MXPA99003838A - Composition and method for treating plants with exogenous chemicals - Google Patents

Abstract

Methods and compositions are disclosed wherein exogenous chemicals are applied to plants to generate a desired biological response. One embodiment of the present invention is a plant treatment composition that comprises (a) a water-soluble exogenous chemical and (b) an adjuvant amount of a solid inorganic particulate colloidal material. Another embodiment of the present invention is an aqueous concentrate plant treatment composition that comprises (a) a water-soluble exogenous chemical, (b) an aqueous diluent, (c) a surfactant component comprising one or more nonionic surfactant(s), and (d) an amount of a solid inorganic particulate colloidal material effective to stabilize the composition, said composition not exhibiting phase separation over a period of time T when stored in a closed container at a temperature in the range from about 15°C to about 30°C;T being in the range from about 1 hour to about 60days;wherein the exogenous chemical and the surfactant are present at concentrations in the absolute or relative to each other such that, in the absence of the colloidal material, phase separation would occur during said period of time T.

Description

COMPOSITION AND METHOD FOR TREATING PLANTS WITH EXOGENOUS CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to formulations and methods for increasing the effectiveness of exogenous chemical compounds used in the treatment of plants. An exogenous chemical compound, as defined herein, is any chemical substance, whether natural or synthetic, which (a) has biological activity or is capable of releasing a ion, portion or derivative having biological activity in a plant, and (b) ) is applied to a plant with the intention or result that the chemical or its ion, biologically active portion or derivative enters the living cells or tissues of the plant and induces a stimulatory, inhibitory, regulatory, therapeutic, toxic or lethal response in the plant itself or in a pathogen, parasite or food organism present inside or outside the plant. Examples of exogenous chemical substances include, but are not limited to chemical pesticides (such as herbicides, algaecides, fungicides, bactericides, viricides, insecticides, aphids, acaricides, nematicides, molucicides and the like), plant growth regulators, fertilizers and nutrients , gametocides, defoliators, desiccators, mixtures thereof and the like. Exogenous chemical compounds including herbicides applied to the leaves have sometimes been formulated with surfactants, so when water is added, the resulting spray composition is more easily and effectively retained on the foliage (eg leaves or other photosynthetic organs). ) of the plants. The surfactants they may also carry other benefits, including improved contact of spray droplets with a waxy leaf surface and in some cases enhanced penetration of the accompanying exogenous chemical compound into the leaves. Through these and perhaps other effects, surfactants have long been known to increase their biological effectiveness of herbicidal compositions, or other compositions of exogenous chemical compounds, when they are added to or included in said compositions. Thus, for example, the herbicide glyphosate (N-phosphonomethylglycine) has been formulated with surfactants such as polyoxyalkylene type surfactants including, among other surfactants, polyoxyalkylenealkylamines. Commercial formulations of glyphosate herbicide marketed under the tradename ROUNDUp® have been formulated with a surfactant composition based on said polyoxyalkylenealkylamine, in particular a polyethoxylated seboamine, this surfactant composition being identified as ON 0818. Surfactants have generally been combined with glyphosate or other exogenous chemical compounds either in a commercial concentrate (hereinafter referred to as "co-formulation"), or in a diluted mixture that is prepared from separate compositions, one comprising an exogenous chemical compound (eg, glyphosate) ) and another comprising surfactant, before being used in the field (ie, a tank mixture). Various combinations of exogenous chemical compounds and surfactants or other adjuvants have been tried in the past. In some cases, the addition of a particular surfactant has not produced uniformly positive or negative changes in the effect of the exogenous chemical compound on the plant (for example, a surfactant that can increasing the activity of a particular herbicide on certain weeds may interfere with the effectiveness of the herbicide on another species of weed, or may antagonize it). Some surfactants tend to degrade very rapidly in aqueous solutions. As a result, surfactants having this property can be used only efficiently in tank mixes (ie, mixed with the other ingredients in solution or dispersion in the tank shortly before the spray)., instead of being co-formulated in an aqueous composition with the other ingredients in the first case. This lack of stability, or inadequate storage life, has prevented the use of certain surfactants in some exogenous chemical formulations. Other surfactants, although chemically stable, are physically compatible with certain exogenous chemical compounds, in particular in concentrated formulations, for example, most classes of nonionic surfactant, including polyoxyethylene alkyl ether surfactants, do not tolerate solutions. of high ionic strength, as for example in a concentrated aqueous solution of a glyphosate salt. Physical incompatibility can also lead to inadequate shelf life. Other problems that may arise from such incompatibility include the formation of aggregates large enough to interfere with commercial handling and application, for example by blocking spray nozzles. Another problem that has been observed in the step is that the effect of environmental conditions on the absorption of an exogenous chemical composition in the foliage of the plant. For example, conditions such as temperature, relative humidity, presence or absence of sunlight and health of the plant to be treated, can affect the absorption of the herbicide in the plant. As a result, the exact spraying of the same herbicidal composition in two different situations can result in a different herbicidal control of the sprayed plants. A consequence of the variability described above is that a higher herbicide rate per unit area is often applied which could actually be required in that situation, so that it is true that adequate control of the unwanted plants is achieved. For similar reasons, exogenous chemical compounds other than those applied in the leaves are also typically applied at speeds significantly greater than those necessary to give the desired biological effect in the particular situation where they are used, to allow the natural variability that exists in the efficacy of foliar absorption. There is therefore a need for compositions of exogenous chemical compounds that, through the most efficient absorption to the foliage of the plant, allows for reduced rates of use. Many exogenous chemical compounds are commercially packaged as a liquid concentrate that contains a significant amount of water. The packed concentrate is sent to distributors or retailers. Finally, the packed concentrate ends up in the hands of an end user, who dilutes the concentrate more by adding water according to the instructions on the package label. In this way the prepared diluted composition is then sprayed onto the plants. A significant portion of the cost of such packaged concentrates is the cost of transporting the concentrate from the manufacturing site to the places where the end user buys it. Any Concentrated liquid formulation containing relatively less water and therefore more exogenous chemical compound would reduce the cost per unit amount of exogenous chemical compound. However, an important limit on the manufacturer's ability to increase the load of exogenous chemical compound in the concentrate is the stability of that formulation. With some combinations of ingredients, a limit will be reached at which any further reduction of water content in the concentrate makes it unstable (eg, separated into discrete layers), which may make it commercially unacceptable. Accordingly, there is a need for improved formulations of exogenous chemical compounds, particularly herbicides, which are stable, less sensitive to environmental conditions and which allow the use of small amounts of exogenous chemical compound to achieve the desired biological effect inside or outside of the plants. There is also a need for stable liquid concentrated formulations of exogenous chemical compounds that contain less water and more exogenous chemical compound than the concentrates of the prior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to novel methods and compositions wherein exogenous chemical compounds are applied to plants to generate a desired biological response. One embodiment of the present invention is a composition for plant treatment consisting of a) an exogenous chemical compound soluble in water and b) an adjuvant amount of a colloidal particulate material inorganic, solid. By "adjuvant amount" is meant an amount sufficient to provide visibly improved biological effectiveness of the exogenous chemical compound as compared to an otherwise similar composition lacking the colloidal material. The optimum concentrations in an aqueous spray composition depends on the exogenous chemical compound, the desired biological effect and the plant species to which the composition is to be applied, and can be easily determined for any particular situation by routine testing. In most situations, the optimum concentration of colloidal particles will be in the range of about 0.001% to about 0.5% by weight, very particularly from about 0.01% to about 0.5% by weight, of the sprayable composition. In this embodiment of the invention, the colloidal particles substitute in whole or in part the surfactant in increasing the biological effectiveness of the exogenous chemical compound. Accordingly, a composition of this embodiment of the invention does not contain surfactant or, if the surfactant is present, the maximum amount S of surfactant is one tenth of the amount of exogenous chemical compound in the composition. In compositions having amounts of surfactant greater than S above, the colloidal particles in some circumstances may still provide increased biological effectiveness but such an increase is probably moderate compared to that provided by the surfactant. In such compositions, a greater benefit of colloidal particles is that they allow aqueous concentrated formulations to be prepared at higher concentrations of exogenous chemical compound and / or agent. surfactant without the consequent common problem of phase separation. This is especially true where the surfactant is nonionic. Accordingly, another embodiment of the present invention is an aqueous, concentrated plant treatment composition consisting of a) an exogenous chemical compound, b) an aqueous diluent, c) a surfactant component consisting of one or more agents nonionic surfactants, and d) an amount of an inorganic particulate colloidal material effective to stabilize the composition, without said composition showing phase separation for a period T as defined below when stored in a closed container at a temperature in the scale from about 15 ° C to about 30 ° C, where the exogenous chemical compound and surfactants are present at concentrations at all and relative to one another in such a way that, in the absence of the colloidal material, Phase separation would occur during such period T. The period T during which it can be observed that a composition determines if it occurs Phase separation on the scale of about 1 hour to about 60 days. "Phase separation" in the present context means separation of at least part of the surfactant component from other ingredients of the composition as a separate phase. The particulate colloidal material is preferably present in the aqueous concentrate in an amount between about 0.01% and about 5% by weight, most preferably between about 0.5% to about 2.5% by weight of the composition. By "aqueous concentrate" is meant a composition containing water and from about 10% to about 60% by weight of the exogenous chemical compound.

Preferred solid inorganic particulate materials include silicon oxides, aluminum oxides, titanium oxides and mixtures thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the particulate material has an average specific surface area of about 50 to about 400 m2 / g. In another embodiment, the colloidal particulate material has a specific surface area of about 180 to about 400 rn ^ / g. In another embodiment, the particulate colloidal matepal has a bimodal distribution of specific surface area so that a first component of colloidal material has a specific surface area of about 50 to about 150 m ^ / g and a second component of colloidal material it has a specific surface area of about 180 to about 400 m2 / g. The nonionic surfactant component of the composition, when present, preferably comprises one or more alkyl ether surfactants having the formula R 12 -? - ( CH2CH2?) N (CH (CH3) CH2?) M -R13 VI wherein 12 is an alkyl or alkenyl group having from about 16 to about 22 carbon atoms, n is an average number of about 10 to about 100 , m is an average number from 0 to 5 and R13 is hydrogen or C- | _4 alkyl. By the term "alkyl ether" as used herein, it is meant alkyl ether surfactants. Most preferably R12 is a saturated straight-chain alkyl group, R13 is hydrogen, m is 0 and n is from about 10 to about 40, most preferably from about 20 to about 40. Most preferably, the alkyl ether surfactant is a polyoxyethylene cetyl or stearyl ether or a mixture thereof having 20-40 moles of ethylene oxide (EO).

