Adjuvant for pesticides

Abstract

The invention relates to a compositions useful in the field of agricultural chemistry and methods for making and using the compositions. The compositions include (i) a permeabilizing agent, and (ii) a active component, for example, a pesticide or plant growth regulator, and can include additional components as well, for example, flow agents. The permeabilizing agent, or a mixture of permeabilizing agents, acts as an adjuvant to the active component or chemicals to improve the degree of efficacy of the active component or speed of action of the active component. The permeabilizing agents are typically one or more chelating agents, cationic materials, anionic materials, and zwitterionic materials, and include polyphosphate salts. Examples of cationic materials include polyamines such as ethylenediamine and quaternary ammonium salts. The active components can be pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, virucides, bacteriocides, and acaricides. Examples of suitable active components include plant growth regulators, defoliators, dessicants, transfection agents, wood treatments (CCA or other chemicals that are effective against termites), traps, disinfectants, marine paints and the like. The compositions can be prepared by mixing the components in a suitable manner, and the compositions can be used by applying the compositions to a plant in need of treatment thereof in an amount effective for the desired use, employing conventional application techniques. In one embodiment, the active components are defoliants, and the composition is used for plant defoliation, for example, with respect to cotton plants.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An adjuvant composition comprising EDTA or an agriculturally acceptable salt thereof and a quaternary ammonium salt.  
     
     
         2 . The adjuvant composition of  claim 1 , wherein the quaternary ammonium salt is selected from the group consisting of quaternized long-chain amines and quaternized polyoxyalkylenated long-chain amines, where a long chain is between 8 and 30 carbon and/or oxygen atoms in length.  
     
     
         3 . The adjuvant composition of  claim 1 , further comprising cocodimethyl amine or cocodimethyl ammonium chloride.  
     
     
         4 . The adjuvant composition of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more additional components selected from the group consisting of polyhydric alcohols, polyphosphate salts, cationic compounds and anionic compounds.  
     
     
         5 . The adjuvant composition of  claim 1 , further comprising an active agent.  
     
     
         6 . The adjuvant composition of  claim 1 , wherein the EDTA is present at a concentration of at least 5% by weight of the adjuvant composition.  
     
     
         7 . The adjuvant composition of  claim 1 , wherein the EDTA is present at a concentration of at least 10% by weight of the adjuvant composition.  
     
     
         8 . A method for enhancing the efficacy of agricultural chemicals, which comprises applying the adjuvant composition set forth in  claim 1  to a site that will benefit from the treatment with the agricultural chemical.  
     
     
         9 . A solid adjuvant composition comprising between about 10 and about 98% by weight oxalic acid, between about 1 and about 89% by weight citric acid, and between about 0.1 and about 5 percent by weight of a flow agent.  
     
     
         10 . The adjuvant of  claim 9 , wherein the flow agent is a kaolin claim or a silica gel.  
     
     
         11 . The adjuvant of  claim 9 , further comprising a quaternary ammonium salt.  
     
     
         12 . The adjuvant of  claim 11 , wherein the quaternary ammonium salt is selected from the group consisting of quaternized long-chain amines and quaternized polyoxyalkylenated long-chain amines, where a long chain is between 8 and 30 carbon and/or oxygen atoms in length.  
     
     
         13 . The adjuvant composition of  claim 9 , further comprising one or more additional components selected from the group consisting of polyhydric alcohols, polyphosphate salts, cationic compounds and anionic compounds.  
     
     
         14 . The adjuvant composition of  claim 9 , further comprising an active agent.  
     
     
         15 . The adjuvant composition of  claim 9 , wherein the EDTA is present at a concentration of at least 5% by weight of the adjuvant composition.  
     
     
         16 . The adjuvant composition of  claim 9 , wherein the EDTA is present at a concentration of at least 10% by weight of the adjuvant composition.  
     
     
         17 . A method for enhancing the efficacy of agricultural chemicals, which comprises applying the composition set forth in  claim 9  to a site that, will benefit from the treatment with the agricultural chemical.  
     
     
         18 . A liquid adjuvant composition comprising between about 2 and about 16% by weight oxalic acid, between about 2 and about 50% by weight citric acid, and corresponding molar amounts of agriculturally acceptable salts thereof, with the remainder being water or an aqueous solution of a water-miscible solvent.  
     
