阅读说明：本技术 N-烷基葡糖酰胺用于在施用含草胺膦的植物处理剂时减少漂移的用途 (Use of N-alkylglucamides for reducing drift when applying plant treatment agents containing glufosinate ) 是由 M·鲍尔 P·鲍尔 于 2018-05-09 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种或更多种式(I)的N-烷基葡糖酰胺的用途,用于在施用至少含有草胺膦作为农用化学活性物质的植物处理剂时减少漂移,其中R1表示具有5至9个碳原子的直链或支链烷基,和R2表示具有1至3个碳原子的烷基。<Image he="212" wi="700" file="DDA0002269461320000011.GIF" imgContent="drawing" imgFormat="GIF" orientation="portrait" inline="no"></Image>(The invention relates to the use of one or more N-alkylglucamides of formula (I) in which R1 denotes a straight-chain or branched alkyl group having 5 to 9 carbon atoms and R2 denotes an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms for reducing drift when applying plant treatment agents which contain at least glufosinate as agrochemical active substances.)

1. Use of one or more N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I) for reducing drift in the application of plant treatment agents containing at least glufosinate as agrochemical active substance,

wherein

R1 represents a straight-chain or branched alkyl group having 5 to 9 carbon atoms, and

r2 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms.

2. Use according to claim 1, characterized in that the plant treatment agent contains glufosinate in salt form and particularly preferably contains the ammonium salt of glufosinate.

3. Use according to at least one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the plant treatment agent contains at least one further agrochemical active substance in addition to glufosinate.

4. Use according to claim 3, characterized in that the further agrochemical active substance is a water-soluble salt of a pesticide, preferably a water-soluble salt of a herbicide.

5. Use according to claim 1, characterized in that the plant treatment agent used comprises glufosinate in combination with at least one water-soluble salt of dicamba, preferably in combination with dicamba diglycol ammonium, dimethylammonium, N-bis (3-aminopropyl) methylammonium, dimethylglucammonium and/or dicamba sodium salt.

6. Use according to at least one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the plant treatment agent contains

a) Glufosinate and optionally at least one further agrochemical active substance,

b) one or more N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I) according to claim 1,

c) one or more polyalkylene glycol ether sulfates and/or polyalkylene glycol ether sulfonates, very particularly preferably in the form of the ammonium, triethanolammonium, diethyleneglycol ammonium or potassium salt,

d) the amount of water is controlled by the amount of water,

e) optionally one or more co-solvents selected from di-or tri-hydric alcohols, and

f) optionally an additional surfactant.

7. Use according to at least one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the plant treatment agent is present in the form of a canned variant.

8. Use according to at least one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the plant treatment agent is present in the form of a spray liquor.

9. Method for reducing drift in the application of plant treatment agents, characterized in that an aqueous spray liquor containing one or more N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I) according to claim 1, at least glufosinate as agrochemical active substances and optionally further surfactants is sprayed onto the plants to be treated or the locus thereof, wherein the total surfactant content is from 0.001 to 0.30% by weight, based on the total amount of the aqueous spray liquor, and wherein the proportion of N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I) is from 50 to 100% by weight, based on the total amount of surfactants in the aqueous spray liquor.

10. A method according to claim 9, characterized in that the plant treatment agent contains components a), b), c) and d) according to claim 6 and optionally e) and/or f).

11. Process for the preparation of aqueous spray liquors having drift-reducing properties on application, characterized in that a concentrate which contains one or more N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I) according to claim 1, at least glufosinate as agrochemical active substances and optionally further surfactants is diluted with water to form an aqueous spray liquor, wherein the concentrate has a total surfactant content of from 0.1 to 30% by weight, based on the total amount of the concentrate, and the proportion of N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I) is from 50 to 100% by weight, based on the total amount of surfactants in the concentrate, and wherein the aqueous spray liquor has a total surfactant content of from 0.001 to 0.30% by weight, based on the total amount of aqueous spray liquor, and the proportion of N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I) is from 50 to 100% by weight, based on the total amount of surfactants in the aqueous spray liquor.

Technical Field

The invention relates to the use of specific N-alkylglucamides as drift-reducing components in plant treatment agents containing glufosinate (Glufosinate) or the use of specific N-alkylglucamides for reducing drift when applying the plant treatment agents and a method for reducing drift when applying the plant treatment agents.