A wide variety of exogenous chemical compounds can be used in the compositions and methods of the present invention. By "water-soluble" in this context it is understood that they have a solubility in distilled water at 25 ° C greater than about 1% by weight.A preferred class of exogenous chemical compounds applied to the leaves, i.e., exogenous chemical compounds that are normally they are applied after emergence to the foliage of the plants.An especially preferred subclass of exogenous chemical compounds applied to the leaves are those which are soluble in water.Excellent water-soluble exogenous chemical compounds are salts having an anionic portion and a cationic portion In one embodiment of the invention, at least one of the anionic and cationic portions is biologically active and has a molecular weight of less than about 300. Particular examples of said exogenous chemical compounds wherein the cationic portion is biologically active are paraquat, diquat and chloromequat. Most commonly it is the anionic portion that is biologically active. Another preferred subclass of exogenous chemical compounds is one that exhibits systemic biological activity in the plant. Within this subclass, an especially preferred group of exogenous chemical compounds is N-phosphonomethylglycine and herbicidal derivatives. N-phosphonomethylglycine, often referred to by its common name glyphosate, can be used in its acid form, but most preferably it is used in the form of a salt. Any water soluble salt of glyphosate can be used in the practice of this invention. Some preferred salts include the sodium, potassium, ammonium, mono, di, tri and tetra-alkylammonium salts of C-M, mono, di and tri-alkanolammonium of C? _4, mono, di and tri-alkylsulfonium of CH and sulfoxonium. The ammonium, monoisopropylammonium salts and Trimethylsulfonium glyphosate are especially preferred. Mixtures of salts can also be used in certain situations. A composition of the present invention may have various different physical forms. For example, a composition comprising an exogenous chemical compound and a colloidal particulate material may further contain water in an effective amount to render the composition a dilute aqueous composition ready to be applied to the foliage of the plant, i.e., a spreadable composition. or "spray composition". Said composition typically contains from about 0.02 to about 2% by weight of the exogenous chemical compound, but for some purposes it may contain up to about 10% by weight or even more of the exogenous chemical compound. The composition may alternatively comprise a minor amount of water such that the composition is an aqueous concentrate as defined above, suitable to be diluted in water to form a spreadable composition. At the extreme, the composition contains 5% by weight or less, preferably 0.5% or less by weight, of water and is a solid composition comprising the exogenous chemical compound in an amount of from about 10% to about 90% by weight. Said solid composition can be, for example, a dried granular formulation dispersible in water.

Preferably, the water-dispersible granular formulations of the invention contain from about 0.01% to about by weight of colloidal particulate material. Where the composition is an aqueous concentrate comprising a nonionic surfactant component, it is especially preferred that the exogenous chemical compound be present in an aqueous phase of the composition in an amount of from about 15 to about 45 weight percent of the composition. In particular, said composition may be, for example, a concentrate of aqueous solution on an emulsion having an oil phase, in any case with the colloidal particulate material suspended in the composition. If the composition is an emulsion, or more cctly a suspo-emulsion due to the presence of the colloidal particulate material in suspension, it may be more specifically, for example, an oil-in-water emulsion, a water-in-oil emulsion or an emulsion. multiple water in oil in water. In one embodiment of the invention, the composition further comprises a compound or mixture of compounds having the formula R 14 -CO-A-R 15 Vil wherein R = 14 is a hydrocarbyl group having from about 5 to about 21 carbon atoms , R ^ is a hydrocarbyl group having from 1 to about 14 carbon atoms, the total number of carbon atoms in R14 and R15 is from about 11 to about 27, and A is O or NH. The compound of formula VII is preferably present at a concentration of from about 0.1% to about 5% by weight. In a preferred embodiment, the weight / weight ratio of the compound of the formula VII to the exogenous chemical compound is about 1: 3 to approximately 1: 100. It is particularly preferred that the weight / weight ratio of the nonionic surfactant to the exogenous chemical compound is also from about 1: 3 to about 1: 100. In another embodiment, R14 is saturated in a percentage of 40 to 100 weight percent of all compounds having the established formula present in the composition. R "I4 preferably has from about 11 to about 21 atoms carbon, R "15 preferably has from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms and A is preferably O. In certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, the compound of the formula VII is an alkyl ester of a C- | 2- fatty acid. 18T very preferably an alkyl ester of C 1-4 of a saturated fatty acid Especially preferred are propyl, isopropyl or butyl esters of C-2 -18 fatty acids, such as butyl stearate. The present invention has several advantages: Those which contain an alkyl ether surfactant of the formula shown above provide increased biological activity of exogenous chemical compound in the interior or exterior of the plants compared to antepour formulations., either in terms of greater final biological effect, or obtaining an equivalent biological effect while using a reduced rate of application of exogenous chemical compound. In the absence of a surfactant component, the compositions of the invention provide useful biological effect at a relatively low cost. Certain herbicidal formulations of the present invention can avoid antagonism that has been observed in certain herbicide formulations, and can minimize the rapid production of necrotic lesions on the leaves which in some situations prevent the overall translocation of herbicide in the plant. Certain herbicide compositions of the invention modify the activity spectrum of the herbicide through a scale of plant species. For example, certain glyphosate-containing formulations of the present invention can provide good herbicidal activity against broadleaf weeds while not losing any herbicidal effectiveness on narrowleaf weeds. Others can increase herbicide effectiveness on leaf weeds narrow to a greater extent than on broadleaf weeds. Others may have increased effectiveness that is specific to a narrow scale of species or even a single species. Another advantage of the present invention is that it generally employs relatively small amounts of the material in colloidal particles and nonionic surfactant (if present) in relation to the amount of exogenous chemical compound employed. This makes the compositions and methods of the present invention relatively inexpensive and also tends to reduce the problems of instability in specific compositions wherein the surfactant is physically incompatible with the exogenous chemical compound (eg, alkyl ether surfactants in water solutions). high ionic concentration, such as concentrated glyphosate salt solutions). It is preferred that the weight / weight ratio of surfactant to exogenous chemical compound be in the range of about 1: 3 to about 1: 100 .. Even at such low concentrations of surfactant that can be used without causing compatibility problems (e.g., separation of the composition in discrete layers). In the present invention, the stability of the compositions at high charges of exogenous chemical compound is maintained by adding colloidal particles. Some compositions of the present invention exhibit increased biological activity and have a higher charge of exogenous chemical compound than is possible in prior art compositions. In addition, the compositions of the present invention are less sensitive in some cases to environmental conditions such as relative humidity at the time of application to the plant. Also, the present invention allows the use of smaller amounts of herbicides or other pesticides, while still obtaining the required degree of control of weeds or other unwanted organisms.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE MODALITIES Examples of exogenous chemical substances that may be included in compositions of the present invention include, but are not limited to, chemical pesticides (such as herbicides, algaecides, fungicides, bactericides, viricides, insecticides, aphids, acaricides, nematicides, molluscicides and the like), regulators of plant growth, fertilizers and nutrients, gametocides, defoliators, desiccators, mixtures thereof and the like. A preferred group of exogenous chemical compounds are those that are normally applied after emergence to the foliage of the plants, that is, exogenous chemical compounds applied to the foliage. The exogenous chemical compounds useful in the present invention are water soluble, for example salts comprising biologically active ions, and also comprise counterions, which may be biologically inert or relatively inactive. By "water soluble" herein is meant that it has a sufficiently high water solubility that when formulated as an aqueous spray composition at a concentration of from about 0.01% to about 1% by weight, substantially all of the exogenous chemical present is in aqueous solution. A particularly preferred group of these water-soluble exogenous chemical compounds or their ions or biologically active portions are systemic in plants, ie, to a certain extent, they are transiocated from the point of entering the foliage to other parts of the plant where they can exert their desired biological effect. Especially preferred among these are the herbicides, plant growth regulators and nematicides, particularly those which have a molecular weight, excluding counterions, of less than about 300. Very especially preferred among these are the exogenous chemical compounds having one or more groups functional groups selected from amino, carboxylate, phospholate and phosphinate groups. Among said compounds, an even more preferred group are exogenous herbicidal chemical compounds or plant growth regulators that have at least one of each amino functional group, carboxylate and either phosphonate or phosphinate. Salts of N-phosphonomethylglycine are examples of this group of exogenous chemical compounds. Additional examples include salts of glufoslnate, for example the ammonium salt (DL-homoalanin-4-yl (methyl) phosphinate ammonium). Another preferred group of exogenous chemical compounds that can be applied by the method of the invention are nematicides such as those described in U.S. Patent No. 5,389,680, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Preferred nematicides of this group are salts of 3,4,4-trifluoro-3-butenoic acid or of N- (3,4,4-trifluoro-1-oxo-3-butenyl) glycine. Exogenous chemical compounds that can be usefully applied by the method of the present invention are normally, but not exclusively, those that are expected to have a beneficial effect on the overall growth or overall yield of the desired plants such as crop plants, or an effect deleterious or lethal on the growth of undesirable plants such as weeds. The method of the present invention is particularly useful for herbicides, especially those that are normally Apply after emergence to unwanted vegetation foliage. Water-soluble herbicides that can be applied by the method of the present invention include but are not limited to any of the standard reference works listed as the "Herbicide Handbook" Weed Science Society of America, 1994, 7a. Edition, or the "Farm Chemicals Handbook", Meister Publishing Company, 1997 edition. Illustratively these herbicides include aminotriazole, asulam, bentazon, bialaphos, bipipdiles such as paraquat, dicamba, diphenyl ethers such as aclfluorfen, fomesafen and oxyfluorfen, fatty acids such as C9-10 fatty acids, fosamine, glufosinate, glyphosate, imldazolinones such as imazaquin and imazethapyr, soxaben, norflurazon, phenoxys such as 2,4-D, picloram and triclopyr. Herbicidally active derivatives of any known herbicide are also within the scope of the present invention if said derivatives are soluble in water. A herbicidally active derivative is any compound that is a minor structural modification, most commonly but not restrictively a salt or ester, of a known herbicide. These compounds retain the essential activity of the herbicide of origin but can not necessarily have a potency equal to that of the herbicide of origin. These compounds can be converted to the herbicide of origin before or after they enter the treated plant. Mixtures of co-formulations of a herbicide with another ingredient or with more than one herbicide can also be used. An especially preferred herbicide is N-phosphonomethylglycine (glyphosate), a salt, adduct or ester thereof, or a compound which is converted to glyphosate in the tissues of the plant or which otherwise provides glyphosate ion. The glyphosate salts that can be used in accordance with this invention include but are not limited to alkali metal salts, for example sodium and potassium; ammonium salt, alkylamine, for example dimethylamine and isopropylamine salts, alkanolamine, for example ethanolamine salts; alkylsulfonium, for example trimethylsulfonium salts; sulfoxonium salts; and mixtures thereof. The herbicidal compositions sold by Monsanto Company as ROUNDUP® and ACCORD® contain the monoisopropylamine salt (IPA) of N-phosphonomethylglycine. The herbicidal compositions sold by Monsanto Company as ROUNDUP® Dry and RIVAL® contain the monoammonium salt of N-phosphonomethylpipene. The herbicidal composition sold by Monsanto Company as ROUNDUP® Geoforce contains the monosodium salt of N-phosphonomethylglycine. The herbicidal composition sold by Zeneca as TOUCHDOWN® contains the trimethylsulfonium salt of N-phosphonomethylglycine. The herbicidal properties of N-phosphonomethylglycine and its derivatives were first discovered by Franz, then described and patented in the U.S. Patent. 3,799,758, issued March 26, 1974. A number of herbicidal salts of N-phosphonomethyl glycine were patented by Franz in the U.S. Patent. 4,405,531, issued September 20, 1983. The descriptions of these two patents are incorporated herein by reference. Because the most important commercial herbicide derivatives of N-phosphonomethylglycine are certain salts thereof, the glyphosate compositions useful in the present invention will be described in more detail with respect to said salts. These salts are well known and include ammonium, IPA, alkali metal salts (such as the mono, di and trisodium salts, and the mono, di and tripotassium salts), and the trimethylsulfonium salts. The salts of N-phosphonomethylglycine are commercially significant in part because they are soluble in water. The salts listed immediately above are highly soluble in water, thus allowing highly efficient solutions Concentrates can be diluted at the site of use. According to the method of this invention in regard to glyphosate herbicide, an aqueous solution containing a herbicidally effective amount of glyphosate and other components according to the invention is applied to the foliage of the plants. Said aqueous solution can be obtained by diluting a concentrated glyphosate solution with water, or dissolving or dispersing in water a dry glyphosate formulation (eg, granulated, powder, tablet or block). The exogenous chemical compounds must be applied to the plants at a sufficient rate to give the desired biological effect. These rates of application are generally expressed as the amount of exogenous chemical compound per unit area treated, eg, grams per hectare (g / ha). What constitutes a "desired effect" varies according to the standards and practice of those who research, develop, sell and use a specific class of exogenous chemical compounds. For example, in the case of a herbicide, the amount applied per unit area to give 85% control of a plant species as measured by growth reduction or mortality is often used to define the commercially effective rate.

