AGRICULTURAL BIOSTIMULANTS INCLUDING SELECTED BRASSINOSTEROIDS AND TRIACONTANOL

Abstract

A biostimulant concentrate includes purified water and a solubilizer, triacontanol, and an array of brassinosteroids selected from the group consisting of brassinolide, brassinone, dolicholide, homobrassinolide, and combinations thereof. The triacontanol is concentrated as a 95% concentrate that is included in an amount of 2-15 grains per liter of biostimulant concentrate. In one embodiment, 3 grams of triacontanol 95% is used per liter of biostimulant concentrate. The biostimulant is formulated into a foliar spray in one embodiment of the invention. The present inventive formulation is used as an in-furrow application, which is mixed with fertilizer in one aspect of the invention. The present invention is mixed with herbicide and broadcast sprayed in another embodiment of the invention. This broadcast spray can be performed either pre-emergence, or post emergence, or both.

Claims

1. A biostimulant concentrate comprising: purified water and a solubilizer; triacontanol 95% in a concentration of 2-15 grains per liter of the biostimulant concentrate; at least one brassinosteroid, yielding a total brassinosteroid concentration of between 40-70 ppm in the biostimulant concentrate; the at least one brassinosteroid includes homobrassinolide having the chemical formula C.sub.29H.sub.50O.sub.6, in a concentration of at least 9.7 ppm in the biostimulant concentrate; and a stabilizer.

2. The biostimulant concentrate as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one brassinosteroid includes brassinolide, having the chemical formula C.sub.28H.sub.48O.sub.6.

3. The biostimulant concentrate as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one brassinosteroid includes dolicholide, having chemical formula C.sub.28H.sub.46O.sub.6.

4. The biostimulant concentrate as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one brassinosteroid includes brassinone, having chemical formula C.sub.27H.sub.46O.sub.5.

5. The biostimulant concentrate as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one brassinosteroid is selected from the group consisting of brassinolide, brassinone, dolicholide, homobrassinolide, and combinations thereof.

6. The biostimulant concentrate as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one brassinosteroid is selected from the group consisting essentially of brassinolide, brassinone, dolicholide, homobrassinolide, and combinations thereof.

7. The biostimulant concentrate as set forth in claim 1, further comprising citric acid to maintain the pH of the biostimulant is between 3.5 and 4.0.

8. The biostimulant concentrate as set forth in claim 1, further comprising citric acid to maintain the pH of the biostimulant between 3.0 and 3.5.

9. A biostimulant concentrate comprising: purified water and a solubilizer; triacontanol 95% in a concentration of 2-15 grains per liter of the biostimulant concentrate; an array of brassinosteroids selected from the group consisting of brassinolide, brassinone, dolicholide, homobrassinolide, and combinations thereof, and the ratio of the triacontanol to the array of brassinosteroids is between 40:1 to 50:1 on a w:w basis.

10. The biostimulant concentrate as set forth in claim 9, wherein the array of brassinosteroid concentration is between 40-70 mg/l or ppm.

11. The biostimulant concentrate as set forth in claim 9, wherein the triacontanol concentration is approximately 3000 mg/l or ppm.

12. The biostimulant concentrate as set forth in claim 9, wherein the ratio of triacontanol to the array of brassinosteroids is between 40:1 to 50:1 on a w:w basis.

13. The biostimulant concentrate as set forth in claim 9, wherein the brassinosteroids are selected from the group consisting essentially of brassinolide, brassinone, dolicholide, and homobrassinolide.

14. A biostimulant concentrate comprising: purified water; triacontanol 95% in a concentration of 2-15 grains per liter of the biostimulant concentrate; at least one brassinosteroid selected from the group consisting essentially of brassinolide, brassinone, dolicholide, and homobrassinolide, and the ratio of triacontanol to at least one brassinosteroid is between 40:1 and 50:1 on a w:w basis.

15. The biostimulant as set forth in claim 14, wherein the at least one brassinosteroid includes each of: brassinolide, brassinone, dolicholide, and homobrassinolide.

