Adjuvant For Agrochemicals

Abstract

An adjuvant for agrochemicals, in particular plant protection agents, comprising an oil component which is a substance selected from the group of: vegetable oil, vegetable fatty acid methyl ester, vegetable fatty acid ethyl ester, vegetable fatty acid butyl ester or mixtures thereof and a wetting component, alkalizing-compatibilizing agent comprising: an alkaline non-ionic surfactant consisting of a mixture of ethoxylated alkyl amines with a C13-15 alkyl chain length and a non-ionic surfactant from the group of vegetable polyglycerol esters of vegetable fatty acids with a carbon chain length of C12-22. The invention also relates to a foliar spray composition comprising: a plant protection agent selected from the group of herbicides, biostimulants, growth regulators or fertilizers or mixtures thereof, water and an adjuvant according to the invention. The adjuvant according to the invention is characterized by high biodegradability, is used to obtain a spray liquid with high service life and ensures high solubility of the active substances used and their high retention on the sprayed surface.

Claims

1. An adjuvant for agrochemicals, in particular plant protection products, comprising: an oil component which is a substance selected from the group of: vegetable oil, vegetable fatty acid methyl ester, vegetable fatty acid ethyl ester, vegetable fatty acid butyl ester or mixtures thereof, and a wetting-alkalizing-compatibilizing component comprising: an alkaline non-ionic surfactant consisting of a mixture of ethoxylated alkyl amines with a C13-15 alkyl chain length, and a non-ionic surfactant from the group of polyglycerol esters of vegetable fatty acids with a carbon chain length of C12-22.

2. The adjuvant according to claim 1, wherein it comprises: 70-90% by weight of oil component which is a substance selected from the group of: vegetable oil, vegetable fatty acid methyl ester, vegetable fatty acid ethyl ester, vegetable fatty acid butyl ester or mixtures thereof; 5-15% by weight of alkaline non-ionic surfactant consisting of a mixture of ethoxylated alkyl amines with a C13-15 alkyl chain length and 5-15% by weight a non-ionic surfactant from the group of polyglycerol esters of vegetable fatty acids with a carbon chain length of C12-22.

3. The adjuvant according to claim 2, wherein it comprises 80% by weight of oil component which is a substance selected from the group of: vegetable oil, vegetable fatty acid methyl ester, vegetable fatty acid ethyl ester, vegetable fatty acid butyl ester or mixtures thereof; 10% by weight of alkaline non-ionic surfactant consisting of a mixture of ethoxylated alkyl amines with a C13-15 alkyl chain length and 10% by weight a non-ionic surfactant from the group of polyglycerol esters of vegetable fatty acids with a carbon chain length of C12-22.

4. The adjuvant according to claim 1, wherein the oil of vegetable origin is rapeseed oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, linseed oil.

5. A foliar spray composition comprising: a plant protection product selected from the group of: herbicides, biostimulants, growth regulators or fertilizers or their mixtures, water, and the adjuvant as defined in claim 1.

6. The foliar spray composition according to claim 5, wherein the herbicide is a sulfonylurea herbicide.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0006] The object of the invention is an adjuvant for foliar agrochemicals, in particular plant protection products, including herbicides, biostimulants, growth regulators or fertilizers, comprising: [0007] a. an oil component which is a substance selected from the group of: vegetable oil, vegetable fatty acid methyl ester, vegetable fatty acid ethyl ester, vegetable fatty acid butyl ester or mixtures thereof, [0008] b. and a wetting-alkalizing-compatibilizing component comprising: [0009] i. an alkaline non-ionic surfactant consisting of a mixture of ethoxylated alkyl amines with a C13-15 alkyl chain length and [0010] ii. a non-ionic surfactant from the group of polyglycerol esters of vegetable fatty acids with a carbon chain length of C12-22.

[0011] Preferably, the adjuvant of the invention comprises: 70-90% by weight of oil component which is a substance selected from the group of: vegetable oil, vegetable fatty acid methyl ester, vegetable fatty acid ethyl ester, vegetable fatty acid butyl ester or mixtures thereof; 5-15% by weight of alkaline non-ionic surfactant consisting of a mixture of ethoxylated alkyl amines with a C13-15 alkyl chain length and 5-15% by weight a non-ionic surfactant from the group of polyglycerol esters of vegetable fatty acids with a carbon chain length of C12-22.