Herbicidal effectiveness is one of the biological effects that can be increased through this invention. "Herbicidal effectiveness" as used herein refers to any observable measure of control of plant growth, which may include one or more of the actions of (1) elimination, (2) inhibition of growth, reproduction or proliferation and (2) 3) removal, destruction or otherwise diminishing of the occurrence and activity of the plants. The herbicide effectiveness data presented here reports "inhibition" as a percentage following a standard procedure in the technique that reflects a visual evaluation of plant mortality and growth reduction compared to untreated plants, made by technicians specially trained to make those observations and record them. In such cases, a single technician makes all percent inhibition evaluations within any experiment or trial Such measurements are based on the regulation reported by Monsanto Company in the course of its herbicide business. The selection of application rates that are biologically effective for a specific exogenous chemical compound is within the reach of the ordinary agricultural scientist. experts in the art will also recognize that the individual conditions of the plant, the weather conditions and growth conditions, as well as the specific exogenous chemical compounds and the formulation thereof selected will affect the effectiveness achieved in implementing this invention. Ion Useful application rates for exogenous chemical compounds employed may depend on all of the above conditions With respect to the use of the method of this invention for glyphosate herbicide, much information is known about the appropriate application rates. During two decades of glyphosate use and published studies related to such use have provided abundant information from which a weed control technician can select the rates of application of glyphosate that are herbicidally effective on particular species to particular growth stages in vain particular environmental conditions. of glyphosate or derivatives thereof are used to control a very wide vapedad of plants worldwide. Such compositions can be applied to a plant in an amount herbicidally effective and can effectively control one or more plant species from one or more of the following genera without restriction: Abutilon, Amaranthus, Artemisia, Asclepias, Oats, Axonopus, Borreria, Brachiaria, Brassica, Bromus, Chenopodium, Cirsium, Commelina, Convolvulus , Cynodon, Cyperus, Digitaria, Echinochloa, Eleusine, Elymus, Equisetum, Erodium, Helianthus, Imperata, Ipomoea, Kochia, Lolium, Malva, Oryza, Ottochloa, Panicum, Paspalum, Phalaris, Phragmites, Polygonum, Portulaca, Pteridium, Pueraria, Rubus , Salsola, Setaria, Sida, Sinapis, Sorghum, Triticum, Typha, Ulex, Xanthium and Zea. Very particular species for which glyphosate compositions are used are illustrated without limitation by the following: Annual broadleaf plants: Alcotán (Abutilón theophrasti) amaranth. { amaranthus spp.) Borreria (Borreria spp.) Oilseed rape, canola, Indian mustard, etc. (Brassica spp.) Commelina (Commelina spp.) Geraniáceas (Erodium spp.) Sunflower (Hßlianthus spp.) Convulvuláceas (Ipomoea spp.) Quenopod laceas (Kochia scoparía) malváceas (Malva spp.) Poligonáceas (Polygonum spp.) Portulacáceas (Portulaca spp.) Russian thistle (Salsola spp.) AIDS (Sida spp.) wild mustard (Sinapis arvensis) thistle thistle (Xanthium spp.) Annual narrow leaf plants: Wild oats (Avena fatua) carpet grass (Axonopus spp.) Velvety bromeliad (Bromus tectorum) crabgrass (Digitaria spp.) Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli) donkey tail (Eleusine indica) annual ryegrass ( Lolium multiflorum) Rice (Oryza sativa) Otocloa (Ottochloa nodosa) Paspal (Paspalum notatum) Canary seed (Phalaris spp.) Foxtail (Setaria spp.) Wheat (Triticum aestivum) Corn (Zea mays) Evergreen Broadleaf Plants: Artemis (Artemisa spp.) Vencetósigo (Asclepias spp.) Canadian Thistle (Cirsium arvense) Tiny Bell (Convolvulus arvensis) Kudzu (Pueraria spp.) Perennial narrow-leaved plants: Brachyaria (Brachiaria spp.) Common grass (Cynodon dactylon) Abelasia (Cyperus esculentus) Common castanet (C. rotundus) Elima (Elymus repens) imparata (Imperata cylindríca) Perennial (Perennial lolium) Panucum (Panicum maximum ) Watergrape (Paspalum dilatatum) Cam'zo (Phragmr'tes spp.) Sorghum (Sorghum halepense) Sword (Typha spp.) Other perennial plants: Horsetail (Equisetum spp.) Polypodiaceous (Pteridium aquilinum) Blackberry (Rubus spp.) Aliaga (U / ex europaeus) Therefore, the method of the present invention, as it relates to glyphosate herbicide, may be useful over any of the above species. The effectiveness of greenhouse tests, usually at lower exogenous chemical compound speeds than those that are normally effective in the field, is a proven indicator of the consistency of Field performance at normal usage speeds. However, even the most promising compositions sometimes fail to exhibit increased performance in individual greenhouse tests. As illustrated in the examples herein, an increment pattern arises over a series of greenhouse tests; When this pattern is identified, this is strong evidence of biological increase that will be used in the field. The aqueous concentrated compositions in some circumstances are limited in the degree to which an exogenous chemical compound such as glyphosate can be charged. At some point, as the exogenous chemical compound load increases, the composition will not remain adequately stable. The addition of a small amount of colloidal particles to said compositions has been found to greatly increase the loading capacity while retaining the desired stability. The inclusion of said colloidal particles can also increase the biological activity of an exogenous chemical compound formulation, particularly in the absence of a surfactant. The silicon, aluminum and titanium oxides are preferred colloidal particle materials. The particle size is preferably such that the specific surface area is in the range of about 50 to about 400 m ^ / g. Where the exogenous chemical compound is glyphosate, the use of colloidal particles allows fillers of at least 30% by weight for compositions containing sufficient alkyl ether surfactant and tai fatty acid ester as butyl stearate to show increased herbicidal effectiveness, or at least 40% by weight for compositions containing alkyl ether surfactant but not fatty acid ester, and showing herbicidal effectiveness at least equal to current commercial products loaded at about 30% by weight.

It was found that a particularly useful improvement in storage stability can be obtained by using colloidal particles having a specific surface area between about 180 and about 400 m2 / g. The compositions of the present invention may especially include a long chain alkyl ether surfactant having the formula VI above. R12 may optionally include a long chain alkyl ether surfactant having the formula VI above. R 12 can be a C- | g saturated alkyl (cetyl) preferably straight chain or an alkyl (stearyl) of C- | ß Saturated straight chain. In preferred alkyl ethers, m is 0, n is an average number of about 20 to about 40 and R 13 is preferably hydrogen. Among the especially preferred alkyl ether surfactants are those identified in the International Directory of Cosmetic Ingredients as ceteth-20, ceteareth-20, ceteareth-27, steareth-20 and steareth-30. The compositions of the present invention may optionally further include amides or esters of the formula VII above. R14 in the formula VII is preferably aliphatic and has from about 7 to about 21 carbon atoms, preferably from about 13 to about 21 carbon atoms. Especially it is preferred that R "I4 is a saturated straight-chain alkyl group R <S> is preferably an aliphatic group having 1-6 carbon atoms, most preferably alkyl or alkenyl having 2-4 carbon atoms. especially preferred compound of the formula VII to be used as the second excipient substance is butyl stearate, since the compounds of the formula VII, including butyl stearate, are generally oily liquids, the aqueous compositions which they contain are typically emulsions having at least one aqueous phase and at least one oil phase, the compound having at least one aqueous phase and at least one oil phase being present, the compound of the formula VII being predominantly present in the oil phase. Said emulsions can be emulsions of water in oil, oil in water or multiple emulsions of water in oil in water (water / oil / water). The compositions according to the present invention are typically prepared by combining water, the exogenous chemical compound and other ingredients of the formulation to be included. Details of a specific procedure used to prepare said compositions are included in the examples given herein. The concentrations of the various components will vary, in part depending on whether the concentrate is being prepared so that it is subsequently diluted before spraying a plant, or whether a solution or dispersion is being prepared so that it can be sprayed without further dilution. In an aqueous glyphosate formulation which includes a dialkyl ether surfactant of C? 6.1s and butyl stearate, suitable concentrations may be: glyphosate 0.1-400 grams of acid equivalent (a.e.) / liter; dialkyl ether surfactant 0.001-10% by weight and butyl stearate 0.001-10% by weight. To achieve the highest concentrations in these scales, the addition of colloidal particles has been found to provide acceptable storage stability, for example, silica in colloidal particles or aluminum oxide at 0.5-2.5% by weight. In a formulation of aqueous glyphosate that includes an alkyl ether surfactant of C? 6-? S but not butyl stearate, the concentration of glyphosate it may be suitably increased to 500 g a.e./l or more, in the presence of a material in colloidal particles at 0.5-2.5% by weight. In solid glyphosate formulations, higher concentrations of ingredients are greater due to the elimination of most of the water. Although various compositions of the present invention are described as compositions comprising certain listed materials, in some preferred embodiments of the invention the compositions will consist essentially of the indicated materials. Optionally, other acceptable agricultural materials can be included in the compositions. For example, more than one exogenous chemical compound may be included. Also, various agriculturally acceptable adjuvants may be included, whether or not their purpose is to directly contribute to the effect of the exogenous chemical compound on a plant. For example, when the exogenous chemical compound is a herbicide, the liquid nitrogen fertilizer or ammonium sulfate could be included in the composition. As another example, stabilizers can be added to the composition. In some cases it may be convenient to include micro-encapsulated acid in the composition, to reduce the pH of a spray solution in contact with a leaf. One or more surfactants may also be included. The surfactants herein mentioned may be trade names and other surfactants which may be useful in the method of the invention, are indicated in standard reference works such as McCutcheon's Emulsifiers and Detergents, 1997 edition, Handbook of Industrial Surfactants, 2a. edition, 1997, published by Gower, and International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary, 6a. Edition, 1995.