16. The biostimulant as set forth in claim 14, wherein the at least one brassinosteroid comprises only brassinolide.

17. The biostimulant as set forth in claim 14, wherein the at least one brassinosteroid comprises only brassinone.

18. The biostimulant as set forth in claim 14, wherein at least one brassinosteroid comprises only dolicholide.

19. The biostimulant as set forth in claim 14, wherein at least one brassinosteroid comprises only homobrassinolide.

20. The biostimulant as set forth in claim 14, wherein at least one brassinosteroid comprises no more than two brassinosteroids.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method of manufacturing the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The biostimulant of present invention is a stable solution or emulsion and its constituents resist settling even after great periods of time and over varied temperature ranges. The solution is concentrated for easy transportation and storage. In one preferred embodiment, the biostimulant is a concentrate including purified water, triacontanol, at least one brassinosteroid selected from the group consisting of brassinolide, brassinone, dolicholide, and homobrassinolide. The ratio of triacontanol to at least one brassinosteroid is between 40:1 and 50:1 on a w:w basis.

[0037] In a variation of this embodiment the at least one brassinosteroid includes each of: brassinolide, brassinone, dolicholide, and homobrassinolide.

[0038] In another embodiment, at least one brassinosteroid includes only brassinolide, only brassinone, only dolicholide, or only homobrassinolide. In a variation of this embodiment, no more than two brassinosteroids comprise the total brassinosteroid concentration.

[0039] In another preferred embodiment, the biostimulant contains at least 0.003% (preferably between 0.006% and 0.0162%) Brassinosteroid and at least 0.2% (preferably between 0.2-0.5%) triacontanol. More preferably, a concentration of 0.3% triacontanol is used. In one embodiment of the invention the Bio Shot products contains 3000 parts per million (ppm) of Triacontanol, derived from Triacontanol 20% TC to 95% TC. With the 95% TC triacontanol variant of the invention, the triacontanol 95% TC is in a concentration of 2-15 grains per liter of biostimulant concentrate.

[0040] The present invention perfects the steps of achieving solubility and long term shelf stability of these active ingredients.

[0041] The solution is stable, milky white in appearance, and will not expand or burst its container under ambient conditions.

[0042] The brassinolide is a plant growth hormone having the chemical formula C.sub.28H.sub.48O.sub.6. It is preferably extracted from rape seed pollen, is analyzed by High Pressure Mass Spectrometry to determine purity, and then mixed with ethanol to produce a water soluble solution.

[0043] The triacontanol is a plant growth stimulant having the chemical formula C.sub.30H.sub.62O. The triacontanol is preferably derived from rice bran wax and formulated to 20% TC, as used herein, means the technical product concentration, where the percentage is a weight to volume ratio as measured in grams per liter. For example 15 gms of triacontanol having a TC of 20% equals 3 grains per liter, which is approximately 3000 parts per million (ppm) when made water soluble by mixing with Tween 80 in heated water.

[0044] The present inventive solution, in one embodiment, contains as much, or more, of brassinosteroids including brassinolide and 25 times more triacontanol than the product described above known as Vitazyme®, depending on the batch of Vitazyme® tested. One advantage of concentration is that shipping costs are reduced, storage space is minimized and preservative volume requirements are reduced.

[0045] Preferably the ratio of triacontanol to total brassinosteroids in the present invention is between 40:1 and 50:1. In various embodiments this ratio can more broadly be implemented as between 30:1 to 60:1, or any ratio between. In more specific embodiments the ratio can be approximately 45:1. The ideal ratio may vary depending on application method.

[0046] FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method in accordance with the present invention, generally designated with the reference numeral 10.

[0047] The method 10 includes the step 12 of providing purified water and heating the purified water to between 60-90 degrees Celsius at ambient pressure. The purified water can be distilled or reverse osmosis filtered. In a preferred embodiment, the temperature is 85° C. +/−1° C. to optimize solubility of the active components in subsequent steps. In another embodiment the temperature range is 80° C. +/−10° C. Normally the temperature will not exceed 100° C.