Background

The plant protection agent is applied to the agricultural production field in a very efficient manner using spray buckets in aircraft, tractors or other equipment. In order to achieve the most precise possible positioning of the active substance, it is necessary to obtain a spray cone that is as narrow as possible and to avoid the spray drifting away from the target location.

The spray drift is substantially determined by the droplet size distribution. The smaller the droplet, the longer its residence time in air and the greater its tendency to evaporate and/or drift horizontally away and miss the target site. It is known from the literature that,<a150 μm fraction of fine Droplets (Teske et al, 2004, The Role of Small drops in classic drop Distributions, ILASS America 17^thAnnual Conference, Arlington VA), in particular<A fine droplet fraction of 100 μm (Vermeer et al, proc. isaa 2013, The use of adjvantedformations for drift control) determines The fraction of droplets in The spray that contributes to The drift effect. The reduction of the fraction of fine droplets in the spray is therefore critical for reducing the drift and is therefore used to determine the drift properties of the composition.

A significant minimization of the drift effect can be achieved by adding suitable "drift control agents" to the plant protection formulation which reduce the fine droplet fraction and thus increase the droplets in the spray. In addition, formulations modified with "drift control agents" must be insensitive to the shear forces to which they are subjected in the spray pump and nozzle. Good biodegradability, compatibility with other ingredients of the plant protection agents, and high storage stability and thermal stability are further requirements for "drift control agents". It is known that the rheology of aqueous reagents can be modified by the addition of water-soluble polymers, such as polyacrylamide, acrylamide/acrylic acid polymers, sodium polyacrylate, carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, polysaccharides, natural and synthetic guar gums (US4,413,087, US4,505,827, US5,874,096), which result in the movement of the droplet size spectrum towards larger droplets.

Molasses and organic Thickeners have also been described as effective agents for Drift Reduction (Pesticide Drift III; Drift Reduction with Spray scienders; Ware, G.W.et.; J.of Economic Entomology 63; 1314 + 1316; 1970). It is also known that specific emulsification (by mechanisms that are not fully understood) leads to a reduced fraction of fine droplets (Vermeer et al; Crop Protection 44; 2013; Spray dry review: The extension to white a formation can control to Spray dry reduction).

Although good results have been achieved with the known systems, there is still a need to find suitable "drift control agents" which are effective in increasing the droplet volume of the aqueous agent and in reducing the spray drift-off even under practical conditions, for technical, economic and ecological reasons.

Aqueous formulations of glufosinate-ammonium are known, for example, from EP-A-0048436, EP-A-0336151, EP-A-1093722 or WO 2007/147500A 1. In this case, alkyl ether sulfates are preferably used. C having 1 to 10 ethylene oxide units is used in commercially customary formulations₁₂To C₁₆Alkyl ether sulfates of alkyl chains act as adjuvants. These are suitable for enhancing the biological effect of glufosinate when applied to green parts of plants. The exact mechanism of action of the alkyl ether sulfates is not known here. The only reason for the improved suitability of alkyl ether sulfates for effect in the case of glufosinate is the combination of the advantageous properties of alkyl ether sulfates. Other adjuvants with comparable surfactant properties (e.g. spray adhesion or spreading on target plants), including all the adjuvants described for herbicides in "Compendium of Herbicide adjivants" (www.herbicide-adjivants. com,2014), result in weaker effects with the alkyl ether sulfates. Substances with solvent properties such as polyether glycols, glycerol, mineral oils, mineral oil concentrates, polymers, buffers and other substances also have no features of comparable effect. For commercial preparations (Bayer, EPA accession number 264- > 829) is a glycosylalkylpolyglycoside. However, it is not limited toThese are used only in combination with the above-mentioned alkyl ether sulfates to avoid the reduction of the effect of the phosphinothricin formulation.

Due to said type of C usually contained in commercial phosphinothricin formulations₁₂-C₁₆Alkyl ether sulfates and optionally additionally glycosylalkylpolyglycosides, which, after dilution with water, on application as a spray liquor, give rise to a high fine droplet fraction, which may be carried outside the area to be treated and may thus make the spraying less effective or even harmful to adjacent areas and crops.