The compositions of the present invention can be applied to plants by spraying, using any conventional methods for spraying liquids such as spray plugs, sprays or the like. The compositions of the present invention can be used in precision agricultural techniques, in which they are used Apparatus for varying the amount of exogenous chemical compound applied to different parts of a crop field, depending on variables such as the particular plant species present, soil composition and the like In one embodiment of said techniques, a global location system operated with the spray apparatus can be used to apply the desired amount of the composition to different parts of a cultivation field The composition at the time of application to the plants is preferably sufficiently diluted to be easily sprayed using standard agricultural spraying equipment. The rates of application prefenced for the present invention vary depending on the number of factors, including the type and the concentration of active ingredient and the plant species in question. The rates useful for applying an aqueous composition to a foliage crop field can vary from about 25 to about 1,000 liters per hectare (l / ha) by application of spray The preferred application rates for aqueous elutions s are on the scale of about 50 to about 300 l / ha. Many exogenous chemical compounds (including the glyphosate herbicide) must be absorbed by the plant tissues and translocated within the plant to produce the desired biological effect (eg , herbicide) In this way, it is important that a herbicidal composition be applied in such a way that it damages excessively and interrupts the operation normal of the local tissue of the plant so rapidly that the translocation is reduced. However, a limited degree of local damage may be insignificant, or even beneficial, in its impact on the biological effectiveness of certain exogenous chemical compounds. A large number of compositions of the invention are illustrated in the following examples. Many concentrated glyphosate compositions have given sufficient herbicide effectiveness in greenhouse tests to ensure field trials in a wide variety of weed species under a variety of application conditions. Aqueous compositions tested in the field containing colloidal particles have included: Mixture of Aerosil 1 Aerosil MOX-80 + Aerosil MOX-170 (1 1) Mixture of Aerosil 2 Aerosil MOX-80 + Aerosil 380 (1.2) The above compositions were prepared as described in the examples. The dry compositions tested in the field have included.

Mixture of Aerosil 1: Aerosil MOX-80 + Aerosil MOX-170 (1.1) The above compositions were prepared by the procedure described for the granulated compositions in Example 27.

EXAMPLES In the following illustrative examples of the invention, greenhouse tests were conducted to evaluate the relative herbicidal effectiveness of glyphosate compositions. Compositions included for comparative purposes comprise the following: Formulation B: consisting of 41% by weight of glyphosate IPA salt in aqueous solution. This formulation is sold in the United States by Monsanto Company under the trade name ACCORDR. Formulation C: consisting of 41% by weight of glyphosate IPA salt in aqueous solution with a co-formulation (15% by weight) of a surfactant (MON 0818 from Monsanto Company) based on polyoxyethylene seboamine (15). This formulation is sold in Canada by Monsanto Company under the trade name ROUNDUpR. Formulation J: consisting of 41% by weight of glyphosate IPA salt in aqueous solution, together with surfactant. This formulation is sold in the United States by Monsanto Company under the trade name ROUNDUpR ULTRA. Formulation K: consisting of 75% by weight of ammonium glyphosate salt, together with surfactant, as a water-soluble dry granular formulation. This formulation is sold in Australia by Monsanto Company under the trade name ROUNDUPRULTRA.

Formulations B, C and J contain 356 grams of glyphosate acid equivalent per liter (ga.e./l). Various proprietary excipients were used in compositions of the examples. They can be identified as the following: Fluorad FC-135, although it was defined only genépcamente as before in the literature of 3M products and in standard directories, has been specifically identified as C8F.? 7S02NH (CH2) 3N + (CH3) 3l- in a document by J Linert & J N Chasman of 3M, entitled "The effects of fluorochemical surfactants on recoatabi ty" in the December 20 issue of 1993 by American Paint & Coatings Journal, and reprinted as a business brochure by 3M. It is believed that Fluorad FC-750 is based on the same surfactant. It is believed that Fluorad FC-754 has the structure C8F-, 7S02NH (CH2) 3N + (CH3) 3C | - The ethoxylated fatty alcohol surfactants are referred to in the examples by their generic names as given in the International Ongredient Dictionary, 6a . edition, 1995 (Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association, Washington, DC). They are obtained indistinctly from several manufacturers, for example: Laureth-23: Brij 35 (ICI), Trycol 5964 (Henkel), Ceteth-10; Brij 56 (ICI), Ceteth-20: Brij 58 (ICI), Steareth-10: Brij 76 (lCI), Steareth-20: Brij 78 (ICI), Emthox 5888-A (Henkel), STA-20 (Heterene) ,. Steareth-30: STA-30 (Heterene), Steareth-100: Brij 700 (ICI), Ceteareth-15: CS-15 (Heterene), Ceteareth-20: CS-20 (Heterene), Ceteareth-27: Plurafac A- 38 (BASF), Ceteareth-55: Plurafac A-39 (BASF), Oleth-2: Brij 92 (ICI), Oleth-10: Brij 97 (ICI), Oleth-20: Brij 98 (ICI), Trycol 5971 ( Henkel).

Where a self-excipient is a surfactant supplied as a solution in water or another solvent, the amount that has been to use is calculated on a true surfactant base, not a "as-is" basis. For example, Fluorad FC-135 is supplied as 50% true surfactant, with 33% isopropanol and 17% water; in this way a composition containing 0.1% w / w of Fluorad FC-135 is provided as indicated herein, 0.2 g of the product as supplied is included in 100 g of the composition. The amount of lecithin, however, is always reported here on an "as-is" basis, regardless of the phospholipid content in the lecithin sample used. The spray compositions of the examples contained an exogenous chemical compound, such as glyphosate IPA salt, in addition to the listed excipient ingredients. The amount of exogenous chemical compound was selected to provide the desired rate in grams per hectare (g / ha) when applied in a spray volume of 93 l / ha. Several velocities of exogenous chemical compounds were applied for each composition. Thus, except where otherwise indicated, when spray compositions were tested, the concentration of exogenous chemical compound varied in direct proportion to the rate of exogenous chemical compound, but the concentration of excipient ingredients remained constant in the different speeds of exogenous chemical compound. Concentrate compositions were tested by dilution, dissolution or dispersion in water to form spray compositions. In these spray compositions prepared from concentrates, the concentration of excipient ingredients varied with that of the exogenous chemical compound. Many of the examples illustrate aqueous concentrate compositions of the invention. Except when otherwise indicated, these Aqueous concentrate compositions were prepared by one of the following processes (v) or (vii) to (x). (v) A weighted amount of lecithin powder of the indicated type was placed in a beaker and deionized water was added in sufficient quantity to provide, after sound treatment as detailed below, a lecithin material at a convenient concentration , normally in the range of 10% to 20% p / p and typically 15% p / p. The beaker and its contents were placed in a Fisher, Model 550 sonic shiver, equipped with a 2.4 cm probe tip with the pulse period set at 15 seconds with 1 minute intervals between pulses to allow cooling. The power output was set to a level of 8. After a total of 3 minutes of sound treatment (periods of 12 pulses) the resulting lecithin material was finally adjusted to the desired concentration if necessary with deionized water. To prepare a concentrated aqueous formulation, the following ingredients were mixed in the appropriate proportions with gentle agitation, usually in the order given although this sometimes varied and it was found that in some cases it affected the physical stability of the concentrated formulation: a) exogenous chemical compound , for example IPA glyphosate salt as a 62% solution w / w at a pH of 4.4 ^ .6; b) lecithin material; c) other ingredients if required; and d) water. vii) Oil-in-water emulsions (Oil / Water) were prepared as follows. The required amount of the selected oil and surfactant were uniformly mixed. If the selected surfactant was not free flowing at room temperature, heat was applied to bring the surfactant to a flowable condition before mixing with oil. A measured quantity of concentrated aqueous solution (62% w / w) of salt of glyphosate IPA was added to the surfactant-oil mixture with stirring. The required amount of water was added to snow the glyphosate concentration and other ingredients to the desired level. The composition was finally subjected to shear mixing, typically using a Silverson L4RT-A mixer equipped with a medium emulsifier screen, operated during 3 minutes at 7,000 rpm. viii) Concentrates of aqueous solution containing surfactant that do not have a component were prepared in the following manner. A concentrated aqueous solution (62% w / w) of glyphosate IPA salt was added in the desired amount to a weighted amount of the surfactant (s). If the selected surfactant was not free flowing at room temperature, heat was applied to bring the surfactant to a flowable condition before adding the glyphosate solution. The required amount of water is added to bring the concentration of glyphosate and other ingredients to the desired level. The composition was finally subjected to high shear stress, typically using a Silverson L4RT-A mixer equipped with a medium emulsion screen, operated for 3 minutes at 7,000 rpm. ix) For compositions containing a colloidal particle, the amount required by weight of the selected colloidal particle was suspended in a concentrated aqueous solution (62% w / w) of glyphosate IPA salt and stirred with cooling to ensure homogeneity. To the resulting suspension was added the required amount by weight of the surfactant (s). For a surfactant that is not free flowing at room temperature, heat was applied to bring the surfactant to a flowable condition before add it to the suspension. In cases where an oil such as butyl stearate was also included in the composition, the oil was first mixed uniformly with the surfactant and the surfactant-oil mixture was added to the solution. To complete the aqueous concentrate, the required amount of water was added to bring the concentration of glyphosate and other ingredients to the desired level. The concentrate was finally subjected to high shear mixing, typically using a Silverson mixer L4RT-A equipped with a medium emulsion sieve, operated for 3 minutes at 7,000 rpm. x) The procedure for preparing aqueous concentrated formulations containing lecithin and butyl stearate was different from that followed for other concentrates containing lecltin. The exogenous chemical compound, e.g., glyphosate IPA salt, was first added, with gentle agitation, to deionized water in a formulation bottle. The surfactant (other than lecithin) was then added, while stirring continued, to form a preliminary mixture of exogenous chemical compound / surfactant. When the surfactant was not free flowing at room temperature, the order of addition was not the same as before. Instead, the surfactant that was not free flowing was first added to the water together with any other surfactant (other than lecithin) required in the composition, and heated to 55 ° C in a shaker bath for 2 hours. hours. The resulting mixture was allowed to cool, the exogenous chemical compound was added with gentle agitation to form the preliminary mixture of exogenous chemical compound / surfactant, with agitation until the lumps were broken. The mixture was left for one hour for the lecithin to be hydrated, then butyl stearate was added, with further stirring until phase separation no longer occurred. The mixture was then transferred to a microfluidizer (Microfluidics International Corporation, Model M-110F) and was microfiluted for 3 to 5 cycles at 69 MPa. In each cycle, the formulation bottle was rinsed with microfiuidized mixture. In the last cycle, the finished composition was collected in a dry and clean beaker. The following procedure was used to test compositions of the examples, except where indicated otherwise. Seeds of the indicated plant species were planted in square 85 mm pots in a soil mix that had previously been sterilized by steam and pre-fertilized with a slow release fertilizer 14-14-14 NPK at a rate of 3.6 kg / m3. The pots were placed in a greenhouse with subepgación. Approximately one week after the emergency, the seedlings were selected as necessary, including the removal of any unhealthy or abnormal plants, to create a uniform series of test pots. The plants were maintained during the test in the greenhouse where they received a minimum of 14 hours of light per day. If natural light was insufficient to achieve the daily requirement, artificial light with an intensity of approximately 475 microeinsteins was used to compensate for the difference. The exposure temperatures were not accurately controlled but were averaged at approximately 27 ° C during the day and approximately 18 ° C during the night. The plants were irrigated during the test to ensure adequate soil moisture levels. The pots were assigned to different treatments in a completely randomized experimental design with 3 replicas. A series of pots was left untreated as a reference against which the effects of the treatments could be evaluated later.