[0012] More preferably, the adjuvant of the invention comprises: 80% by weight of oil component which is a substance selected from the group of: vegetable oil, vegetable fatty acid methyl ester, vegetable fatty acid ethyl ester, vegetable fatty acid butyl ester or mixtures thereof; 10% by weight of alkaline non-ionic surfactant consisting of a mixture of ethoxylated alkyl amines with a C13-15 alkyl chain length and 10% by weight a non-ionic surfactant from the group of polyglycerol esters of vegetable fatty acids with a carbon chain length of C12-22.

[0013] Preferably, the oil of vegetable origin is rapeseed oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, linseed oil.

[0014] According to another aspect, the invention also relates to a foliar spray composition comprising: a plant protection agent selected from the group of herbicides, biostimulants, growth regulators or fertilizers or mixtures thereof, an adjuvant according to the invention and water.

[0015] Preferably the herbicide in the foliar spray composition is a sulfonylurea herbicide.

[0016] The adjuvant according to the invention is a liquid homogeneous concentrate ensuring the formation of a stable oil-water emulsion in the spray liquid, buffering the spray liquid at a pH level above 7 and thus enabling easy dissolution of active substances, e.g. herbicides from the sulfonylurea group, ensuring adequate wetting of the sprayed surface and penetration of biological substances active to the cells of the target pests. Such an adjuvant, added to the spray liquid of agrochemicals, strongly increases the activity of the biologically active substances contained in them and allows to maintain their high effectiveness in a wide range of climatic and technical conditions, even when used in reduced doses, and also significantly reduces wind drift and thus reducing the possibility of damaging sensitive neighbourhood crops and polluting the environment with agrochemicals.

[0017] Unexpectedly, it turned out that the addition of an additional non-ionic surfactant from the group of polyglycerol esters of vegetable fatty acids with a carbon chain length of C12-22 to the composition of an adjuvant comprising crude vegetable oil (e.g. rapeseed, soybean, sunflower, linseed and / or other) and / or an ester methyl, ethyl or butyl fatty acids and an alkaline non-ionic surfactant consisting of a mixture of ethoxylated alkyl amines with a C13-15 alkyl chain length and HLB number of 15, made it possible to prepare a clear, homogeneous and storage-stable formulation, and this formulation allowed for the creation of a homogeneous, long-lasting formulation of oil-water emulsion spraying liquid. The addition of an additional surfactant from the group of polyglyceryl esters of fatty acids to the adjuvant according to the invention made it possible to significantly improve its rheological and functional properties.

[0018] Ethoxylated alkyl amines of C13 [1], C14 [2] and C15 [3] alkyl chain length, contained in the non-ionic surfactant, which was included in the adjuvant according to the invention, have the following chemical structure:

##STR00001##

##STR00002##

##STR00003##

[0019] Surfactants from the group of polyglycerol esters of vegetable fatty acids, enabling the improvement of rheological and functional properties of the adjuvant according to the invention, have the following chemical structure:

##STR00004##

where n = 2-20 (number of glycerol molecules in the polymer), R = C12-22 fatty acid

[0020] The adjuvant according to the invention is biostatic and stable during storage for at least 12 months in the temperature range from -10° C. to + 54° C. When added to the spray liquid in a concentration of 0.5-2%, it creates a stable oil-water emulsion that remains at the level acceptable for chemical plant protection for at least 12 hours. An important advantage of the adjuvant according to the invention is that it can be added to the spray liquid not only during its preparation, but also incorporated into liquid plant protection product formulations at the stage of their commercial production.