It has now surprisingly been found that N-alkylglucamides are suitable as drift-reducing adjuvants in plant treatment agents containing glufosinate and, when the plant treatment agent is sprayed, effectively increase the droplet size by reducing the proportion of fine droplets in the spray.

N-alkylglucamides are known as surfactants for use in plant treatment agents.

WO 2016/050782A 1 describes aqueous adjuvant compositions of glufosinate and selected N-alkyl glucamides.

Aqueous adjuvant compositions are known from WO 2014/067663A 1, which contain selected N-alkylglucamides. The suitability of N-alkylglucamides for drift reduction is not mentioned in these documents.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention relates to the use of one or more N-alkylglucamides of formula (I) for reducing drift in the application of plant treatment agents containing at least glufosinate as agrochemical active substance,

wherein the content of the first and second substances,

r1 represents a straight-chain or branched alkyl group having 5 to 9 carbon atoms, and

r2 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms.

In the sense of the present invention, "drift" is understood to be the effect of forming small droplets which can be carried away from the area to be treated when the plant protection agent is sprayed, thus making the spray less effective or even harmful to adjacent areas and crops.

In addition to drift, smaller droplets tend to evaporate more strongly, which may lead to a reduced availability of active substance on the target area.

Within the scope of the present invention, "drift reduction" or "drift reduction" is preferably understood to mean the reduction of the drift with the application of a C having 1 to 10 ethylene oxide units in place of the N-alkylglucamide of the formula (I)₁₂To C₁₆Alkyl ether sulfates with alkyl chains, phosphinothricin-containing spray liquors (e.g. formulations) optionally in combination with glycosylpolyglycosidesBayer) in the spray of an phosphinothricin-containing spray liquor containing an N-alkylglucamide of the formula (I)<The proportion of fine droplets having a diameter of 105 μm is reduced, preferably by at least 10% and particularly preferably by at least 25%.

By "applying" a plant treatment agent is understood in the sense of the present invention the application of an aqueous spray liquor containing at least glufosinate as agrochemical active substance and optionally further agrochemical active substances to the plants to be treated or to the locus thereof.

It is preferred to use plant treatment agents containing glufosinate as agrochemical active substance. In this case, particular preference is given to using the agrochemically active substance glufosinate in the form of a water-soluble salt, in particular as an optionally substituted ammonium salt (e.g. as the ammonium salt, dimethylammonium salt, diethyleneglycol ammonium salt, N-bis (3-aminopropyl) methylammonium salt, dimethylglucammonium salt, isopropylammonium salt and triethylammonium salt) or choline salt, and very particular preference is given to using it as the glufosinate salt.

The plant treatment agent used according to the invention contains, in addition to one agrochemical active substance glufosinate, at least one further agrochemical active substance. Preference is given in this case to agrochemically active substances selected from the group consisting of: pesticides, plant hormones, preferably growth regulators, agents for biological pest control, fungicidal copper compounds and/or repellents.

If a water-soluble compound is mentioned in the present description, this compound is understood to be a compound which dissolves to at least 50g/L in water at 25 ℃.

Preferably, the glufosinate is used in combination with a further water-soluble agrochemical active substance. Particularly preferred further water-soluble agrochemical active substances are pesticides, especially water-soluble salts of pesticides, and very particularly preferably herbicides, especially water-soluble salts of herbicides.

In another preferred embodiment, the additional water-soluble pesticide is not a herbicide, but the insecticide is preferably selected from chloronicotinyls such as thiamethoxam, or growth regulators such as chlormequat chloride.

Particularly preferred water-soluble pesticides for use in combination with glufosinate are water-soluble herbicides and among these are preferred water-soluble salts of: acifluorfen, aminopyralid, dyclonil, asulam, benazolin, bentazone, bialaphos, bispyribac, bromoxynil, fluroxypyr, mefenpyr, clopyralid, 2,4-D, 2,4-DB, dicamba, 2, 4-dichlorprop, difenzoquat, diquat, endothal, fenoxaprop, dicamba, fluoroelenic acid, fluoroglycofen, fomesafen, glyphosate, imazapic, imazamox, imazethapyr, prometryn, imazapic, imazaquin, imazethapyr, MCPA, MCPB, 2 m 4 chloropropionic acid, caprylic acid, paraquat, pelargonic acid, picloram, quizalofop, 2,3,6-TBA, and triclopyr.

