FR2738112A1 - METHOD OF IMPROVING BANANA FRUIT YIELDS - Google Patents

Abstract

Method for improving the fruit yields of bananas, characterized in that an effective and non-phytotoxic dose of a compound A is applied to the banana trees, chosen from: - salts of a mono-alkyl phosphite and of a mono-, di- or tri-valent metal cation, such as Fosetyl-Al, or - phosphorous acid and its alkali or alkaline-earth salts.

Description

i 2738112 Method for improving banana fruit yields

  The present invention relates to a method for improving

banana fruit yields.

  The fruit yield of bananas is currently 40 tonnes per hectare, and up to 60 tonnes per hectare in the best conditions. However, this yield may be limited by various factors, mainly the presence of diseases such as Fusarium wilt or Sigatoka disease or

  presence of harmful insects or nematodes.

  It is therefore always desirable to increase this fruit yield, for reasons that are clearly understandable for profitability, independently of, in particular, the diseases of which bananas may be affected or of which

  can assume that they will be achieved.

  It is therefore particularly interesting to increase the average weight per

  plant banana bunches produced by a banana plantation.

  An increase in this average weight, even a small one, is due to the very high production per hectare for an additional harvest of

  fruits whose quantitative importance is particularly appreciable.

  An object of the present invention is therefore to increase the yield of

  fruits of banana plantations.

  Another object of the present invention is to increase the fruit yield of banana plantations, regardless of the diseases which these banana plants may be suffering from or which can be assumed to be affected. Another object of the present invention is to increase the average weight per plant of the banana regimes produced by a banana plantation, independently of the diseases which these bananas may be affected or whose

  we can assume that they will be achieved.

  It was found that these goals could be achieved in whole or in

  part by the method of treatment according to the invention.

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  The subject of the present invention is therefore a method for improving banana fruit yields, characterized in that an effective and non-phytotoxic dose of a compound A, chosen from: a mono-alkyl phosphite and a mono-, di- or tri-valent metal cation, such as Fosetyl-AI, or

  phosphorous acid and its alkali or alkaline earth salts.

  Fosetyl-Al is aluminum tris-O-ethyl phosphonate, described in "The Pesticide Manual" 9th edition, by Charles R. Worthing and Raymond J.

  Hance published by the British Crop Protection Council.

  The dose of compound A applied is likely to vary within wide limits depending on the climatic conditions, the culture conditions, and the frequency of the treatments carried out. For convenience, this dose is expressed in

  equivalent weight of phosphorous acid, of formula H3PO3, applied per hectare.

  This dose is in general between 0.7 and 17 kg / ha, preferably between 1.5 and 10.5 kg / ha. The calculation from this dose of the dose of a specific compound A is conveniently carried out taking into account the molar mass of said compound and that of phosphorous acid. In the case where the specific compound A is a salt of a mono-alkyl phosphite and a di- or tri-valent metal cation, it is also necessary to take into account the number of

valence of the corresponding cation.

  According to an advantageous variant of the invention, the compound A applied is Fosetyl-Al. In this case, the dose of compound A, expressed by weight of fosetyl-AI applied per hectare, is between 1 and 25 kg / ha, preferably

between 2 and 15 kg / ha.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the banana plants on which compound A is applied are healthy banana trees. Healthy banana means banana plants with no characteristic symptoms of diseases known to affect them, such as, but not limited to, Fusarium wilt or Sigatoka disease. The healthy banana plants may in particular be bananas that are subject to a conventional preventive treatment against fungal diseases, said treatment being known to have no effect on the yield.

in fruits.

  The compound A may be applied by spraying on the aerial parts of the banana plants, by any means known per se such as by a spray or by air. In this case, the dose of compound A applied, expressed in weight equivalent of phosphorous acid, is usually between 0.7 and 7 kg / ha, preferably between 1.5 and 3.5 kg / ha. This treatment may advantageously be repeated 3 times during the year following the first treatment. When, according to a preferred variant of the present invention, compound A is Fosetyl-Al, the dose of compound A is between 1 and 10

  kg / ha, preferably between 2 and 5 kg / ha.