[0021] According to non-limiting embodiments of the patent application, the adjuvant composition according to the invention and the biological effects of using the adjuvant with a mixture of herbicides are presented:

EXAMPLES

Example I

[0022] The container equipped with a mechanical stirrer contains: 700 parts by weight of rapeseed oil fatty acid methyl ester with a viscosity of 4 mm.sup.2/s at 20° C. and a density of 0.85 g / cm.sup.3, 150 parts by weight of alkaline non-ionic surfactant consisting of a mixture of ethoxylated alkyl amines with a C13-15 alkyl chain length and HLB number 15, and 150 parts by weight of non-ionic surfactant from the group of polyglycerol esters of vegetable fatty acids with a carbon chain length of C12-22.

[0023] The whole was stirred slowly at the temperature of 20° C. for about 10 minutes until the mixture is completely homogenized. A clear, homogeneous composition with a light amber colour was obtained, with a density of 0.91 g / cm.sup.3 and a kinematic viscosity of 4.1 mPa / s at 20° C., comprising 70% by weight of rapeseed oil fatty acid methyl ester, 15% by weight of alkaline non-ionic surfactant consisting of a mixture of ethoxylated alkyl amines with a C13-15 alkyl chain length and HLB number of 15 and 15% by weight of non-ionic surfactant from the group of polyglycerol esters of vegetable fatty acids with a carbon chain length of C12-22. The prepared adjuvant was introduced into water in a concentration of 1% and formed an oil-water emulsion stable with it for 12 hours with a pH of 8.28 and a static surface tension of 31.08 mNm.

Example II

[0024] The container equipped with a mechanical stirrer comprises: 800 parts by weight of rapeseed oil fatty acid methyl ester with a viscosity of 4 mm.sup.2/s at 20° C. and a density of 0.85 g / cm.sup.3, 100 parts by weight of alkaline non-ionic surfactant consisting of a mixture of ethoxylated alkyl amines with a C13-15 alkyl chain length and HLB number 15,, and 100 parts by weight of non-ionic surfactant from the group of polyglycerol esters of vegetable fatty acids with a carbon chain length of C12-22.

[0025] The whole was stirred slowly at the temperature of 20° C. for about 10 minutes until the mixture is completely homogenized. A clear, homogeneous composition with a light amber colour was obtained, with a density of 0.89 g / cm.sup.3 and a kinematic viscosity of 3.4 mPa / s at 20° C., comprising 80% by weight of rapeseed oil fatty acid methyl ester, 10% by weight of alkaline non-ionic surfactant consisting of a mixture of ethoxylated alkyl amines with a C13-15 alkyl chain length and HLB number of 15 and 10% by weight of non-ionic surfactant from the group of polyglycerol esters of vegetable fatty acids with a carbon chain length of C12-22. The prepared adjuvant was introduced into water in a concentration of 1% and formed an oil-water emulsion stable with it for 12 hours with a pH of 8.12 and a static surface tension of 31.87 mNm.

Example III

[0026] The container equipped with a mechanical stirrer comprises: 900 parts by weight of rapeseed oil fatty acid methyl ester with a viscosity of 4 mm.sup.2/s at 20° C. and a density of 0.85 g / cm.sup.3, 50 parts by weight of alkaline non-ionic surfactant consisting of a mixture of ethoxylated alkyl amines with a C13-15 alkyl chain length and HLB number 15, , and 50 parts by weight of non-ionic surfactant from the group of polyglycerol esters of vegetable fatty acids with a carbon chain length of C12-22.

[0027] The whole was stirred slowly at the temperature of 20° C. for about 10 minutes until the mixture is completely homogenized. A clear, homogeneous composition with a light amber colour was obtained, with a density of 0.87 g / cm.sup.3 and a kinematic viscosity of 3.3 mPa / s at 20° C., comprising 90% by weight of rapeseed oil fatty acid methyl ester, 5% by weight of alkaline non-ionic surfactant consisting of a mixture of ethoxylated alkyl amines with a C13-15 chain length and HLB number of 15 and 5% by weight of non-ionic surfactant from the group of polyglycerol esters of vegetable fatty acids with a carbon chain length of C12-22. The prepared adjuvant was introduced into water in a concentration of 1% and formed an oil-water emulsion stable with it for 12 hours with a pH of 7.54 and a static surface tension of 33.07 mNm.