Water-soluble salts of other agrochemical active substances, in particular water-soluble salts of pesticides, in particular alkali metal salts and ammonium salts, and of these, potassium salts, ammonium salts, dimethylammonium salts, isopropylammonium salts, diethyleneglycol ammonium salts and (2-hydroxyethyl) -trimethylammonium salts are in turn preferred.

The precise chemical composition and structure of all these compounds are known and are referred to in the internet as follows: http:// www.alanwood.net/peptides/index _ cn _ frame.

Very particularly preferred plant treatment agents for use according to the invention are those in which glufosinate-ammonium is used in combination with at least one water-soluble salt of dicamba, preferably with dicamba diglycolamine, dimethylammonium, N-bis (3-aminopropyl) methylammonium, dimethylglucammonium and/or dicamba sodium salt.

With the alkylglucamides of the formula (I) described above, it is possible to prepare plant treatment agents, in particular aqueous herbicide formulations, which are used according to the invention and have excellent application-technical properties.

In the one or more alkylglucamides of formula (I), the group R1 preferably represents a linear or branched alkyl group having from 7 to 9 carbon atoms. The radical R2 preferably represents methyl.

Particularly preferably, the plant treatment agent used according to the invention comprises octanoyl-N-methylglucamide (R1 ═ C)₇-alkyl, R2 ═ methyl) and decanoyl-N-methylglucamide (R1 ═ C)₉-alkyl, R2 ═ methyl). The portion of octanoyl-N-methylglucamide in the mixture is from 10 to 90% by weight, preferably from 20 to 80% by weight and particularly preferably from 30 to 70% by weight, based on the total amount of N-alkylglucamides contained in the mixture. The fraction of decanoyl-N-methylglucamide in the mixture is from 10 to 90% by weight, preferably from 20 to 80% by weight and particularly preferably from 30 to 70% by weight, based on the total amount of alkylglucamides contained in the mixture.

The pentahydroxyhexyl residue in the N-alkylglucamides of formula (I) has various chiral centers so that each can exist in multiple stereoisomers. In general, the N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I) are prepared from naturally occurring sugars, such as D-glucose, but in principle it is also possible to use other natural or synthetic hexoses or other C₆-structural units, whereby different stereoisomers of formula (I) can be produced.

The N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I) are preferably based on renewable raw materials and are characterized by advantageous toxicological and economic properties. They have high solubility in water.

The preparation of N-alkylglucamides of the formulｃA (I) is fully described, for example, in EP-A-550,637 and is known to the person skilled in the art. It is carried out, for example, by condensation of carboxylic esters with secondary N-alkylglucamines, which in turn can be prepared by reductive amination from sugars such as D-glucose.

The N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I) are generally used in the form of solutions. For the sake of clarity, it should be mentioned here that the amounts given above are in this case based on the active content of the alkylglucamide of the formula (I) in solution.

For better handling, the N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I) are generally used in the form of aqueous solutions which contain from 10 to 90% by weight, more preferably from 20 to 80% by weight and particularly preferably from 30 to 70% by weight, of one or more N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I). Subject to the preparation process, these adjuvant compositions may additionally contain one or more co-solvents as a minor component. For the sake of clarity, it should be mentioned here that the amounts given above are in this case based on the active content of the N-alkylglucamide of the formula (I) in solution.

The plant treatment agent used according to the invention preferably contains one or more di-or trihydric alcohols as co-solvent. One or more co-solvents may be present as a minor component from the preparation of the N-alkyl glucamide and/or added to the composition afterwards. The one or more co-solvents are either di-or tri-alcohols alone or a mixture of two or more such alcohols.

In single-phase aqueous-organic solutions, completely or largely water-miscible dihydric or trihydric alcohols or alcohol mixtures are contemplated.

Suitable cosolvents are di-or trihydric alcohols, such as ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycerol or polyglycols, such as polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol or mixed polyalkylene glycols (PAGs), and very particular preference is given to glycerol, propylene glycol and dipropylene glycol.