     
         19 . The adjuvant composition of  claim 18 , further comprising a quaternary ammonium salt.  
     
     
         20 . The adjuvant of  claim 18 , wherein the quaternary ammonium salt is selected from the group consisting of quaternized long-chain amines and quaternized polyoxyalkylenated long-chain amines, where a long chain is between 8 and 30 carbon and/or oxygen atoms in length.  
     
     
         21 . The adjuvant composition of  claim 18 , further comprising one or more additional components selected from the group consisting of polyhydric alcohols, polyphosphate salts, cationic compounds and anionic compounds.  
     
     
         22 . The adjuvant composition of  claim 18 , further comprising an active agent.  
     
     
         23 . The adjuvant composition of  claim 18 , wherein the EDTA is present at a concentration of at least 5% by weight of the adjuvant composition.  
     
     
         24 . The adjuvant composition of  claim 18 , wherein the citric and/or oxalic acid are present at a concentration of at least 5% by weight of the adjuvant composition.  
     
     
         25 . A method for enhancing the efficacy of agricultural chemicals, which comprises applying the composition set forth in  claim 18  to a site that will benefit from the treatment with the agricultural chemical.  
     
     
         26 . A liquid adjuvant composition comprising between about 2 and about 16% by weight oxalic acid, between about 2 and about 50% by weight citric acid, between about 2 and 20% by weight of EDTA, and corresponding molar amounts of agriculturally acceptable salts of any of these three, with the remainder being water or an aqueous solution of a water-miscible solvent.  
     
     
         27 . The adjuvant composition of  claim 26 , further comprising a quaternary ammonium salt.  
     
     
         28 . The adjuvant composition of  claim 27 , wherein the quaternary ammonium salt is selected from the group consisting of quaternized long-chain amines and quaternized polyoxyalkylenated long-chain amines, where a long chain is between 8 and 30 carbon and/or oxygen atoms in length.  
     
     
         29 . The adjuvant composition of  claim 26 , further comprising one or more additional components selected from the group consisting of polyhydric alcohols, polyphosphate salts, cationic compounds and anionic compounds.  
     
     
         30 . The adjuvant composition of  claim 26 , further comprising an active agent.  
     
     
         31 . A method for enhancing the efficacy of agricultural chemicals, which comprises applying the composition set forth in  claim 26  to a site that will benefit from the treatment with the agricultural chemical.  
     
     
         32 . An aqueous solution or suspension comprising: 
 a) a calcium and/or magnesium salt present in an amount between about 2% by weight and the solubility limit of the salt, and    b) an active agent in solution or in suspension.    
     
     
         33 . The aqueous solution or suspension of  claim 32 , further comprising a quaternary ammonium salt.  
     
     
         34 . The aqueous solution or suspension of  claim 33 , wherein, the quaternary ammonium salt is selected from the group consisting of quaternized long-chain amines and quaternized polyoxyalkylenated long-chain amines, where a long chain is between 8 and 30 carbon and/or oxygen atoms in length.  
     
     
         35 . The aqueous solution or suspension of  claim 33 , further comprising one or more additional components selected from the group consisting of polyhydric alcohols, polyphosphate salts, cationic compounds and anionic compounds.  
     
     
         36 . A method for enhancing the efficacy of agricultural chemicals, which comprises applying the composition set forth in  claim 32  to a site that will benefit from the treatment with the agricultural chemical.  
     
     
         37 . The aqueous solution or suspension of  claim 32 , wherein the active component is a pesticide.  
     
     
         38 . The aqueous solution or suspension of  claim 32 , wherein the active component is a plant growth regulator.  
     
     
         39 . A composition comprising: 
 a) a chelating agent and    b) an insecticide, virucide, acaricide or fungicide.    
     
     
         40 . The composition of  claim 39 , wherein the chelating agent is selected from the group consisting of EDTA, citric acid, oxalic acid, agriculturally acceptable salts thereof and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         41 . The composition of  claim 39 , further comprising a quaternary ammonium salt.  
     
     
         42 . The composition of  claim 40 , wherein the quaternary ammonium salt is selected from the group consisting of quaternized long-chain amines and quaternized polyoxyalkylenated long-chain amines, where a long chain is between 8 and 30 carbon and/or oxygen atoms in length.  
     
