. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the alcohol alkoxylate is an alkoxylated C.sub.12 to C.sub.15 fatty alcohol, preferably an ethoxylated and/or propoxylated C.sub.12 to C.sub.15 fatty alcohol.

6. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the weight ratio of component (a) to component (b) is 1:1 to 3:1.

7. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the weight ratio of component (i) to component (ii) is 1:2 to 1:3.

8. The composition according to claim 1, further comprising one or more additional ingredients selected from emulsifiers, dispersing agents, wetting agents, antifreeze agents, antifoaming agents, biocides, solvents, stabilizers, anti-microbial agents (biocide), pigments, buffers and fillers.

9. An aqueous diluted composition comprising the pesticidal composition according to claim 1.

10. A method of combating and controlling pests which comprises applying to a pest, to a locus of a pest, or to a crop of a useful plant susceptible to attack by a pest a composition according to claim 1.

11. A method of controlling pests, which method comprises applying to the soil of a crop of a useful plant a composition according to claim 1, wherein the application is by drip, drenching or injection to the soil.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the pest is selected from the order Homoptera, Thysanoptera, Acarina or Lepidoptera.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the pest is selected from white flies, aphids, thrips.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the plant is selected from the order Solanaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Alliaceae or Asparagacea.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the plant is selected from cucumber, squash, pepper, melon, watermelon, tomato, aubergine, courgette or gourd.

Description

EXAMPLES

[0073] The Examples which follow serve to illustrate the invention and demonstrate how various compositions comprising compound 1 (ie, spiropidion ([2-(4-chloro-2,6-dimethyl-phenyl)-8-methoxy-4-methyl-3-oxo-4,8-diazaspiro[4.5]dec-1-en-1-yl] ethyl carbonate)—CAS no.: 1229023-00-0) as active ingredient provide acceptable levels of insect control along with an acceptable crop safety profile relative to the presence of an adjuvant. Compound 1 may be prepared according to the procedures described in WO 2010/066780, WO 2018/114649 and WO 2018/114648.

[0074] The commercially-available adjuvants used in the compositions of the Examples are Pluronic® PE 6400 (BASF AG) and Pluronic® PE 10500 (BASF Corporation, USA) which are oxirane/methyl oxirane block co-polymers with a molecular mass (g/mol) in the range 2500 to 7000. Plurafac® LF 404 is a low-foaming non-ionic surfactant predominantly consisting of ethoxylated and propoxylated C.sub.13 to C.sub.15 alcohols (liquid at 23° C.).

[0075] Insecticidal activity and crop safety were tested on four weeks old Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa) plants infested with green peach aphid (Myzus persicae). Plants were treated with a horizontal spray at described rates and incubated at 22° C., with a 14 hour light regime and ca. 60% relative humidity. Plants used for efficacy (activity) evaluations were infested with a mixed aged population of green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) two hours and six days after application. Plants used for crop safety evaluations were left uninfested and kept separately, but under identical environmental conditions. One and two weeks after application, the efficacy (i.e. aphid control relative to check) and crop safety (i.e., phytotoxicity relative to untreated) were assessed for each individual treatment. Each treatment was done in triplicate, i.e., three individual plants.

[0076] Compositions A-1 to I-1 were assessed for insecticidal activity against a spiropidion formulation applied at 50 g/ha active ingredient with rapeseed oil methyl ester (RME) EW40 as adjuvant at a weight ratio of 1:2 as a standard providing a score of 100 (an acceptable activity).

[0077] Compositions A-2 to I-2, which possess the same active ingredient to adjuvant weight ratios as formulations A-1 to I-1, were assessed for crop safety against a formulation applied at 100 g/ha active ingredient rapeseed oil methyl ester (RME) EW40 standard as adjuvant as standard providing a score of 100 (an acceptable crop safety).

[0078] The relative performance of formulations A-1 to I-1 (activity) and A-2 to I-2 (crop safety) was score rated against the respective standards based on the following:

[0079] A (−/−) rating was not considered acceptable for activity at the specified rate of active ingredient application, and a (−), (+) or (+/+) rating was considered acceptable. [0080] −/− less than 90. [0081] − 90-99. [0082] + 101-110. [0083] +/+ greater than 110.

[0084] A (−/−) rating was not considered acceptable for crop safety at the specified rate of active ingredient application, and a (−), (+) or (+/+) rating was considered acceptable. [0085] +/+ less than 90. [0086] + 90-99. [0087] − 101-110. [0088] −/− greater than 110.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Active ingredient Active (i): Adjuvant ingredient Adjuvant ((a) & (b)) Score Score Composition (g/ha) (g/ha) weight for for crop no. (i) (a) (b) ratio activity safety A-1 50 75 − 2:3 −/− A-2 100 150 − 2:3 +/+ B-1 50 75 25 2:3:1 − B-2 100 150 50 2:3:1 +/+ C-1 50 75 50 2:3:2 + C-2 100 150 100 2:3:2 +/+ D-1 50 100 − 1:2 −/− D-2 100 200 − 1:2 +/+ E-1 50 100 25 2:4:1 −/− E-2 100 200 50 2:4:1 +/+ F-1 50 100 50 1:2:1 +/+ F-2 100 200 100 1:2:1 + G-1 50 100 − 1:2 +/+ G-2 100 200 − 1:2 −/− H-1 50 100 25 2:4:1 + H-2 100 200 50 2:4:1 −/− I-1 50 75 50 2:3:2 − I-2 100 150 100 2:3:2 +/+

[0089] For formulations A to F—The component (a) adjuvant is Pluronic® PE 6400.

[0090] For formulations G to I—The component (a) adjuvant is Pluronic® PE 10500.

[0091] The component (b) adjuvant (where present) is Plurafac® LF 404.

[0092] As can be seen from Table 1, only the compositions B, C, F and I with weight ratios between compound 1 and adjuvants (a) and (b) according to the invention did not score either an unacceptable (−/−) rating for insecticidal activity or an unacceptable (−/−) rating for crop safety against the standard formulation.