[0048] The method 10 includes the step 14 of mixing Tween 80 (C.sub.64H.sub.124O.sub.26) with the purified water in a concentration of between 3-7 grains of Tween 80 per liter of purified water. In a preferred embodiment the concentration in grams per liter of the Tween 80 and the purified water is 5 grams per liter +/−1 gram. This yields a Tween and water solution.

[0049] The method 10 further includes the step 16 of mixing Triacontanol 95% at 2-15 grams per liter of the Tween 80 and water solution. Ideally, in an alternate embodiment, the triacontanol 95% concentration in this mixture is 15 grams per liter +/−1 gram to yield an optimized triacontanol solution.

[0050] The step 18 includes cooling the triacontanol solution to room temperature i.e. between 20-23.5° C. +/−5° C. to enable the optimal addition of brassinosteroids. Preferably any brassinosteroid used is in an ethanol solution to optimize solubility. The ethanol solution enables the desired concentrations of Brassinosteroid to be achieved in step 22 where the Triacontanol and brassinosteroid solutions are mixed to achieve a biostimulant solution. Here, the brassinosteroid, brassinolide is used as an example.

[0051] In an alternate embodiment, the step 18 includes adding an array of brassinosteroids selected for optimal function of the present invention in enhancing vegetative growth and harvest yield. In this embodiment of the invention, an optimal combination of brassinosteroids is expressed in Table 2, and include 28-Norcastasterone (Brassinone), Brassinolide (Dolicholide), and 28-Homobrassinolide.

[0052] The step 24 includes mixing nano silver and nano copper to stabilize biostimulant solution and inhibit microbial growth. Alternatively, the step 24 can utilize effective amounts of citric acid (such as 0.5 grains) to achieve a desired pH, which inhibits microbial growth. A further alternative includes utilizing both citric acid and nano copper or other suitable metal to stabilize the invention.

[0053] One advantage of using citric acid in step 24 is that this ingredient is compliant with most regulatory frameworks worldwide, and is relatively cost effective. An advantage of using the alternative i.e. nano copper or other metal, is that it may function as a trace element to bolster the resulting crop nutritional profile in humans.

[0054] This method can be performed in a clean room that enables a maximum of 10,000 particles greater than 0.5 μm per cubic feet of volume to minimize microbial contamination of the biostimulant solution.

[0055] In various examples, the present invention and methods of application thereof can benefit agricultural yields for a variety of crops including grains, tubers, maize, and legumes including peanuts, and soybeans. The present invention has also been tested successfully with cruciferous vegetables, nightshades, and tree fruit including cabbage, apples and tomatoes.

[0056] It can be appreciated that the present invention is also useful for most agricultural crops. This is a significant benefit of having the present invention, as it can be used for most commercial crops. This makes storage and transportation more efficient for the user.

[0057] One method of synthesizing nano-copper (copper nanoparticles having a diameter of between 1-100 nanometers) involves the copper (II) hydrazine carboxylate salt which undergoes a radical reaction with radical hydrogen produced by ultrasounds to form nanoparticles, hydrogen peroxide, and hydrazine carboxylic acid.

[0058] A method of synthesizing nano-silver (silver nanoparticles having a diameter of between 1-100 nanometers) includes citrate reduction, reduction via sodium borohydride, monosaccharide reduction as well as the polyol process.

[0059] Biological synthesis has also been used to make agricultural-ready nano-silver. This includes the biological synthesis of nanoparticles without requiring the use of reducing agents like sodium borohydride, and to limit the tendency of the nanoparticles to aggregate.

[0060] A variety of other stabilizers in addition to silver and copper or other metal can be used. It can be appreciated that although the present invention is described in terms of using brassinosteroids in many embodiments, any of a variety of brassinosteroids can be substituted, including those described herein in particular concentrations, and others, and other novel concentrations to optimize biomass growth, crop yield per acre, nutrient density, visual attributes, fruit or vegetable sizes, and other attributes.