  According to another preferred variant of the invention, compound A is applied in the section of the pseudostem of banana plants, by any means known per se. Pseudo-trunk of banana plants means the trunk of these plants, which is non-woody in nature. Pseudo-trunk section refers to the section obtained by cutting the pseudostem at a certain height above the ground (between 1 and 2 m) after harvesting the banana diet. The application of the compound A in the section of the pseudostem can be done in particular by injection or by simply pouring a treatment liquid comprising A in a cavity of the order of 5 cm of depth, arranged in this section. This technique of application makes it possible to reduce the frequency of the treatments by carrying out only 1 treatment during the period separating the production of 2 banana bunches by the same plant. It also makes it possible to operate this treatment at the time of harvest of the banana diet

  on the plant. This results in significant time savings for farmers.

  In the case of this application by injection, the dose of compound A applied, expressed in weight equivalent of phosphorous acid, is usually between 1.5 and 17 kg / ha, preferably between 2.5 and 10.5 kg / Ha. In the latter case, when compound A is Fosetyl-Al, the dose of

  compound A is between 2 and 25 kg / ha, preferably between 4 and 15 kg / ha.

  For its practical application on banana plants, compound A is used in the form of a fungicidal composition which is also the subject of the invention. The fungicidal composition that is the subject of the invention usually comprises from 0.5 to 95% of compound A in combination with an acceptable carrier in

Agriculture.

  It may furthermore comprise all the usual additives or adjuvants for the phytosanitary compositions, in particular surfactants, agents

  adhesion and fluence agents.

  By the term "carrier", in the present description, means an organic or inorganic material, natural or synthetic, with which the active ingredients are associated to facilitate their application to the plant. This support is therefore generally inert and must be acceptable in agriculture, especially on the treated plant. The support may be solid (clays, natural or synthetic silicates, silica, resins, waxes, solid fertilizers, etc.) or liquid (water, alcohols, ketones, petroleum fractions, aromatic or paraffinic hydrocarbons,

  chlorinated hydrocarbons, liquefied gases, etc ...).

  The surfactant may be an emulsifier, dispersant or wetting agent of ionic or nonionic type. There may be mentioned, for example, salts of polyacrylic acids, salts of lignosulfonic acids, salts of phenolsulphonic or naphthalenesulphonic acids, polycondensates of ethylene oxide with fatty alcohols or with fatty acids or with fatty amines. substituted phenols (especially alkylphenols or arylphenols), salts of sulfosuccinic acid esters, taurine derivatives (especially

  alkyltaurates), phosphoric esters of polyoxyethylated alcohols or phenols.

  The presence of at least one surfactant is desirable to promote the dispersion of the active ingredients in water and their good application to plants. This composition may also contain any other kind of ingredients such as, for example, protective colloids, adhesives, thickeners, thixotropic agents, penetration agents, stabilizers, sequestering agents,

  pigments, dyes, polymers.

  More generally, the composition that can be used in the process according to the invention and / or object of the invention can include all the solid or liquid additives corresponding to the usual techniques of the formulation of the products.

Phytosanitary.

  This composition may be in solid, gelled or liquid form, and in the latter case in the form of solutions or suspensions. Liquid compositions are preferred, both because of their ease of use and their

  because of their simplicity of manufacture.

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  As solid composition forms, mention may be made of dust or dispersion powders (with an active compound content of up to 100%), wettable powders and granules for dry spreading and granules.

dispersible or soluble.

  Wettable powders (or spray powders) as well as dispersible granules usually contain from 20 to 95% active ingredients, and in addition to the solid carrier, from 0 to 5% of a wetting agent, from 3 to 10% of a dispersing agent, and, when necessary, from 0 to 10% of one or more stabilizers and / or other additives, such as pigments, dyes, penetrating agents, adhesives, or anti-caking, coloring agents etc. It is understood that some of these compositions, such as wettable powders or dispersible granules, are intended to constitute liquid compositions during application. As forms of liquid compositions, mention may be made of solutions, in particular concentrates which are soluble in water, concentrated suspensions, pastes. Soluble concentrates most often comprise from 10 to 80% active ingredient, the solutions ready for application containing, for their part, 0.01 to% of active ingredient. As already mentioned, aqueous dispersions, for example compositions obtained by diluting with water a wettable powder

  according to the invention, are included in the general scope of the present invention.

  Concentrated suspensions, also applicable in spraying, are a stable fluid product, not giving rise to thickening or sediment formation after storage, and they usually contain from 10 to 75% of active ingredients, 0.5 15% surfactants, 0.1 to 10% thixotropic agents, 0 to 10% of suitable additives, such as pigments, dyes, defoamers, corrosion inhibitors, stabilizers, penetrants and adhesives and, as a carrier, water or an organic liquid in which the active ingredients are little or not soluble: some organic solids or mineral salts may be dissolved in the

  support to help prevent sedimentation or as antifreeze for water.

