ENHANCEMENT OF SOIL HERBICIDE ACTIVITY WITH ANIONIC ALKOXYLATED PHENOLS

Abstract

A method for controlling unwanted vegetation including the application of a water-insoluble herbicide and a soil mobilizer to a soil. The weight ratio of the herbicide to the soil mobilizer is from 1:0.8 to 1:50, and the soil mobilizer is of the formula I as defined in the disclosure. Also disclosed is a composition including a water-insoluble herbicide and the soil mobilizer. The weight ratio of the herbicide to the soil mobilizer is from 1:0.8 to 1:50. A use of the soil mobilizer for enhancement of the herbicidal activity of a herbicide applied to soil is disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for controlling unwanted vegetation comprising the application of a water-insoluble herbicide and a soil mobilizer to a soil, where the weight ratio of the herbicide to the soil mobilizer is from 1:0.8 to 1:50, and where the soil mobilizer is of the formula I ##STR00005## where B is alkyl, aryl or arylalkyl, AO is C.sub.2-C.sub.6 alkyleneoxy, A is a sulfate or phosphate group, n is from 1 to 3, and m is from 1 to 100.

2. The method according to claim 1 where the soil mobilizer is applied with an application rate 0.5 to 50 kg/ha.

3. The method according to claim 1 where the weight ratio of the herbicide to the soil mobilizer is from 1:1 to 1:20.

4. The method according to claim 1 where AO is ethyleneoxy or a mixture of ethyleneoxy and propyleneoxy.

5. The method according to claim 1 where m is from 5 to 50.

6. The method according to claim 1 where the herbicide has a solubility in water of up to 10 g/l at 20 C. at pH 7.

7. The method according to claim 1 where the application is done before the emergence of the unwanted vegetation.

8. The method according to claim 1 where B is aryl or arylalkyl.

9. The method according to claim 1 where n is from 2 to 3.

10. The method according to claim 1 where B is aryl-C.sub.1-C.sub.8-alkyl AO is a C.sub.2-C.sub.3 alkyleneoxy, A is a sulfate or phosphate group, n is from 2 to 3, and m is from 3 to 50.

11. A composition comprising a water-insoluble herbicide and a soil mobilizer, where the weight ratio of the herbicide to the soil mobilizer is from 1:0.8 to 1:50, and where the soil mobilizer is of the formula I as defined in claim 1.

12. The composition according to claim 11 where the weight ratio of the herbicide to the soil mobilizer is from 1:1 to 1:20.

13. The composition according to claim 11 where the herbicide has a solubility in water of up to 10 g/l at 20 C. at pH 7.

14. The composition according to claim 11 which is an aqueous composition comprising at least 50 wt % water.

15. The composition according to claim 11 where the herbicide is suspended in particulate form or in microencapsulated form.

16. The composition according to claim 11 where the herbicide comprises pendimethalin.

17. A method for enhancement of the herbicidal activity of a herbicide applied to soil, the method comprising the use of the soil mobilizer of the formula I as defined in claim 1.

18. The method according to claim 2 where the soil mobilizer is applied with an application rate 2 to 40 kg/ha.

19. The method according to claim 3 where the weight ratio of the herbicide to the soil mobilizer is from 1:2 to 1:10.

20. The method according to claim 10 where B is aryl-C.sub.1-C.sub.4-alkyl.

Description

EXAMPLES

[0137] Soil Mobilizer A: Soprophor FLK from Solvay (liquid, 20 wt % polyoxyethylene tristyrylphenol phosphate, Potassium Salt, 20 wt % of ethoxylated tristyrylphenol, 50-60 wt % propylene glycol, 1-5% water). [0138] Soil Mobilizer B: Soprophor 4D384 from Solvay (viscous liquid to paste, poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-sulfo-.omega.-[tris(1-phenylethyl)phenoxy-, ammonium salt).

Example 1

Seed Depth Testmethod

[0139] Typically, the deeper the seeds of unwanted vegetation are in the soil the more difficult it is to control them with a water-insoluble herbicide. This greenhouse test was used to evaluate the herbicidal activity depending on seed depth of unwanted vegetation.

[0140] Pots were seeded with seed of slender foxtail grass (Alopecurus agrestis L.) at different seed depths of 0.1 cm, 1 cm and 3 cm. The soil was average loamy sand, pH 6.5, 4.6% humus content, particle size distribution: 71.5% sand 0.063-2.000 mm, 17.1% silt 0.002-0.063 mm, 11.4% clay <0.002mm.