The application of glyphosate compositions was done by spraying with a tracking sprayer equipped with a calibrated 9501 E nozzle to provide a spray volume of 93 liters per hectare (l / ha) at a pressure of 166 kilopascals (kPa). After the treatment, the pots were returned to the greenhouse until they were ready for evaluation. Treatments were made using dilute aqueous compositions. These could be prepared as spray compositions directly from the ingredients, or by dilution with water of preformulated concentrated compositions. To evaluate herbicide effectiveness, all the plants in the test were examined by a single technician who recorded the percent inhibition, a visual measurement of the effectiveness of each treatment compared to untreated plants. The inhibition of 0% indicates that there is no effect and the 100% inhibition indicates that all the plants died completely. The inhibition of 85% or more is in most cases considered acceptable for normal herbicidal use; however, in greenhouse tests such as those in the examples, it is normal to apply compositions at rates that give less than 85% inhibition, since this makes it easier to discriminate between compositions that have different levels of effectiveness.

EXAMPLE 1 Spray compositions containing giphosphate were prepared by tank mixing Formulation B with excipients as shown in Table 1.

Plants of hobby (Abutilon theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures previously indicated. Applications of spray compositions were made 14 days after planting ABUTH and 17 days after seeding ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 18 days after application. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1 In this test, both Aerosil 90 and Aerosil 380 strongly increased the herbicidal effectiveness of glyphosate on ABUTH, even at very low concentrations in the spray solution. About ECHCF, Aerosil 90 gave a greater increase than Aerosil 380 at low concentrations, but both were highly antagonistic at high concentrations.

EXAMPLE 2 Spray compositions containing glyphosate were prepared by tank mixing Formulation B with excipients as shown in Table 2. Alcotan plants (Abutilon theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultured and treated by the standard procedures outlined above. Applications of spray compositions were made 21 days after planting ABUTH and 23 days after planting ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 19 days after application. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 2.

TABLE 2 In this test, all colloidal particle additives, at least within a certain scale of concentrations, increased the herbicidal effectiveness of glyphosate on ABUTH and ECHCF. P25 titanium dioxide gave less increase than other particles and was antagonistic to glyphosate on ECHCF at higher concentrations.

EXAMPLE 3 Aqueous concentrate compositions containing ingredients of glyphosate IPA salt and excipient were prepared as shown in Table 3a.

TABLE 3a Plants of hobby (Abutilon theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures previously indicated. Applications of spray compositions were made 14 days after planting ABUTH and 17 days after seeding ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 23 days after application. Formulations B, C and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 3b.

TABLE 3b None of the concentrated compositions of this example containing Aerosil 90 showed herbicidal effectiveness equal to standard formulations C and J. It should be noted that Emphos PS-21A, present in most of the compositions of this example, is an anionic surfactant, a class of surfactants that are known to be ineffective in increasing the effectiveness of glyphosate and in some species are antagonistic to the effectiveness of glyphosate.

EXAMPLE 4 Aqueous concentrate compositions containing ingredients of glyphosate IPA salt and excipient were prepared as shown in Table 4a. The procedure (viii) was followed for compositions 4-01, 4- 03, 4-06, 4-07, 4-10, 4-14, 4-15, 4-18 and 4-19 and the procedure (ix) for compositions 4-02, 4-08, 4-09, 4-16 and 4-17 containing a colloidal particulate material together with surfactant. The compositions 4-04, 4-05, 4-12 and 4-13 contain colloidal particle material but no surfactant. The pH of all the compositions was approximately 5.

TABLE 4a Plants of hobby (Abutilon theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures previously indicated. Applications of spray compositions were made 18 days after planting ABUTH and 20 days after seeding ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 25 days after application.

Formulations B, C and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 4b.

TABLE 4b In this test, aluminum oxide C gave an additional increase in herbicidal effectiveness of glyphosate in the presence of surfactant compared to surfactant alone. P25 titanium dioxide was generally less effective in this regard.

EXAMPLE 5 Aqueous concentrate compositions were prepared containing glyphosate IPA salt ingredients and excipient ingredients as shown in Table 5a.

TABLE 5a Plants of hobby (Abutilon theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures previously indicated. Applications of spray compositions were made 20 days after planting ABUTH and 22 days after seeding ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 22 days after application. Formulations B, C and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 5b.

TABLE 5b Some of the concentrated compositions of this example showed surprisingly good herbicidal effectiveness, especially when it is considered that they contain only 3% w / w of surfactant, compared, for example, with 15% w / w of surfactant in the case of Formulation C.

EXAMPLE 6 Concentrated adjuvants containing excipient ingredients were prepared from the compositions as shown in Table 6a. The compositions were prepared by mixing the colloidal particle material in the selected surfactant with sufficient shear to ensure homogeneity.

TABLE 6a Spray compositions containing glyphosate were prepared by tank mixing Formulation B with excipients as shown in Table 6a. Alcotán plants (Abutilón theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultured and treated by the standard procedures outlined above. Applications of spray compositions were made 20 days after planting ABUTH and 22 days after seeding ECHCF and the evaluation of the herbicide inhibition was made days after the application. Formulations B, C and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 6b.

TABLE 6b The adjuvant compositions of this example strongly increased the herbicidal effectiveness of glyphosate on ABUTH. Adjuvant compositions 6-04 to 6-07 were antagonists for the herbicidal effectiveness of glyphosate on ECHCF.

EXAMPLE 7 Aqueous concentrate compositions were prepared containing IPA giifosate salt ingredients and excipient ingredients as shown in Table 7a.

TABLE 7a Alcotán plants (Abutilón theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultured and treated by the standard procedures outlined above. Applications of spray compositions were made 20 days after planting ABUTH and 22 days after seeding ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 16 days after application.

Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 7b.

TABLE 7b Some compositions of this example showed herbicidal effectiveness equal to that of formulation J on ABUTH and some were superior to formulation J on ECHCF. Particularly notable was the performance of composition 7-04. This example illustrates the usefulness of present invention in allowing the storage-concentrated aqueous glyphosate formulations to be prepared with exceptionally high active ingredient loading (40% w / w ae of glyphosate) but yielding a yield equal to a commercial standard value, formulation J, which has a load of ae of glyphosate of only about 30% w / w.

EXAMPLE 8 Spray compositions containing glyphosate were prepared by tank mixing Formulation B with excipients as shown in Table 8. Plants of alcotán (Abutilón theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were grown and harvested. They tried through the standard procedures outlined above. Applications of spray compositions were made 20 days after planting ABUTH and 23 days after seeding ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 19 days after application. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 8.

TABLE 8a There was no strong increase in herbicidal effectiveness of ghfosato on ABUTH with colloidal particle materials of this example, but some materials in colloidal particles gave an increase at extremely low concentrations. The Aerosil OX-50 gave the best result in this test EXAMPLE 9 Aqueous concentrate compositions were prepared containing glyphosate IPA salt ingredients and excipient ingredients as shown in Table 9a.

TABLE 9a Alcotán plants (Abutilón theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultured and treated by the standard procedures outlined above. Applications of spray compositions were made 15 days after planting ABUTH and 16 days after planting ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 19 days after application.

Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 9b.

TABLE 9b None of the compositions of this Example matched the performance of the commercial standard formulation J. The surfactants used are not optimal for increasing the activity of glyphosate.

EXAMPLE 10 A concentrated adjuvant composition containing excipient ingredients was prepared as shown in Table 10a. The compositions were prepared by mixing the colloidal particle material in the selected surfactant with sufficient shear to ensure homogeneity.

BOX 10a Spray compositions containing glyphosate were prepared by tank mixing Formulation B with the adjuvant composition of Table 10a. Plants of hobby (Abutilon theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures previously indicated. Applications of spray compositions were made 18 days after planting ABUTH and 20 days after seeding ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 25 days after application. Formulations B, C and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 10b.

TABLE 10b Composition 10-01 is a highly effective adjuvant for glyphosate. The addition of tank mix of 10-01 at the very low concentration of 0.125% of formulation B gave a greater herbicide effectiveness than that obtained with formulations C and J commercial standards.

EXAMPLE 11 Aqueous concentrate compositions were prepared containing glyphosate IPA salt ingredients and excipient ingredients as shown in Table 11a.

TABLE 11a Plants of hobby (Abutilon theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures previously indicated. Applications of spray compositions were made 15 days after planting ABUTH and 17 days after seeding ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 18 days after application.

Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. All of the compositions in Table 11a except for 11-21 were tested. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in table 11 b.

TABLE 11b Herbicidal good effectiveness was obtained with several compositions of this example, but none equaled the performance of the C or J formulations in this study.

EXAMPLE 12 Aqueous concentrate compositions were prepared containing glyphosate IPA salt ingredients and excipient ingredients as shown in Table 12a.

TABLE 12a Plants of hobby (Abthhonia theophrastt, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures indicated above. Applications of spray compositions were made 18 days after planting ABUTH and 20 days after sowing ECHCF and the evaluation of herbicide inhibition was done 18 days after application Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 12b TABLE 12b The compositions of this example, which contained the anionic surfactant Emphos CS-141 showed relatively weak herbicide effectiveness in this study.

EXAMPLE 13 Aqueous concentrate compositions containing glyphosate IPA salt ingredients and excipient ingredients were prepared as shown in Table 13a.

TABLE 13a Plants of hobby (Abutilon theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures previously indicated. Applications of spray compositions were made 16 days after planting ABUTH and 18 days after planting ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 18 days after application. Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. Compositions 13-02 to 13-17 are not included in the test. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 13b.

TABLE 13b The glyphosate compositions containing a scale of anionic surfactants, again in combination with colloidal particles, did not give a herbicide effectiveness equal to the commercial standard formulation J.

EXAMPLE 14 Aqueous concentrate compositions containing glyphosate IPA salt ingredients and excipient ingredients were prepared as shown in Table 14a.

BOX 14a Plants of hobby (Abutilon theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures previously indicated. Applications of spray compositions were made 16 days after planting ABUTH and 18 days after sowing ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was done 20 days after application. Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 14b.

TABLE 14b Certain compositions of this example showed effectiveness of glyphosate herbicide on ECHCF superior to that obtained with J-forking.

Compositions containing Tween 20 or Tween 80 as a surfactant generally had a higher yield than those containing Tween 85 EXAMPLE 15 Aqueous concentrate compositions containing glyphosate IPA salt ingredients and excipient ingredients were prepared as shown in Table 15a.

TABLE 15a Alcotán plants (Abutilón theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultured and treated by the standard procedures outlined above. Applications of spray compositions were made 14 days after planting ABUTH and 16 days after planting ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 19 days after application. Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 15b.

TABLE 15b The compositions of this example showed relatively weak herbicide effectiveness compared to formula J.

EXAMPLE 16 Concentrated adjuvants containing excipient ingredients were prepared from the compositions as shown in Table 16a. The compositions were prepared by mixing the colloidal particle material in the selected surfactant with sufficient shear to ensure homogeneity.

TABLE 16a Spray compositions containing glyphosate were prepared by tank mixing Formulation B with adjuvant compositions of Table 16a. Alcotán plants (Abutilón theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by means of standard procedures previously indicated. Applications of spray compositions were made 17 days after planting ABUTH and 17 days after seeding ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 19 days after application. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 16b.

TABLE 16b Compositions 16-01 to 16-14 were effective adjuvants for formulation B of glyphosate in this study.