  The compositions described above are prepared according to

processes known per se.

  Thus, in order to obtain the spraying powders or wettable powders, the active ingredients are intimately mixed in appropriate mixers with the additional substances and ground with mills or other grinders. Spray powders are thus obtained, the wettability and suspension of which are advantageous; they can be suspended with water at any desired concentration and these suspensions can be used very advantageously, in particular for application to the aerial parts of plants. In place of the wettable powders, it is possible to produce concentrated pastes or suspensions. The conditions and methods of making and using these pastes are similar to those of wettable powders or powders to be sprayed, part of the grinding operation required being simply

performed in liquid medium.

  The dispersible granules are usually prepared by agglomeration or extrusion or compaction, in suitable granulation systems, of wettable powder compositions. Dry spreading granules are usually obtained by impregnating a granulated carrier with a solution

  or an emulsion of the active ingredients.

  The following examples are given purely by way of illustration and without limitation of the advantageous properties of the process and of the composition according to the invention. Example 1 In Vivo Test of a Composition Comprising Fosetyl-Al on a Banana Planting: The test is conducted on a banana plantation having reached a stage of regular fruit production. This planting is also periodically treated throughout the duration of the trial by means of a conventional preventive treatment against various fungal diseases, as well as against pests and nematodes, which treatment is known to have failed.

  no effect of the type observed below with Fosetyl-Al.

The duration of the test is 2 years.

  At the beginning of the first year, treatment with Fosetyl-

  HAVE. This is used for a wettable powder formulation of diluted Fosetyl-Al

  in water before use, which is applied by means of a knapsack sprayer.

  The application rate is 6.4 kg Fosetyl-Al per hectare. We repeat this

  application of Fosetyl-Al every 3 months for the duration of the test.

  The average weight of a banana diet harvested per plant is measured. The average value of this weight, during the 2nd year of the test, is equal to

39.8 kg.

  In comparison, a control test was performed, in which there was no application of Fosetyl-Al, the protocol being otherwise identical. This test yielded 38.4 kg for average weight value of a banana diet

  harvested per plant, measured under the same conditions as above.

  Such a difference, amounting to 5% in relative value, corresponds to a considerable additional fruit quantity, of the order of 2 tonnes in the case where the yield of the banana plantation is 40 tonnes / hectare.

bananas.

  Example 2 In Vivo Test of a Composition Comprising Fosetyl-Al on a Banana Plantation Example 1 is repeated by treating a plantation located on a ground of

  different nature and by processing by air. The doses of Fosetyl-

  Applied are shown in the table below as well as weights

  banana diet means obtained.

  Average weight of a diet (kg) Dose of fosetyl-Al 3.2 38.9 (kg / ha) 6.4 39.7 Control test I 37.4

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  The differences observed also correspond to an improvement

  very appreciable fruit yield.

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Claims (10)

  1. A method for improving banana fruit yields, characterized in that an effective and non-phytotoxic dose of a compound A selected from: - the salts of a monoalkyl phosphite and a mono-, di- or trivalent metal cation, such as fosetyl-AIl, or - phosphorous acid and its alkali or alkaline earth salts 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the dose of compound A, expressed by weight equivalent of phosphorous acid, is included   between 0.7 and 17 kg / ha, preferably between 1.5 and 10.5 kg / ha.   3. Method according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that   that compound A is Fosetyl-Al.   4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the dose of   Fosetyl-Al is between 1 and 25 kg / ha, preferably between 2 and 15 kg / ha.   5. Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that   compound A is applied to healthy banana trees.   6. Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that   the compound A is applied by spraying on the aerial parts of the banana plants at a dose, expressed as equivalent weight of phosphorous acid,   between 0.7 and 7 kg / ha, preferably between 1.5 and 3.5 kg / ha.   7. Method according to claim 6, characterized in that compound A is Fosetyl-Al applied at a dose of between 1 and 10 kg / ha, preferably between 2 and 5 kg / ha. 2738112   8. Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that   the compound A is applied by injection into the section of the pseudostem of banana plants at a dose, expressed by weight equivalent of phosphorous acid, of between 1.5 and 17 kg / ha, preferably between 2.5 and 10 , 5 kg / ha. 9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that compound A is Fosetyl-Al applied at a dose of between 2 and 25 kg / ha, preferably between 4 and 15 kg / ha.   10. A fungicidal composition comprising from 0.5 to 95% of compound A as defined in claim 1, in combination with an agriculturally acceptable carrier.