The proportion of the cosolvent or cosolvents in the plant treatment agent used according to the invention in the form of a concentrate is generally up to 30% by weight, preferably from 1 to 25% by weight and particularly preferably from 2 to 20% by weight. In this case, the amounts given are based on the total weight of the composition. The amount of co-solvent may of course be reduced accordingly as a result of dilution prior to application.

It has surprisingly been found that the effectiveness of the drift reduction in the plant treatment agent used according to the invention is not impaired by the presence of polyalkylene glycol ether sulphates or by the presence of polyalkylene glycol ether sulphonates. This is in combination with a chain length C comprising an alkyl group having from 1 to 10 ethylene oxide units₁₂-C₁₆The plant treatment agent of alkyl ether sulfate of (1) is the opposite.

The present invention therefore preferably relates to the use of one or more N-alkyl glucamides of the formula (I) described above for reducing drift when applying a plant treatment agent containing:

a) at least glufosinate as agrochemical active substance and optionally at least one further agrochemical active substance,

b) one or more N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I) described above,

c) one or more polyalkylene glycol ether sulfates and/or polyalkylene glycol ether sulfonates,

d) the amount of water is controlled by the amount of water,

e) optionally one or more co-solvents selected from di-or tri-hydric alcohols, and

f) optionally an additional surfactant.

The components a), b) and e) of the plant treatment agent used according to the invention have already been described above.

Component c) of the plant treatment agent used according to the invention is a sulfated polyalkylene glycol. Surfactants of this type may contain one or more sulfate and/or sulfonate groups per molecule. Preferably, these surfactants contain one or more sulfate groups.

Particularly preferred surfactants of this type have the following structure:

(HO-(CH₂-CH₂-O-)_n(CH₂-CH(CH₃)-O)_m-CH₂-CH₂-O-SO₂-O^-)_q M^q+，

wherein the content of the first and second substances,

n and m independently represent an integer of 2 to 40,

q is 1 or 2, and

m is a monovalent or divalent cation.

Typically, the surfactant of component c) contains repeating structural units having from 2 to 4 carbon atoms, i.e. derived from ethylene oxide, propylene oxide and/or butylene oxide. Preferably, the surfactant of component c) contains ethylene oxide units and/or propylene oxide units. These may be present in the molecule in a randomly distributed manner or in the form of blocks.

Preferably, the surfactant of component c) contains an average of one sulfate group per molecule. The surfactants of component c) are usually present as mixtures of oligomers or mixtures of polymers having different degrees of polymerization or different molecular weights. Typical degrees of polymerization are in the range from 5 to 80, preferably from 5 to 60 and particularly preferably from 10 to 40 repeating units per molecule.

Particular preference is given to using compositions whose component c) contains ethylene oxide units, propylene oxide units and/or butylene oxide units, in particular ethylene oxide units and/or propylene oxide units.

Very particular preference is given to using compositions whose component c) contains blocks of ethylene oxide units and blocks of propylene oxide units.

The counter ion of one or more sulfate groups or one or more sulfonate groups of component c) can be chosen at will. Typically in this case monovalent to trivalent cations, and especially monovalent to divalent cations.

Preference is given to using components c) whose polyalkylene glycol ether sulfates are alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, sulfonium, triethylammonium, diethyleneglycol ammonium and/or ammonium salts, especially ammonium, triethylammonium, diethyleneglycol ammonium, sulfonium, sodium or potassium salts, and very particularly preferably ammonium, triethanolamine, diethyleneglycol ammonium or potassium salts.

As further surfactants (component f)), anionic, nonionic-, cationic-and/or zwitterionic surfactants are considered. Examples of such surfactants are listed below (where EO ═ ethylene oxide units, PO ═ propylene oxide units and BO ═ butylene oxide units, or the corresponding oxyalkylene units in the surfactant molecule, respectively for their preparation).

The surfactant of component f) may be a single surfactant or a mixture of two or more surfactants. The surfactants of component f) can generally be all nonionic, amphoteric, cationic or anionic surfactants compatible with the composition which are not surfactants of component b) or of component c).