EXAMPLE 17 Dry, storage-stable granulated concentrated compositions containing glyphosate IPA salt and excipient ingredients were prepared as shown in Table 17a. The preparation procedure was as follows. Ammonium gylphosate powder was added to a mixer. The excipient ingredients were added slowly, together with enough water to moisten the powder and form a rigid mass. The mixture was operated for a sufficient time to uniformly mix all the ingredients. The mass was then transferred to an extrusion apparatus and extruded to form granules, which were finally dried in a fluid bed dryer.

TABLE 17a Plants of hobby (Abutilon theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures previously indicated. Applications of spray compositions were made 15 days after planting ABUTH and ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 20 days after application.

Formulations B, J and K were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 17b. TABLE 17b Composition 17-01 showed herbicide effectiveness comparable to commercial J and K formulations. Composition 17-02 was considerably more herbicidally effective than commercial formulations on ABUTH although less on ECHCF in this test.

EXAMPLE 18 Aqueous concentrate compositions containing glyphosate IPA salt ingredients and excipient ingredients were prepared as shown in Table 18a.

TABLE 18a Plants of hobby (Abutilon theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures previously indicated. Applications of spray compositions were made 15 days after planting ABUTH and ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 18 days after application.

Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 18b.

TABLE 18b Several compositions of this example showed effectiveness of glyphosate herbicide on ECHCF superior to that of formulation J.

EXAMPLE 19 Aqueous concentrate compositions were prepared containing glyphosate IPA salt ingredients and excipient ingredients as shown in Table 19a.

TABLE 19a Plants of hobby (Abutilon theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures previously indicated. Applications of spray compositions were made 14 days after planting ABUTH and ECHCF and the evaluation of the herbicide inhibition was made 16 days after the application.

Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 19b.

TABLE 19b Concentrated glyphosate compositions containing colloidal particles but no surfactant did not show significant increases over formulation B in this test.

EXAMPLE 20 Aqueous concentrate compositions were prepared containing glyphosate IPA salt ingredients and excipient ingredients as shown in Table 20a.

TABLE 20a Alcotán plants (Abutilón theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echmochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultured and treated by the standard procedures indicated above. Applications of spray compositions were made 14 days after planting ABUTH and ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 17 days after application. Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 20b.

TABLE 20b The inclusion of colloidal aluminum oxide in a glyphosate composition containing Ethomeen T / 25 appeared to reduce the effectiveness of the herbicide in that study (compare 20-02 and 20-03).

EXAMPLE 21 Aqueous concentrate compositions containing IPA gylphosate salt ingredients and excipient ingredients were prepared as shown in Table 21a. All the compositions of this example showed acceptable storage stability. The compositions containing oleth-20 were not acceptably stable to storage in the absence of the colloidal particulate material.

BOX 21a Alcotán plants (Abutilón theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultured and treated by the standard procedures outlined above. Applications of spray compositions were made 14 days after planting ABUTH and ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 20 days after application.

Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. Compositions 21-01 to 21-12 are not included in the test. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in table 21 b.

TABLE 21b Remarkably high levels of herbicide effectiveness were obtained in this test with compositions containing oleth-20 at a weight / weight ratio at a.e. of glyphosate of about 1: 14, and stabilized with colloidal particles. In some cases the colloidal particles alone contributed to a greater part of efficiency increase. The results with compositions 21-21 do not correspond to other data and an application problem was suspected.

EXAMPLE 22 Concentrated aqueous compositions containing IPA glyphosate salt and excipient ingredients were prepared as shown in Table 22a. The concentrated compositions 22-13 and 22-14 are concentrates of aqueous solution and were prepared by the process (viii). The concentrated compositions 22-01 to 22-12 and 22-15 are concentrates of aqueous solution containing colloidal particle materials and were prepared by the process (ix). Concentrated compositions 22-16 and 22-17 contained colloidal particle materials but not surfactant. Where a mixture of two materials in different colloidal particles was used, these were included at a weight ratio of 1: 1. In the absence of colloidal particulate material, it was not possible to make a storage stable aqueous concentrate having a glyphosate load of 480 g a.e./l or higher in the presence of 3% w / w oleth-20. In order to test the comparative herbicidal efficacy with and without colloidal particle material, two compositions (22-01 and 22-02) were made at a much lower glyphosate load without colloidal particle material and a similar glyphosate / oleth- 20 to the other compositions of this example. No difference was recorded between compositions 22-01 and 22-02.

Compositions 22-13 and 22-14 (both containing 162 g a.e./l glyphosa) showed acceptable storage stability. However, at glyphosate loads > 480 g ae / l (as in compositions 22-01 to 22-12 and 22-15) no storage stable compositions containing 3% oleth-20 could be made except with the addition of colloidal particulate material as shown later.

TABLE 22a Alcotán plants (Abutilón thßophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures previously indicated. Applications of spray compositions were made 17 days after planting ABUTH and ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 18 days after application.

Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 22b.

TABLE 22b Several high-load glyphosate compositions (492 g a.e./l) containing oleth-20 at only 3% showed softeningly high herbicide effectiveness, approaching or equaling that of formulation J commercial standard, which is loaded only at approximately 360 g a.e./l and has a much higher ratio of surfactant to glyphosate. Especially effective compositions included 22-07 to 22-10.

EXAMPLE 23 Aqueous concentrate compositions were prepared containing glyphosate IPA salt ingredients and excipient ingredients as shown in Table 23a. The concentrated composition 23-08 to 23-14 are oil-in-water emulsions and were prepared by the process (vii). The concentrated compositions 23-15 to 23-17 are concentrates of aqueous solution and were prepared by the process (viii). The concentrated compositions 23-01 to 23-07 contain materials in colloidal particles and were prepared by the process (ix). Compositions 23-08 to 23-17 (all containing 163 g a.e./l of glyphosate) showed acceptable storage stability. However, at a glyphosate loading of 400 g ae / l (as in compositions 23-01 to 23-07) the storage stable compositions containing 0.5-1% butyl stearate and 5-10% surfactant of alkyl ether could not be made except with the addition of colloidal particulate material as shown below.

TABLE 23a Plants of hobby (Abutilon theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures previously indicated. Applications of spray compositions were made 18 days after planting ABUTH and ECHCF and the evaluation of the herbicide inhibition was made 19 days after the application.

Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 23b.

TABLE 23b The effectiveness of the outstanding herbicide was provided by compositions containing C-iß-iß alkyl ether surfactants (high (ceteareth-27, steareth-20, steareth-30, oleth-20, ceteth-20). load (400 g ae / l) containing an agent Alkyl ether surfactant of C-iß-iß, butyl stearate and colloidal particulate material (Aerosil 90) to stabilize the compositions had an especially impressive performance in this test.

EXAMPLE 24 Aqueous concentrate compositions containing ingredients of glyphosate salt IPA and excipient ingredients were prepared as shown in Table 24a. The concentrated compositions 24-01 to 24-12 are concentrates of aqueous solution containing colloidal particle materials and were prepared by the process (ix). Concentrated compositions 24-13 to 24-18 contained colloidal particle materials but not surfactant. The colloidal particle materials in this example were generally too large to confer good storage stability to the tested compositions.

TABLE 24a Alcotán plants (Abutilón theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echmochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultured and treated by standard procedures indicated above. Spray compositions were applied 21 days after planting ABUTH and ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 14 days after application. Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 24b.

TABLE 24b Many of the high load gylphosate formulations (488 g to e / I) of this example showed herbicide effectiveness equal to or greater than that obtained with the commercial standard formulation J, despite the fact that they only accounted for 3% of alkyl ether surfactant.

EXAMPLE 25 Aqueous concentrate compositions containing glyphosate IPA salt ingredients and excipient ingredients were prepared as shown in Table 25a. The concentrated compositions 25-01 to 25-04, 25-06, 25-08, 25-10 and 25-18 are oil-in-water emulsions and were prepared by the process (vii). The concentrated compositions 25-05, 25-07 and 25-09 are aqueous solution concentrates and were prepared by the process (viií). The concentrated compositions 25-11 to 25-17 contain colloidal particle materials and were prepared by the procedure (x). The compositions of this example showed all acceptable storage stability. The compositions shown as containing colloidal particle material were not storage stable unless the colloidal particulate material was included as shown.

TABLE 25a Alcotán plants (Abutilón theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultured and treated by the standard procedures outlined above. Applications of spray compositions were made 22 days after planting ABUTH and ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 18 days after application. Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 25b.

TABLE 25b Compositions that showed greater herbicide effectiveness than that provided by the commercial standard J formulation included 25-01 (steareth-20 plus butyl stearate), 25-09 (ceteareth-15) and 25-10 (steareth-20 plus stearate-20 stearate). butyl). When loading was increased by the addition of colloidal particulate material, the performance in this test tended to be reduced (compare 25-01 with 25-15 and 25-10 with 25-14).

EXAMPLE 26 Aqueous concentrate compositions containing IPA gylphosate salt and excipient ingredients were prepared as shown in Table 26a. All are aqueous solution concentrates containing materials in colloidal particles and were prepared by the process (ix). The compositions of this example showed all acceptable storage stability. The compositions shown as containing matepal in colloidal particles were not storage stable unless colloidal particulate material was included as shown.

TABLE 26a Alcotán plants (Abutilón theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-gallí, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures previously indicated. Applications were made Spray compositions 21 days after planting ABUTH and ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was done 20 days after application. Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 26b. The results for the glyphosate velocity of 400 g a.e./ha were erratic in this test and should be discarded.

TABLE 26b Several high load glyphosate compositions (488 g a.e./l) showed herbicide effectiveness on ABUTH equal to commercial standard formulation J, but none was equal to formulation J on ECHCF in this test. EXAMPLE 27 Dry, storage-stable, granular concentrated compositions containing glyphosate IPA salt and excipient ingredients were prepared as shown in Table 27a. The following procedure was used to prepare the compositions. Ammonium glyphosate powder was added to a mixer. Vehicle ingredients were slowly added, along with enough water to moisten the powder and form a rigid mass. The mixer was operated for a sufficient time to uniformly mix all the Ingredients The dough was then transferred to an extrusion apparatus and extruded to form granules, which were finally dried in a fluid drier. The lecithin for compositions 27-05 and 27-06 was soy lecithin containing 45% phospholipid. , by Avanti TABLE 27a Alcotán plants (Abutheon theophrastt, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures indicated above. Applications of spray compositions were made 21 days after planting ABUTH and ECHCF and evaluation of the herbicide inhibition was done 20 days after the application The formulations J and K were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 27b.

TABLE 27b Several dry granular compositions of this example had a higher yield on the commercial standard K composition, at least on ABUTH. They included 27-11 to 27-16, all containing an alkyl ether surfactant (steareth-20, oleth-20 or ceteth-20) and colloidal particulate material.

EXAMPLE 28 Aqueous concentrate compositions containing glyphosate IPA salt and excipient ingredients were prepared as shown in Table 28a. Concentrated compositions 28-04 and 28-05 were concentrated in aqueous solution and prepared by the process (viii). Concentrated compositions 28-06 to 28-13 are aqueous solution concentrates containing colloidal particles and were prepared by the process (ix). Concentrated compositions 28-01 to 28-03 contained colloidal particulate material but no surfactant. The compositions of this example containing colloidal particulate material all showed acceptable storage stability. Of those that contained steareth-20 but not colloidal particle material, composition 28-04 was acceptable in terms of storage stability but composition 28-05 was not.