Example IV

[0028] The influence of the non-ionic surfactant from the group of polyglycerol esters in the adjuvant composition on the quality of the oil-water emulsion was investigated and surprisingly it turned out that the mixture of this surfactant with methyl ester of rapeseed oil in water retains a very good quality even up to 12 hours after its preparation.

TABLE-US-00001 Adjuvant composition Concentration in water (% by volume) Oil-water emulsion quality (hrs after preparation) 0.12 1 6 12 Two-component composition conprising: 800 parts by weight of rapeseed oil fatty acid methyl ester (properties as in examples I - III) and 200 parts by weight of an alkaline non-ionic surfactant from the group of ethoxylated amines with a C13-15 alkyl chain length and HLB number of 15 0.5 4.5 3.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 5.0 3.5 2.0 1.5 2.0 5.0 3.5 2.5 1.5 Three-component composition acc. to Example I with non-ionic surfactant from polyglycerol esters group 0.5 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 1.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 2.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 Three-component composition acc. to Example II (with non-ionic surfactant from polyglycerol esters group) 0.5 5.0 5.0 4.5 4.0 1.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.5 2.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 Three-component composition acc. to Example III (with non-ionic surfactant from polyglycerol esters group) 0.5 5.0 5.0 4.0 4.0 1.0 5.0 5.0 4.5 4.0 2.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.5 * 1 - very poor (complete delamination); 5 - very good (homogeneity throughout the volume)

[0029] The data presented in the table above shows that oil-water emulsions comprising an adjuvant with a surfactant from the group of polyglycerol esters (three-component compositions according to examples I - III) are more stable than an oil-water emulsion composition comprising only an alkaline non-ionic surfactant from the group of ethoxylated amines as an adjuvant. with a C13-15 alkyl chain length and HLB number of 15.

Example V

[0030] The influence of the adjuvant composition prepared according to Example II on the herbicidal effectiveness of the herbicide Hector Max 66.5 WG (sa dicamba + nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron) used in the recommended and reduced dose in maize was also carried out (field studies, average for 2018 and 2019, Educational and Experimental Department Gorzyń, Brody Branch, Poznań University of Life Sciences).

TABLE-US-00002 Object Dose per 1 ha White quinoa (Chenopodium album) Cockspur (Echinochloa crus-galli) Weed in total*** reduction of fresh weight of weeds 4 weeks after treatment (in %%) Control (fresh weed weight) - 0 (1406 g/m.sup.2) 0 (162 g/m.sup.2) 0 (1653 g/m.sup.2) Hector Max 66.5 WG 350 g 77 76 73 Hector Max 66.5 WG 250 g 62 52 54 Hector Max 66.5 WG + composition acc. to example II 250 g + 1.51 98 92 98 Hector Max 66.5 WG + Atpolan BIO 80 EC* 250 g + 1.51 94 90 96 Hector Max 66.5 WG + Trend 90 EC** 1.5 +0.1% 88 77 88 .sup.∗ comparative adjuvant 1 (fatty acid methyl ester, mixture of cation-nonionic surfactants in the form of a two-component emulsifying-wetting agent being a mixture of ethoxylated alcohol with HLB number from 10-15 and cationic surfactant - alkyl dimethyl polyoxyethylene ammonium hydroxide with an average molecular weight of Z.H. 350) Agromix .sup.∗∗ comparative adjuvant 2 (ethoxylated isodecyl alcohol) from duPont. .sup.∗∗∗weed in total: white quinoa (Chenopodium album), black-bind weed (Fallopia convolvulus), small flowered crane’s-bill (Geranium pusilium), goosegrass (Galium aparine) and cockspur (Echinochloa crus-galli)

[0031] The data presented in the table above shows that by using the adjuvant composition prepared according to example II of the invention at a dose of 1.5 1/ha with a reduced dose of the herbicide Hector Max 66.5 WG (sa dicamba + nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron) in maize, a higher herbicidal effectiveness was achieved after the application of this herbicide in the full dose without adjuvant. The adjuvant efficacy of example II of the invention was clearly superior to that of the comparative Trend 90 EC adjuvant.