Package-mix agricultural chemical compositions having improved stability

Abstract

A concentrate package-mix composition comprising a water-soluble pesticide or plant growth regulator, for example a salt of the herbicide glyphosate, and a solid water-insoluble pesticide or plant growth regulator, for example the herbicide flumioxazin, is provided. The water-soluble pesticide or plant growth regulator is dissolved in a continuous aqueous phase of the composition and solid particles of the water-insoluble pesticide or plant growth regulator are suspended in the aqueous phase. These solid particles, individually or plurally, are intimately surrounded by a barrier layer, which comprises either one or both of a water-immiscible organic solvent or an emulsifying agent that has a hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) not greater than about 15. Optionally the composition further comprises a viscosity modifying agent, such as colloidal hydrophilic silica, dispersed in the aqueous phase. Compositions of the invention exhibit enhanced resistance to settling of the solid particles and / or enhanced resistance to chemical degradation of the water-insoluble pesticide or plant growth regulator by comparison with otherwise similar compositions lacking the barrier layer or the organic solvent.

Description

field of invention [0001] This invention relates to pesticide and / or plant growth regulator compositions for use in agriculture and related industries. More particularly, the present invention relates to liquid high concentration compositions containing at least two active ingredients. One of the active ingredients is water soluble and the other is substantially water insoluble. The liquid high-concentration composition is suitable for application to plants or soil after being diluted with water. Active ingredients that may be formulated into compositions of the present invention include pesticides such as herbicides, algicides, fungicides, bactericides, viricides, insecticides, acaricides, nematicides and molluscicides , and plant growth regulators. Background of the invention [0002] For various purposes in agriculture and related industries, it is often desirable to simultaneously apply two or more biologically active compounds, each of which is...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, if this mixture composition is provided in liquid form, then two problems have to be overcome

[0018] The first problem is that suspensions of flufenazil microparticles in aqueous solutions of glyphosate salts are physically unstable, and in particular such suspensions have a tendency to settle due to the high specific gravity (20 °C is 1.51)

[0019] The second issue is that flufenazim has been found to chemically degrade when exposed to high concentrations of saline solutions such as phosphine salt for prolonged periods of time

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