Examples of nonionic surfactants are EO/PO block copolymers (EO: oxyethylene units; PO: oxypropylene units), alkoxylates, for example ethoxylates of long-chain aliphatic alcohols (for example linear or branched C₈To C₂₄Alcohol alkoxylates and in particular ethoxylates) or aromatic alcohol ethoxylates (e.g. alkylphenol alkoxylates such as alkylphenol ethoxylates, tristyrylphenol alkoxylates such as tristyrylphenol ethoxylate, and trissec-butylphenol ethoxylate), castor oil ethoxylates, esters of long-chain carboxylic acids with mono-or polyhydric alcohols and their ethoxylation products, optionally ethoxylated sorbitan esters, alkyl polyglycosides, fatty amine ethoxylates, long-chain ether amine alkoxylates and glucamides. Suitable amphoteric surfactants are, for example, long-chain alkyldimethyl betaines, alkyldimethylamine oxides or alkyldimethylamine amidopropylamine oxides. Suitable among anionic surfactants are, for example, ether sulfates of ethoxylated fatty alcohols, the reaction products of (optionally ethoxylated) long-chain alcohols with phosphoric acid derivatives, salts of dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid and sulfosuccinates. By "long chain" is understood a straight or branched hydrocarbon chain having at least 6 and at most 22 carbon atoms.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is the use of one or more N-alkyl glucamides of the formula (I) for reducing drift when applying plant treatment agents containing glufosinate as agrochemical active substance as pot-packaged variant. In the case of this embodiment, the N-alkylglucamide of the formula (I) together with the content of the plant treatment agent has been made into a concentrated formulation and applied as a spray liquor diluted with water.

The use according to the invention of one or more N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I) or of compositions comprising one or more N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I) is preferably carried out in the form of spray liquors with ready-to-use plant treatment agents containing glufosinate.

Conventional formulation forms of the plant treatment agents used according to the invention are, for example, water-Soluble Liquids (SL), Emulsion Concentrates (EC), emulsions in water (EW), suspension concentrates (SC, SE, FS, OD), water-dispersible granules (WG), Granules (GR) and capsule Concentrates (CS); these and further possible formulation types are described, for example, by Crop Life International end in Pesticide Specifications, Manual on definition and use of FAO and WHO Pesticide for pesticides, FAO Plant Production and Protection Papers-173, prepared by the FAO/WHO Joint testing on Pesticide Specifications, 2004, ISBN: 9251048576.

The plant treatment agent may optionally contain an adjuvant for improving the effect. An adjuvant in the present context is a component that improves the biological effect of the formulation, whereas the component itself does not have any biological effect. Examples of adjuvants are penetration enhancers, such as vegetable oils, for example rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, mineral oils, for example paraffin oil, alkyl esters of vegetable fatty acids, for example rapeseed oil methyl ester or soybean oil methyl ester, or alkanol alkoxylates and/or spreading agents, such as alkylsiloxanes and/or salts, for example organic or inorganic ammonium or phosphonium salts, for example ammonium sulphate or diammonium hydrogen phosphate and/or retention-promoting agents, such as dioctyl sulphosuccinate or hydroxypropyl guar polymers and/or wetting agents, such as glycerol and/or fertilisers, for example ammonium-, potassium-or phosphorus-containing fertilisers and/or agents, which promote adhesion to the leaf surface.

Optionally, the plant treatment agent used according to the invention may contain adjuvants, preferably in combination with the above-mentioned components. The auxiliaries may be, for example, extenders, solvents, spontaneous acceleratorsCarrier, emulsifier,Dispersants, antifreeze, biocides and/or thickeners.

The plant treatment agents used according to the invention are prepared in a known manner, for example by mixing the active substances with auxiliaries, such as extenders, solvents and/or solid carriers and/or further auxiliaries, such as surface-active substances. The preparation of the plant treatment agent in the form of a formulation is carried out in a suitable apparatus or before or during use.

As auxiliaries, those substances which are suitable for imparting particular properties, such as specific physical, technical and/or biological properties, to the formulations of the active substances or to the use forms prepared from these formulations (e.g. ready-to-use plant treatment agents, such as spray liquors) can be used.

Suitable as extenders are, for example, water, polar and nonpolar organic chemical liquids, as have already been described above.