[0141] An aqueous spray mixture of the herbicide and optionally a soil mobilizer were sprayed at an application volume of 200 liter/ha to the soil.

[0142] Ten and 20 days after this herbicidal treatment the percentage plant damage compared to the untreated control (% PDCU) were recorded, where 0% means no damage and 100% means that the plants were dead. All data points below represent the average of two pots.

Example 2

[0143] The test method according to Example 1 was followed. An aqueous spray mixture (Spray A) was prepared by diluting with water [0144] a) an aqueous suspension concentrate of containing 400 g/l pendimethalin and 125 g/l Soil Mobilizer A (Pendi-SC); and [0145] b) Soil Mobilizer B (100% active content).

[0146] A comparative spray mixture (Comparative Spray A) was prepared by diluting only Pendi-SC with water, without the addition of Soil Mobilizer B. In the Comparative Spray A the weight ratio of the herbicide to the soil mobilizer of the formula I was 1:0.07.

[0147] The application rates were 1.2 kg/ha pendimethalin, 0.08 kg/ha Soil Mobilizer A, and in case of Spray A additionally 5 or 10 kg/ha Soil Mobilizer B.

[0148] The % PDCU was determined and the results are summarized in Table 1 (10 Days after treatment) and Table 2 (20 Days after treatment).

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Comparative Seed depth Spray A Spray A (5 kg/ha) Spray A (10 kg/ha) 0.1 cm 92.5 96.5 95 1 cm 70 90 95 3 cm 65 75 85

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Comparative Seed depth Spray A Spray A (5 kg/ha) Spray A (10 kg/ha) 0.1 cm 92.5 96.5 92.5 1 cm 77.5 85 95 3 cm 70 75 85

Example 3

[0149] This example was made as in Example 2, but the application volume was reduced from 200 l/ha to 100 l/ha.

[0150] The application rates were 1.2 kg/ha pendimethalin, 0.15 kg/ha Soil Mobilizer A, and in case of Spray A additionally 10 kg/ha Soil Mobilizer B.

[0151] The % PDCU was determined and the results are summarized in Table 3 (10 Days after treatment) and Table 4 (20 Days after treatment).

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Seed depth Comparative Spray A Spray A 0.1 cm 85 90 1 cm 73 90 3 cm 70 88

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Seed depth Comparative Spray A Spray A 0.1 cm 75 93 1 cm 65 90 3 cm 65 88

Example 4

[0152] This example was made as in Example 2, but the application volume was reduced from 200 l/ha to 50 l/ha.

[0153] The application rates were 1.2 kg/ha pendimethalin, 0.15 kg/ha Soil Mobilizer A, and in case of Spray A 10 kg/ha Soil Mobilizer B.

[0154] The % PDCU was determined and the results are summarized in Table 5 (10 Days after treatment) and Table 6 (20 Days after treatment).

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Seed depth Comparative Spray A Spray A 0.1 cm 80 90 1 cm 78 88 3 cm 80 88

TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Seed depth Comparative Spray A Spray A 0.1 cm 73 93 1 cm 73 88 3 cm 83 85

Example 5

[0155] The test method according to Example 1 was followed. An aqueous spray mixture (Spray B) was prepared by diluting with water [0156] a) an aqueous suspension concentrate of containing 500 g/l trifludimoxazin (Triflu-SC); and [0157] b) Soil Mobilizer B (100% active content).

[0158] A comparative spray mixture (Comparative Spray B) was prepared by diluting only Triflu-SC with water, without the addition of Soil Mobilizer B. Triflu-SC was free of a soil mobilizer of the formula I.

[0159] The application rates were 13 or 18 g/ha trifludimoxazin and in case of Spray B 10 kg/ha Soil Mobilizer B.

[0160] The % PDCU was determined and the results for 13 g/ha herbicide are summarized in Table 7 (10 Days after treatment) and Table 8 (20 Days after treatment); and for 18 g/ha herbicide are summarized in Table 9 (10 Days after treatment) and Table 10 (20 Days after treatment

TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 Seed depth Comparative Spray B Spray B 0.1 cm 73 80 1 cm 65 75 3 cm 73 88

TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 Seed depth Comparative Spray B Spray B 0.1 cm 78 90 1 cm 68 80 3 cm 80 95

TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 9 Seed depth Comparative Spray B Spray B 0.1 cm 78 75 1 cm 85 88 3 cm 80 93

TABLE-US-00010 TABLE 10 Seed depth Comparative Spray B Spray B 0.1 cm 75 85 1 cm 97 99 3 cm 88 98