TABLE 28a Alcotán plants (Abutilón thßophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures previously indicated. Applications of spray compositions were made 20 days after planting ABUTH and ECHCF and the evaluation of the herbicide inhibition was made 19 days after the application.

Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 28b.

TABLE 28b Remarkably strong herbicidal effectiveness was provided by composition 28-05, despite its very low surfactant ratio (steareth-20) to a.e. of glyphosate of about 1: 13. The activity, at least on ABUTH, was improved to a significant degree by the inclusion in the composition of materials in colloidal particles such as Aerosil MOX-170 (28-06), Aerosil 380 (28-07), a mixture of Aerosil MOX-80 and Aerosil 380 (28-08) and a mixture of Aerosil MOX-80 and Aerosil MOX-170 (28-09).

EXAMPLE 29 Dried and aqueous granular concentrated compositions were prepared as shown in Table 29a. The dried granular concentrate compositions 29-01 to 29-11 contained glyphosate ammonium salt and were prepared by the procedure described in Example 27.

The concentrated aqueous compositions 29-12 to 29-16 contained glyphosate IPA salt and were prepared by the process (v), using soy lecithin (45% phospholipid, Avanti).

TABLE 29a Aerosil mixture: Aerosil MOX-80 + Aerosil MOX-170 (1: 1) Plants of hobby (Abutilon theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures previously indicated. Applications of spray compositions were made 20 days after planting ABUTH and ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 16 days after application.

The formulations J and K were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 29b.

TABLE 29b All the dry compositions of the invention in this study showed greater herbicide effectiveness on both ABUTH and ECHCF, in some cases by a very substantial margin, than the commercial standard K formulation.

EXAMPLE 30 Aqueous concentrate compositions containing IPA gylphosate salt and excipient ingredients were prepared as shown in Table 30a All contained colloidal particle materials and prepared by the procedure (ix) The compositions of this example all showed acceptable storage stability The compositions shown as containing material in colloidal particles were not stable to storage unless colloidal particle material was included as shown BOX 30a Plants of hobby (Abutilon theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures previously indicated. Applications of spray compositions were made 17 days after planting ABUTH and ECHCF and the evaluation of the herbicide inhibition was made 19 days after the application.

Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 30b.

TABLE 30b The inhibition data in percent for the glyphosate velocity of 400 g a.e./ha in this test were unreliable and should be ignored. In the presence of colloidal particle material, neither oleth-20 (composition 30-05) nor steareth-20 (30-10) gave herbicidal effectiveness equal to formulation J in that study, and no greater or consistent increase was obtained adding butyl stearate.

EXAMPLE 31 Compositions were prepared aqueous concentrates containing IPA glyphosate salt and excipient ingredients as shown in Table 31a. The process for preparing these aqueous concentrate compositions was generally as described above except that the different mixing methods were used as the final step of the process as shown in the footnote to Table 31a. The compositions of this example showed all acceptable storage stability. The compositions shown as containing Colloidal particle material was not stable to storage unless colloidal particle material was included as shown TABLE 31a (*) Procedure A Silverson mixer, medium sieve, 3 minutes at 7000 B Silverson mixer, coarse sieve, 3 minutes at 7000 rpm C Fann mixer, t50% output, 5 minutes D Turrax mixer, 3 minutes at 8000 fm E Agitator head, low speed F Head agitator, high speed G Manual agitation, 3 minutes Alcotán plants (Abutilón theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echínochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures previously indicated. Applications of spray compositions were made 17 days after planting ABUTH and ECHCF and the evaluation of the herbicide inhibition was made 19 days after the application.

Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 31 b.

TABLE 31 b The results obtained with composition 31-06 do not correspond to the other data in the example and an error was suspected in the formulation or in the application. Some differences in herbicide effectiveness were evident when a composition containing 360 g ae / l of glyphosate, 1% of butyl stearate, 10% of oleth-20 and 1.25% of Aerosil 380 was processed in different ways (31-11 a 31-17). However, as compositions 31-07 and 31-11 were processed identically although they differed in effectiveness, no firm conclusions can be drawn from this test.

EXAMPLE 32 Aqueous concentrate compositions containing glyphosate IPA salt and excipient ingredients were prepared as shown in Table 32a. The concentrated compositions 32-01 to 104-09 were concentrated in aqueous solution and prepared by the process (viii). The concentrated compositions 32-10 to 32-18 are solution concentrates water that contained cloidal particles and were prepared by the procedure (IX) The compositions of this example containing 3% or 6% surfactant were not acceptably storage stable except in the presence of matepal in colloidal particles as shown TABLE 32a Alcotán plants (Abutilón theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultured and treated by the standard procedures outlined above. Applications of spray compositions were made 18 days after planting ABUTH and ECHCF and the evaluation of the herbicide inhibition was made 18 days after the application Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 32b.

TABLE 32b In compositions of high load glyphosate (488 g a.e./l), steareth-20 at 3% or 6% gave greater effectiveness of herbicide in this test than the same concentrations of oleth-20. Even only 3%, steareth-20 (composition 32-02) gave equal effectiveness to the commercial standard J formulation. The addition of a mixture of materials in colloidal particles to stabilize the composition (32-11) slightly reduced the effectiveness in this study.

EXAMPLE 33 Concentrated aqueous compositions containing glyphosate IPA salt and excipient ingredients were prepared as shown in Table 33a. The concentrated compositions 33-01 to 33-04 were concentrated in aqueous solution and prepared by the procedure (vin). The concentrated compositions 33-08 to 33-18 are aqueous solution concentrates containing colloidal particles and were prepared by the process (ix) The concentrated compositions 33-05 to 33-07 contained colloidal particulate material but no surfactant. All the compositions of this example except 33-01 to 33-03 were acceptably storage stable.

BOX 33a Alcotán plants (Abutilón theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultured and treated by the standard procedures indicated above. Applications of spray compositions were made 16 days after planting ABUTH and ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 21 days after application. Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 33b TABLE 33b Among the stabilized high load glyphosate compositions (488 g ae / I) that gave herbicide effectiveness superior to the commercial standard J formulation, at least on ABUTH, were 33-10 and 33-11 (respectively 4.5% and 6% of steareth-20 + 3% MON 0818 + 1.5% Aerosil 380) 33-13 (mix of 4.5% steareth-20 + 3% MON 0818 + 1.5% Aerosil MOX- 80 / MOX-170) and 33-16 (mix of 4.5% steareth-20 + 3% MON 0818 + 1.5% Aerosil MOX-80/380). The relatively poor performance of composition 33-04 and the good endimement of composition 33-02 shows that the excellent results obtained with the stabilized compositions listed above are mainly attributable to the steareth-20 component.

EXAMPLE 34 Aqueous concentrate compositions containing glyphosate IPA salt and excipient ingredients were prepared as shown in Table 34a. The concentrated compositions 34-01 to 34-09 were concentrated in aqueous solution and prepared by the process (viii). The concentrated compositions 34-10 to 34-18 are concentrates of aqueous solution containing cloidal particles and were prepared by the process (ix). The compositions of this example containing 3% or 6% surfactant were not acceptably storage stable except in the presence of colloidal particulate material as shown.

TABLE 34a Plants of hobby (Abutilon theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures previously indicated. Applications of spray compositions were made 15 days after planting ABUTH and ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 22 days after application.

Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 34b.

TABLE 34b The compositions containing steareth-20 generally had a better yield than their counterparts containing oleth-20 in that study, both in the presence and absence of colloidal particle material.

EXAMPLE 35 Aqueous concentrate compositions containing glyphosate IPA salt and excipient ingredients were prepared as shown in Table 35a. All contained materials in colloidal particles and were prepared by the procedure (ix). The compositions of this example showed all acceptable storage stability. The compositions shown as containing colloidal particle material were not stable to storage unless colloidal particulate material was included as shown.

TABLE 35a Plants of hobby (Abutilon theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures previously indicated. Applications of spray compositions were made 16 days after planting ABUTH and ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 22 days after application. The treatments in this example were applied at four different times within the same day.

Formulations J was applied as a comparative treatment. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 35b.

TABLE 35b Composition 35-03 illustrates the high level yield consistency obtainable with, in this case, steareth-30 at a weight / weight ratio of about 1: 3 to a.e. of glyphosate, together with a small amount of Butyl Stearate and Aerosil 380. An average percent inhibition of ABUTH through the four glyphosate rates shows the following comparison of 35-03 with the J formulation applied at four different times of the day: Time Formulation J Composition 35-03 1000 48 59 1200 45 58 1400 48 62 1600 41 65 EXAMPLE 36 Aqueous concentrate compositions containing glyphosate IPA salt and excipient ingredients were prepared as shown in Table 36a. Concentrated compositions 36-01 to 36-07 were concentrated aqueous solution and were prepared by the process (viii) Concentrated compositions 36-08 to 36-18 are aqueous solution concentrates containing cloidal particles and were prepared by the process ( ix) Compositions 36-01 to 36-06 were not acceptably storage stable. All other compositions showed stability to acceptable storage.

TABLE 36a Alcotán plants (Abutilón theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultured and treated by the standard procedures outlined above. Applications of spray compositions were made 16 days after planting ABUTH and ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 23 days after application. Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 36b.

TABLE 36b Several stabilized high load glyphosate compositions (488 g a.e./l) of this example gave equal or superior herbicide effectiveness, at least on ABUTH, to that obtained to the commercial standard formulation J.

EXAMPLE 37 Aqueous concentrate compositions containing IPA gylphosate salt and excipient ingredients were prepared as shown in Table 37a. The concentrated compositions 37-12 to 37-14 are concentrated aqueous solution and were prepared by the process (viii).

TABLE 37a Alcotán plants (Abutilón theophrasti, ABUTH) and Japanese millet (Echinochloa crus-galli, ECHCF) were cultivated and treated by the standard procedures indicated above. Applications of spray compositions were made 16 days after planting ABUTH and ECHCF and evaluation of herbicide inhibition was made 20 days after application.

Formulations B and J were applied as comparative treatments. The results, averaged for all replicates of each treatment, are shown in Table 37b.