Liquefied gaseous extenders or solvents may also be used. Particularly suitable are those extenders or carriers which are gaseous at ambient temperature and at atmospheric pressure, for example aerosol propellant gases such as halogenated hydrocarbons as well as butane, propane, nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

Examples of emulsifiers and/or agents which generate foam, dispersants or wetting agents which have ionic or nonionic properties or mixtures of these surface-active substances are salts of polyacrylic acids, of lignosulfonic acids, of phenolsulfonic acids or of naphthalenesulfonic acids, polycondensates of ethylene oxide with fatty alcohols or with fatty acids or with fatty amines, with substituted phenols (preferably alkylphenols or arylphenols), salts of sulfosuccinic esters, taurine derivatives (preferably alkyltaurates), phosphoric esters of polyethoxylated alcohols or phenols, fatty acid esters of polyhydric alcohols, and derivatives of compounds containing sulfate, sulfonate and phosphate groups, such as alkylaryl polyglycol ethers, alkylsulfonates, alkylsulfates, arylsulfonates, protein hydrolysates, lignosulfite waste liquors and methylcellulose. The presence of a surface-active substance is advantageous when one of the active substances and/or one of the inert carriers is insoluble in water and when used in water.

As further auxiliaries, colorants such as inorganic pigments, for example iron oxide, titanium dioxide, prussian blue, and organic dyes such as alizarin dyes, azo dyes and metal phthalocyanine dyes, and also nutrients and micronutrients such as salts of iron, manganese, boron, copper, cobalt, molybdenum and zinc, may be present in the formulations and the use forms derived therefrom.

Stabilizers, such as low-temperature stabilizers, preservatives, antioxidants, light stabilizers or other agents which improve the chemical and/or physical stability, may furthermore be present. In addition, agents which generate foam or antifoams may be present.

In addition, the preparations or the use forms derived therefrom can also contain, as further auxiliaries, binders such as carboxymethylcellulose, natural and synthetic polymers in powder, granule or emulsion form, such as gum arabic, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetate, and also natural phospholipids, such as cephalins and lecithins and synthetic phospholipids. Further auxiliaries may be mineral oils and vegetable oils.

Optionally, further auxiliaries may also be present in the formulations and the use forms derived therefrom. Such additives are, for example, fragrances, protective colloids, binders, adhesives, thickeners, thixotropic agents, penetration enhancers, retention enhancers, stabilizers, chelating agents, complexing agents, wetting agents, spreading agents.

In general, the agrochemical substance may be combined with any solid or liquid additive conventionally used for formulation purposes.

As retention promoters, all those which reduce the dynamic surface tension, such as dioctyl sulfosuccinate, or all those which increase the viscoelasticity, such as hydroxypropyl guar polymers, are considered.

As penetration enhancers, all those substances which are generally used to improve the penetration of agrochemical substances into plants are considered here.

Penetration enhancers are defined herein as penetration enhancers which penetrate into the cuticle of the plant from the (usually aqueous) application liquid and/or from the sprayed layer and can thus increase the substance mobility (mobility) of the active substance into the cuticle. Methods described in the literature (Baur et al, 1997, Pesticide Science 51, 131-. Mention may be made by way of example of alcohol alkoxylates, such as coconut fatty ethoxylate (10) or isotridecyl ethoxylate (12), fatty acid esters, such as rapeseed oil methyl ester or soybean oil methyl ester, fatty amine alkoxylates, such as tallow amine ethoxylate (15), or ammonium and/or phosphonium salts, such as ammonium sulfate or diammonium phosphate.

The preparation of the plant treatment agents to be used according to the invention may take different routes, depending on the type of formulation, which are well known to the person skilled in the art. The preparation can be carried out, for example, by mixing the N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I) with one or more agrochemicals and optionally with auxiliaries. The order in which the components are mixed with one another is arbitrary. Conventional equipment for the preparation of agrochemical formulations is considered in the preparation.

In the case of the use according to the invention, the plant treatment agent is typically dispensed in the form of a spray liquor. In this case, the spray is preferably prepared by diluting the concentrate formulation with a certain amount of water.

