Formulations of clomazone

Abstract

New formulations of clomazone are provided, as well as new methods for making formulations of clomazone. The new formulations provide improved efficacy, decreased volatility, and / or increased loading of clomazone over the clomazone formulations in the prior art.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority to, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61 / 676,588 filed Aug. Jul. 27, 2012, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61 / 681,693 filed Aug. 10, 2012, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61 / 683,465 filed Aug. 15, 2012, the contents of which are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety.FIELD OF THE DISCLOSED SUBJECT MATTER[0002]The present invention relates to the field of agrochemical compositions and formulations.DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART[0003]Clomazone, the common name for 2-(2-chlorophenyl)methyl-4,4-dimethyl-3-isoxazolidinone, is an active ingredient in highly effective herbicides that are selective against perennial weeds, including grasses and broadleaves. Clomazone works by inhibiting the biosynthesis of carotenoids in the plant; a plant affected by clomazone exhibits progressive whitening with increased dosage.[0004]Herbicides containing clomazone are applied to the so...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013]The present invention provides methods and materials for making compositions containing encapsulated clomazone with improved efficacy and stability, decreased volatility compared to commercially available encapsulated formulations of clomazone, and / or increased loading levels.

Problems solved by technology

When it is applied to soil in a target area, under certain conditions clomazone may migrate or diffuse to adjacent areas causing whitening or bleaching of beneficial plants near treated fields.

While this whitening and bleaching on non-targeted plants, indicative of the mode of action of clomazone, may be temporary when plants are exposed to sufficiently low concentrations, it is unwelcome, even when it does not result in the destruction of the plant.

However, existing microencapsulated formulations of clomazone are limited in the clomazone concentration they can achieve, and in the ability to create formulations in which other active ingredients are microencapsulated with the clomazone.

However, some agricultural agents are incompatible with clomazone and have not yet been able to be co-encapsulated with clomazone.

In addition, capsule suspension formulations in which clomazone microcapsules are combined with other agricultural agents are often chemically or physically unstable.

Moreover, a significant portion of the weight of commercially available suspensions of clomazone microcapsules is due to inactive ingredients.

The high level of inert ingredients present in commercially available herbicides adds to the volume and weight of the herbicides, resulting in additional production costs, packaging costs, transportation costs, storage costs, handling costs, and other costs associated with making, transporting, storing, and using the herbicide.

Additional drawbacks to liquid formulations include the difficulty of maintaining the stability of the formulations when stored in cold or hot climates.

Another problem with the use of clomazone either as an aqueous solution, such as Command® 4EC, or as an aqueous suspension of microencapsulated clomazone, such as Command® 3ME, is the difficulty associated with accidental spills.

Cleaning up a spill of a liquid generates lots of waste material.

However, no ranges are given in the patent for the amount or amounts of such adjuvants utilized in the process.

Problematically, techniques of this type are not suitable for producing water-dispersible granules or agglomerated compositions of pesticidal microcapsules having relatively small particle size and relatively thin walls.

Furthermore, no efficacy or volatility data for the formulations was presented.