Fast Symptom Glyphosate Formulations

Abstract

Aqueous herbicidal glyphosate compositions are provided, particularly sprayable, ready-to-use (RTU) formulations that are capable of inducing early visually apparent phytotoxic effects while minimizing antagonism to the glyphosate component of the composition and preserving the equally desirable attribute of prolonged control of the treated plants. The compositions combine a glyphosate component and a fatty acid component as a fast symptomology active ingredient and, in one embodiment, are enhanced by the concentration of the fatty acid component utilized and the inclusion of an agronomically acceptable inorganic ammonium salt, preferably ammonium sulfate. In another embodiment, the compositions of the present invention include a nonionic surfactant component comprising certain water-soluble, alkoxylated alcohols.

1 . An aqueous herbicidal composition useful for killing or controlling the growth of unwanted plants, comprising:
 a glyphosate component comprising N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine, an agronomically acceptable salt of N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine or a mixture thereof;   a fatty acid component comprising at least one saturated or unsaturated, straight or branched chain C 5  to C 18  fatty acid or agronomically acceptable salt thereof; and   a nonionic surfactant component comprising an alkoxylated, C 8  to C 20 , nonaromatic alcohol with an average degree of alkoxylation such that the alcohol has a solubility in water of at least about 0.5% by weight at 25° C.   
     
     
         2 . The herbicidal composition according to  claim 1  wherein the alkoxylated, C 8  to C 20 , nonaromatic alcohol has an average degree of alkoxylation of from about 2 to about 20. 
     
     
         3 . The herbicidal composition according to  claim 2  wherein the nonionic surfactant component comprises an ethoxylated, C 8  to C 20 , nonaromatic alcohol with an average degree of ethoxylation from about 3 to about 12. 
     
     
         4 . The herbicidal composition according to  claim 3  wherein the nonionic surfactant component comprises an ethoxylated, primary or secondary, linear or minimally branched C 10  to C 14  alcohol having no more than 2 methyl substituents and an average degree of ethoxylation of from about 5 to about 9. 
     
     
         5 . The herbicidal composition according to  claim 4  wherein the nonionic surfactant component predominantly comprises ethoxylated, primary or secondary, undecyl alcohol with an average degree of ethoxylation of from about 5 to about 9. 
     
     
         6 . The herbicidal composition according to  claim 5  wherein the undecyl alcohol that predominates the nonionic surfactant component is ethoxylated, primary, linear undecyl alcohol. 
     
     
         7 . The herbicidal composition according to  claim 6  wherein the nonionic surfactant component comprises at least about 90% by weight ethoxylated, primary, linear undecyl alcohol having an average degree of ethoxylation of about 7. 
     
     
         8 . The herbicidal composition according to  claim 1  wherein the fatty acid component predominantly comprises at least one C 8  to C 12  saturated, straight or branched chain fatty acid or agronomically acceptable salt thereof. 
     
     
         9 . The herbicidal composition according to  claim 8  wherein the fatty acid component predominantly comprises pelargonic acid or an agronomically acceptable salt thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The herbicidal composition according to  claim 9  wherein the fatty acid component comprises at least about 90% by weight pelargonic acid or an agronomically acceptable salt thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The herbicidal composition according to  claim 1  wherein the glyphosate component predominantly comprises an agronomically acceptable salt of N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine. 
     
     
         12 . The herbicidal composition according to  claim 11  wherein the glyphosate component predominantly comprises a salt of N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine selected from the potassium, monoammonium, diammonium, sodium, monoethanolammonium, n-propylammonium, isopropylammonium, ethylammonium, dimethylammonium, ethylenediamine, hexamethylenediamine and trimethylsulfonium salts of N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         13 . The herbicidal composition according to  claim 1  wherein the composition further comprises an agronomically acceptable inorganic ammonium salt. 
     
     
         14 . The herbicidal composition according to  claim 13  wherein the agronomically acceptable inorganic ammonium salt is selected from the group consisting of ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, ammonium thiocyanate, ammonium phosphate, ammonium chloride and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The herbicidal composition according to  claim 14  wherein the composition comprises ammonium sulfate. 
     
     
         16 . The herbicidal composition according to  claim 1  comprising at least about 0.1% by weight (a.e.) of the glyphosate component, at least about 0.25% by weight (a.e.) of the fatty acid component and at least about 0.5% by weight of the nonionic surfactant component. 
     
     
         17 . The herbicidal composition according to  claim 16  in the form of a ready-to-use herbicidal composition, the ready-to-use herbicidal composition comprising from about 0.1% to about 5% by weight (a.e.) of the glyphosate component, from about 0.25% to 5% by weight (a.e.) of the fatty acid component and from about 0.5% to about 12% by weight of the nonionic surfactant component. 
     
     
         18 . The ready-to-use herbicidal composition according to  claim 17  comprising from about 1% to about 2% by weight (a.e.) of the glyphosate component, at least about 1.5% and up to about 3% by weight (a.e.) of the fatty acid component and from about 0.5% to about 5% by weight of the nonionic surfactant component. 
     
     
         19 . The ready-to-use herbicidal composition according to  claim 17  further comprising one or more ingredients selected from the group consisting of additional herbicidal active ingredients, foam-moderating agents, preservatives, antifreeze agents, solubility-enhancing agents, dyes, pH adjusters and thickening agents. 
     
     
         20 . The ready-to-use herbicidal composition according to  claim 19  wherein the additional herbicidal active ingredient is selected from water-soluble forms of (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (2,4-D), 4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)butanoic acid (2,4-DB), (4-chloro-2-methylphoenoxy)acetic acid (MCPA), dicamba, diquat bromide, glufosinate, imazapic, imazapyr, imazethapyr, triclopyr and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         21 . The herbicidal composition according to  claim 16  in the form of a herbicidal concentrate composition, the herbicidal concentrate composition comprising from about 5% to about 25% by weight (a.e.) of the glyphosate component, from about 2% to 25% by weight (a.e.) of the fatty acid component and from about 5% to about 50% by weight of the nonionic surfactant component. 
     
     
         22 . The herbicidal concentrate composition according to  claim 21  wherein the glyphosate component predominantly comprises a salt of N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine selected from the isopropylammonium salt of N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine, the ammonium salt of N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine, the potassium salt of N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine and combinations thereof.