It has furthermore been found that, in order to achieve a satisfactory offset reduction, a selected amount of N-alkylglucamide of the formula (I) and optionally additionally a surfactant must be present in the aqueous spray liquor. If the proportion of N-alkylglucamide of the formula (I) and optionally additionally present surfactants is too high, an excessively high proportion of fine droplets is formed, which adversely affects the drift reduction effect. On the other hand, if the proportion of N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I) and optionally additionally present surfactants is too low, the effect on the reduction of the surface tension in the spray liquor is too low, which adversely affects the wetting, retention and bioavailability of the plants.

It has been found that the effect of the drift reduction in aqueous spray liquors is particularly pronounced when the total surfactant content is from 0.001 to 0.3% by weight, based on the total amount of spray liquor, the proportion of N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I) making up from 50 to 100% by weight, based on the total amount of surfactant in the spray liquor.

The surfactant component is often used in the form of a dispersion or solution in water. The percentages of the total surfactant content in the present description are based on 100% active content, unless otherwise indicated.

For the preparation of such spray liquors, preference can be given to using concentrates having a total surfactant content of from 0.1 to 30% by weight, based on the total amount of concentrate, the proportion of N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I) making up from 50 to 100% by weight, based on the total amount of surfactants in the concentrate.

The invention therefore also relates to a method for reducing drift when applying a plant treatment agent, characterized in that an aqueous spray liquor containing one or more N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I), at least glufosinate as agrochemical active substances and optionally further surfactants is sprayed onto the plants to be treated or the locus thereof, wherein the total surfactant content, based on the total amount of the aqueous spray liquor, is from 0.001 to 0.30% by weight, preferably from 0.01 to 0.25% by weight, and wherein the proportion of N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I) makes up from 50 to 100% by weight, based on the total amount of surfactants in the aqueous spray liquor.

The invention furthermore relates to a process for preparing an aqueous spray liquor having drift-reducing properties on application, characterized in that a concentrate containing one or more N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I), at least glufosinate as agrochemical active substances and optionally further surfactants is diluted with water to form the aqueous spray liquor, wherein the total surfactant content of the concentrate, based on the total amount of the concentrate, is from 0.1 to 30% by weight, preferably from 1 to 25% by weight, the proportion of the N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I) making up from 50 to 100% by weight, based on the total amount of surfactants in the concentrate, and wherein the total surfactant content of the aqueous spray liquor, based on the total amount of the aqueous spray liquor, is from 0.001 to 0.30% by weight, preferably from 0.01 to 0.25% by weight, and wherein the total surfactant content in the aqueous spray liquor, the proportion of N-alkylglucamides of the formula (I) is from 50 to 100% by weight.

Preferably, the compositions used according to the invention in the form of concentrates contain from 1 to 40% by weight, preferably from 10 to 35% by weight, in particular from 15 to 30% by weight, of the agrochemically active substance glufosinate. In this case, the amounts given are based on the total weight of the composition. The amount of glufosinate and optionally further agrochemical active substances used therefore can of course be reduced accordingly by dilution before application.

Preferably, the compositions used according to the invention in the form of concentrates contain from 1 to 40% by weight, particularly preferably from 2 to 30% by weight, particularly preferably from 5 to 20% by weight, of one or more further agrochemical active substances. In this case, the amounts given are based on the total weight of the composition. The amount of the additional agrochemical active substance can of course be correspondingly reduced by dilution before application.

Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for reducing drift when applying a plant treatment agent and containing the above-mentioned components a), b), c) and d) and optionally e) and/or f), characterized in that the plant treatment agent in the form of an aqueous spray liquor is sprayed onto the plants to be treated or the locus thereof.

The content of agrochemical active substances in the plant treatment agents used according to the invention can vary within wide limits. The concentration of the agrochemical active substance in the use form, in particular in the spray liquor, can generally be from 0.000001 to 10% by weight of agrochemical active substance, preferably from 0.00001 to 5% by weight of agrochemical active substance, particularly preferably from 0.0001 to 1% by weight of agrochemical active substance and particularly preferably from 0.001 to 1% by weight of agrochemical active substance, based on the weight of the use form, in particular based on the weight of the spray liquor. Use is made in a conventional manner adapted to the form of use.

Examples

The invention is illustrated below with the aid of examples, which are, however, not to be construed as limiting in any way.

Percentages given hereinafter are weight percentages (wt.%), if not explicitly stated otherwise.

The raw materials used are: