Seed Treatment Compositions and Methods

Abstract

The invention relates to seed treatment compositions comprising active ingredient, polyarylphenol polyalkoxy ether phosphate and/or polyarylphenol polyalkoxy ether sulphate, and copolymer having polyalkoxy ether side chains. The polyarylphenol polyalkoxy ether phosphate and/or the polyarylphenol polyalkoxy ether sulphate in combination with the copolymer having polyalkoxy ether side chains are used as dispersant, especially to provide a dispersion of suspended active ingredient. The present invention also relates to methods of treating seed with such a composition.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A seed treatment composition comprising:
 active ingredient;   polyarylphenol polyalkoxy ether phosphate and/or polyarylphenol polyalkoxy ether sulfate; and   copolymer having polyalkoxy ether side chains.   
     
     
         22 . The composition according to  claim 21 , wherein the polyarylphenol group is a tristyrylphenol group. 
     
     
         23 . The composition according to  claim 21 , wherein the polyalkoxy ether moiety comprises 5 to 60 alkylene oxide units. 
     
     
         24 . The composition according to  claim 21 , wherein the polyalkoxy ether moiety is a poly(ethylene oxide) moiety. 
     
     
         25 . The composition according to  claim 21 , wherein the polyarylphenol polyalkoxy ether sulfate is the compound having CAS-No. 119432-41-6 or the polyarylphenol polyalkoxy ether phosphate is the compound having CAS-No. 176776-21-9. 
     
     
         26 . The composition according to  claim 21 , comprising at least 0.1% by weight of polyarylphenol polyalkoxy ether phosphate and/or polyarylphenol polyalkoxy ether sulfate and at most 50% by weight of polyarylphenol polyalkoxy ether phosphate and/or polyarylphenol polyalkoxy′ ether sulfate. 
     
     
         27 . The composition according to  claim 21 , wherein the copolymer comprises
 (i) monomer units of at least one ester of an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, wherein the carboxylic acid ester has an alkoxylate residue of the general formula (II):
   (R 1 ) n —X—(CHR 2 CH 2 O) w —(CHR 3 CH 2 O) x —(CHR 4 (CH 2 ) y O) z —  (II),
 
 in which
 R 1  is hydrogen or an aliphatic hydrocarbon residue with 1 to 40 carbon atoms; 
 R 2 , R 3 , R 4  are, independently of one another, hydrogen or C 1 -C 4 -alkyl; 
 w, x, z correspond, independently of one another, to a value of 0 to 100, the sum of w, x and z being greater than 0; 
 y corresponds to a value of 1 to 20; 
 X is N or O, 
 n being 1 if X is O; or n being 2 if X is N; and 
 
   (ii) monomer units of at least one additional copolymerizable comonomer.   
     
     
         28 . The composition according to  claim 27 , wherein the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid is acrylic and/or methacrylic acid. 
     
     
         29 . The composition according to  claim 27 , wherein the alkoxylate residue of the general formula (II) is an ethoxylate residue of the formula (IIa)
   R 1 —O—(C 2 H 4 O) z —  (IIa)
   
       in which
 R 1  is defined as in  claim 27 ; and 
 z corresponds to a value of 1 to 100. 
 
     
     
         30 . The composition according to  claim 27 , wherein the copolymerizable comonomer is methyl acrylate and/or methyl methacrylate. 
     
     
         31 . The composition according to  claim 27 , wherein the copolymer has a weight-average molecular weight of at least 5 kDa. 
     
     
         32 . The composition according to  claim 27 , wherein the copolymer is the compound having CAS-No. 111 740-36-4. 
     
     
         33 . The composition according to  claim 27 , comprising at least 0.1% by weight of copolymer and at most 20% by weight of copolymer. 
     
     
         34 . The composition according to  claim 21 , wherein the weight ratio of polyarylphenol polyalkoxy ether phosphate and/or polyarylphenol polyalkoxy ether sulfate to copolymer is at least 0.1:1 and at most 10:1. 
     
     
         35 . The composition according to  claim 21 , further comprising at least one auxiliary agent selected from the group consisting of seed coating agents, solid matrix materials, penetration enhancers, and colorants. 
     
     
         36 . The composition according to  claim 35 , wherein the seed coating agent is a binder. 
     
     
         37 . The composition according to  claim 36 , wherein the binder comprises an adhesive polymer. 
     
     
         38 . The composition according to  claim 21 , further comprising an antifreeze agent. 
     
     
         39 . The composition according to  claim 21 , which is an aqueous suspension concentrate. 
     
     
         40 . A method of treating seed, which comprises applying an effective amount of a composition of  claim 21  to a lot of seeds.