TABLE 37b Several stabilized high load glyphosate compositions (488 g a.e./l) of this example gave equal or superior herbicide effectiveness, at least on ABUTH, to that obtained to the commercial standard formulation J. The above description of the specific embodiments of the present invention is not intended to be a complete list of each possible embodiment of the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize that modifications can be made to the specific embodiments described herein that would be within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (11)

1. NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS 1. - A plant treatment composition containing (a) an exogenous chemical compound soluble in water, (b) an adjuvant amount of a colloidal material in solid particles and (c) from 0 to an amount S of a surfactant wherein S the amount of the exogenous chemical compound present in the composition is equal to one tenth.
2. 2. The composition according to claim 1, further characterized in that it contains water in an amount sufficient to provide a sprayable composition wherein the exogenous chemical compound is present at a concentration of about 0.001% to about 0.5% by weight of the composition.
3. 3. The composition according to claim 1, further characterized in that the colloidal material is present at a concentration of about 0.01% to about 0.5% by weight of the composition.
4. 4. The composition according to claim 1, further characterized in that it contains water in an amount sufficient to provide an aqueous concentrated composition wherein the exogenous chemical compound is present at a concentration of from about 10% to about 60% by weight of the composition.
5. 5. The composition according to claim 4, further characterized in that the colloidal material is present at a concentration of about 0.01% to about 5% by weight of the composition.
6. 6. The composition according to claim 1, further characterized in that it is a water-dispersible solid concentrate composition in which the exogenous chemical compound is present at a concentration of about 10% to about 90% of the composition.
7. 7. The composition according to claim 6, further characterized in that the colloidal material is present at a concentration of about 0.01% to about 10% by weight of the composition.
8. 8. The composition according to claim 1, further characterized in that the colloidal material has a specific surface area of about 50 to about 400m / g.
9. 9. The composition according to claim 1, further characterized in that the colloidal material contains particles selected from the group consisting of silicon oxides, aluminum oxides, titanium oxides and mixtures thereof.
10. 10. The composition according to claim 1, further characterized in that the exogenous chemical compound is an exogenous chemical compound applied to the foliage.
11. 11. The composition according to claim 10, further characterized in that the exogenous chemical compound is a pesticide, gametocide or plant growth regulator. 12. - The composition according to claim 11, further characterized in that the exogenous chemical compound is a herbicide, nematicide or plant growth regulator. 13. The composition according to claim 12, further characterized in that the exogenous chemical compound is a herbicide. 14. - The composition according to claim 13, further characterized in that the herbicide is selected from the group consisting of bipyridyls, diphenyl ethers, fatty acids, imidazolinones and phenoxies. 15. The composition according to claim 13, further characterized in that the herbicide is selected from the group consisting of aminotpazole, asufam, bentazon, bialaphos, diquat, paraquat, dicamba, acifluorfen, fatty acids of C9.10, fosamine, glufosinate , glyphosate, imazaquin, imazetapyr, 2,4-D, picloram, tpclopir and herbicidal derivatives thereof. 16. The composition according to claim 15, further characterized in that the herbicide is glyphosate or a herbicidal derivative thereof. 17. The composition according to claim 16, further characterized in that the herbicide is glyphosate in its acid form. 18. The composition according to claim 12, further characterized in that the exogenous chemical compound is a salt having an anion and a cation portion. 19. The composition according to claim 18, further characterized in that at least one of said portions of anion and cation is biologically active and has a molecular weight of less than about 300. 20. - The composition according to claim 19, further characterized in that the exogenous chemical compound is paquat or diquat. 21. The composition according to claim 19, further characterized in that the exogenous chemical compound presents systemic biological activity in the plant. 22. The composition according to claim 21, further characterized in that the exogenous chemical compound has one or more functional groups selected from the group consisting of amine, amide, carboxylate, phosphonate and phosphinate. 23. The composition according to claim 22, further characterized in that the exogenous chemical compound is a salt of 3,4,4-tpfluoro-3-butenoic acid or N- (3,4,4-trifluoro-1-oxo) -3-butenyl) glycine exhibiting nematicidal activity. 24. The composition according to claim 22, further characterized in that the exogenous chemical compound is a herbicide or plant growth regulator compound having at least one of each amine, carboxylate and either phosphonate or phosphinate functional groups. 25. The composition according to claim 24, further characterized in that the herbicide or growth regulator of the plants is a glufosinate salt. 26. The composition according to claim 25, further characterized in that the glufosinate salt is the ammonium salt. 27. The composition according to claim 24, further characterized in that the herbicide or plant growth regulating compound is a salt of N-phosphonomethylglycine. 28. - The composition according to claim 27, further characterized in that the N-phosphonomethylglycine salt is selected from the group consisting of sodium, potassium, ammonium, mono, di, tri and tetra alkylammonium salts of C? _, Mono, di and tri-alkanolammonium of C? _4, mono, di and tri-alkylsulfonium of C? _4 and sulfoxonium. 29. The composition according to claim 28, further characterized in that the N-phosphonomethylglycine salt is the ammonium, monoisopropylammonium or trimethylsulfonium salt. 30.- A concentrated aqueous treatment plant composition containing (a) an exogenous water soluble chemical compound, (b) an aqueous diluent, (c) a surfactant component containing one or more nonionic surfactants, and (d) an amount of a solid inorganic particulate colloidal material effective to stabilize the composition, said composition exhibiting no phase separation during a period T under storage conditions involving storage in a closed container at a temperature in the scale around from 15 ° C to about 30 ° C; T being on the scale of about 1 hour to about 60 days; wherein the exogenous chemical compound and the surfactant are present at a concentration at all or relative to one another, in the absence of the colloidal material, the phase separation would occur during said period T. 31.- The composition in accordance with claim 30, further characterized in that said solid, inorganic particulate material is selected from the group consisting of silicon oxides, aluminum oxides, titanium oxides and mixtures thereof. 32. - The composition according to claim 30, further characterized in that the colloidal particulate material has an average specific surface area of about 50 to about 400 m2 / g. 33. The composition according to claim 30, further characterized in that the colloidal particulate material has an average specific surface area of about 180 to about 400 m2 / g. 34. The composition according to claim 30, further characterized in that the particulate colloidal material has a bimodal distribution of specific surface area whereby a first component of the colloidal material has a specific surface area of about 50 to about 150 m2 / g and a second component of the colloidal material has a specific surface area of about 180 to about 400 m2 / g. 35.- The composition according to claim 30, further characterized in that the colloidal material is present at a concentration between about 0.01% and about 5% by weight of the composition. 36.- The composition according to claim 30, further characterized in that the surfactant component contains one or more surfactants that have the formula R12 -? - (CH2CH2?) N (CH (CH3) CH2?) RtrR '' 3 wherein R12 is an alkyl or alkenyl group having from about 16 to about 22 carbon atoms, n is an average number from about 10 to about 100, m is an average number from 0 to about 5, and R13 is hydrogen or C1.4 alkyl. 37. The composition according to claim 36, further characterized in that R12 is a saturated straight-chain alkyl group, n is from about 20 to about 40, m is 0 and R13 is preferably hydrogen. 38.- The composition according to claim 36, further characterized in that the surfactant component is a cetyl or stearyl ether or mixture thereof. 39.- The composition according to claim 30, further characterized in that the exogenous chemical compound is an exogenous chemical compound that is applied to the foliage. 40.- The composition according to claim 39 further characterized in that the exogenous chemical compound is a pesticide, gameticide or plant growth regulator. 41.- The composition according to the re / vindication 40, also characterized because the exogenous chemical compound is a herbicide, nematicide or plant growth regulator. 42. The composition according to claim 41 further characterized in that the exogenous chemical compound is a herbicide. 43. The composition according to claim 42 further characterized in that the herbicide is selected from the group consisting of bipyridyls, diph ethers, fatty acids, imidazolinones and phenoxies. 44. The composition according to claim 42, further characterized in that the herbicide is selected from the group consisting of aminotriazole, asufam, bentazon, bialaphos, diquat, paraquat, dicamba, acifluorfen, Cg-10 fatty acids, fosamine, glufosinate , glyphosate, imazaquin, imazetapyr, 2,4-D, picloram, triclopyr and herbicidal derivatives thereof. Four. Five - . 45 - The composition according to claim 44, further characterized in that the herbicide is glyphosate or a herbicidal derivative thereof 46 - The composition according to claim 45, further characterized in that the herbicide is glyphosate in its acid form 47 - The composition according to claim 46, further characterized in that the exogenous chemical compound is a salt having an anion portion and a cation portion 48. The composition according to claim 47, further characterized in that at least one of said portions of anion and The cation is biologically active and has a molecular weight less than about 300. The composition according to claim 48, further characterized in that the exogenous chemical compound is paquat or diquat 50. The composition according to claim 48, further characterized in that the exogenous chemical compound present biological activity system in the plant 51 - The composition according to claim 50, further characterized in that the exogenous chemical compound has one or more functional groups selected from the group consisting of amine, amide, carboxylate, phosphonate and phosphinate. 52 - The composition in accordance with claim 51, further characterized in that the exogenous chemical compound is a 3,4,4-tr? fluoro-3-butene? co or N- (3,4,4-tr? fluoro-1-oxo-3) acid salt -buten? l) gl? c? na that presents nematicidal activity 53. - The composition according to claim 51, further characterized in that the exogenous chemical compound is a herbicide or plant growth regulating compound having at least one of each amine, carboxylate and either phosphonate or phosphinate functional groups. 54.- The composition according to claim 53, further characterized in that the herbicide or growth regulator of the plants is a glufosinate salt. 55.- The composition according to claim 54, further characterized in that the glufosinate salt is the ammonium salt. 56.- The composition according to claim 53, further characterized in that the herbicide or plant growth regulating compound is a salt of N-phosphonomethylglycine. 57.- The composition according to claim 56, further characterized in that the N-phosphonomethylglycine salt is selected from the group consisting of sodium, potassium, ammonium, mono, di, tri and tetra alkylammonium salts of CM, mono, di and tri-alkanolammonium of CM, mono, di and tri alkylsulfonium of C ^ and sulfoxonium. 58.- The composition according to claim 57, further characterized in that the N-phosphonomethylglycine sai is the ammonium, monoisopropylammonium or trimethylsulfonium salt. 59.- The composition according to claim 57, further characterized in that the surfactant component contains one or more alkyl ether surfactants having the formula 12 -? - (CH2CH2?) N (CH (CH3) CH2?) m-Rl 3 wherein R is a straight chain C? -β-? - alkyl group, n is a pprroommeeddiioo number from about 100 to about 100, m is 0 and R13 is hydrogen. 60.- The composition according to claim 59, further characterized in that the N-phosphonomethylglycine salt is present at an acid equivalent concentration of about 30% by weight or greater. 61.- The composition according to claim 59, further characterized in that the N-phosphonomethylglycine salt is present at an acid equivalent concentration of about 40% by weight or greater. 62.- The composition according to claim 60, further characterized in that it comprises a compound of the formula R 14 -CO-A-R 15 14 wherein R is a hydrocarbyl group having from about 5 to about 21 carbon atoms, R "I5 is a hydrocarbyl group having 1 to about 14 carbon atoms, the total number of carbon atoms in R14 and R15 is from about 11 to about 27, and A is O or NH, said compound being present in the composition at a concentration of from about 0.1% to about 5% by weight 63. The composition according to claim 62, further characterized in that said compound is an alkyl ester of C1.4 of a C? 2-18 fatty acid. 64. The composition according to claim 63, further characterized in that said compound is a propyl, isopropyl or butyl ester of a fatty acid of C 12-18 65. The composition according to claim 64, further characterized because said compound is butyl stearate. 66. - A herbicidal composition consisting of: (a) a water-soluble salt of N-phosphonomethylglycine, (b) an aqueous diluent, (c) a surfactant component containing one or more nonionic surfactants having the formula R12 -? - (CH2CH20) n (CH (CH3) CH2?) M-Rl 3 wherein R12 is an alkyl or alkenyl group having from about 16 to about 22 carbon atoms, n is an average number of about 10 at about 100, m is an average number from 0 to about 5, and R13 is hydrogen or alkyl of CM, and (d) an amount of a solid inorganic colloidal material effective to stabilize the composition, said composition having no separation of phase for a period T under storage conditions involving storage in a closed container at a temperature in the range of about 15 ° C to about 30 ° C; T being on the scale of about 1 hour to about 60 days; wherein the exogenous chemical compound and the surfactant are present at concentrations at all or relative to one another, such that in the absence of the colloidal material, phase separation would occur under the same conditions during said period T. 67.- A method for treating plants that consists in contacting the foliage of the plant with a biologically effective amount of a composition according to any of claims 1 to 3 or 8 to 29.