     
         43 . The composition of  claim 39 , further comprising one or more additional components selected from the group consisting of polyhydric alcohols, polyphosphate salts, cationic compounds and anionic compounds.  
     
     
         44 . A method for enhancing the efficacy of agricultural chemicals, which comprises applying the composition set forth in  claim 39  to a site that will benefit from the treatment with the agricultural chemical.  
     
     
         45 . A composition comprising: 
 a) a chelating agent and    b) a plant growth regulator, wood treatment, or paint composition.    
     
     
         46 . The composition of  claim 45 , wherein the chelating agent is selected from the group consisting of EDTA, citric acid, oxalic acid, agriculturally acceptable salts thereof and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         47 . The composition of  claim 45 , further comprising a quaternary ammonium salt.  
     
     
         48 . The composition of  claim 46 , wherein the quaternary ammonium salt is selected from the group consisting of quaternized long-chain amines and quaternized polyoxyalkylenated long-chain amines, where a long chain is between 8 and 30 carbon and/or oxygen atoms in length.  
     
     
         49 . The composition of  claim 45 , further comprising one or more additional components selected from the group consisting of polyhydric alcohols, polyphosphate salts, cationic compounds and anionic compounds.  
     
     
         50 . A method for enhancing the efficacy of agricultural chemicals, which comprises applying the composition set forth in  claim 45  to a site that will benefit from the treatment with the plant growth regulator, wood treatment or paint composition.  
     
     
         51 . A composition comprising: 
 a) a burn-down herbicide and    b) EDTA and/or    c) a mixture of citric and oxalic acid.    
     
     
         52 . The composition of  claim 51 , wherein the burn-down herbicide is selected from the group consisting of dipyridyl and organic phosphorous-based herbicides.  
     
     
         53 . The composition of  claim 51 , wherein the chelating agent is selected from the group consisting of EDTA, citric acid, oxalic acid, agriculturally acceptable salts thereof and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         54 . The composition of  claim 51 , further comprising a quaternary ammonium salt.  
     
     
         55 . The composition of  claim 54 , wherein the quaternary ammonium salt is selected from the group consisting of quaternized long-chain amines and quaternized polyoxyalkylenated long-chain amines, where a long chain is between 8 and 30 carbon and/or oxygen atoms in length.  
     
     
         56 . The composition of  claim 51 , further comprising one or more additional components selected from the group consisting of polyhydric alcohols, polyphosphate salts, cationic compounds and anionic compounds.  
     
     
         57 . The composition of  claim 51 , wherein the EDTA or mixture of oxalic and citric acid is present at a concentration of at least 5% by weight of the composition.  
     
     
         58 . The composition of  claim 51 , wherein the EDTA or mixture of oxalic and citric acid is present at a concentration of at least 10% by weight of the composition.  
     
     
         59 . A composition comprising: 
 a) a post emergence herbicide and    b) EDTA and/or agriculturally acceptable salts thereof, and/or    c) a mixture of citric and oxalic acid.    
     
     
         60 . The composition of  claim 59 , wherein the post emergence herbicide is selected from the group consisting of sulfonyl ureas, acid-amide based herbicides, urea-based herbicides, diazine or triazine-based herbicides, and nitrile-based herbicides.  
     
     
         61 . The composition of  claim 59 , further comprising a quaternary ammonium salt.  
     
     
         62 . The composition of  claim 61 , wherein the quaternary ammonium salt is selected from the group consisting of quaternized long-chain amines and quaternized polyoxyalkylenated long-chain amines, where a long chain is between 8 and 30 carbon and/or oxygen atoms in length.  
     
     
         63 . The composition of  claim 59 , further comprising one or more additional components selected from the group consisting of polyhydric alcohols, polyphosphate salts, cationic compounds and anionic compounds.  
     
     
         64 . The composition of  claim 59 , wherein the EDTA or mixture of oxalic and citric acid is present at a concentration of at least 5% by weight of the composition.  
     
     
         65 . The composition of  claim 59 , wherein the EDTA or mixture of oxalic and citric acid is present at a concentration of at least 10% by weight of the composition.