Pest control composition

Abstract

The pest control composition contains humic acid having a phenolic group concentration of 0.19 to 1.30 mmol per gram of humic acid, Bacillus thuringiensis, and water.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a pest control composition, and specifically to a pest control composition containing Bacillus thuringiensis.

Background Art

[0002] Pest control agents are used to control pests such as insects. The effectiveness of pest control agents can be affected by many factors. Industrially, there is still a focus on providing new and improved pest control compositions.

Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to a first feature of the present disclosure, the pest control composition comprises humic acid having a phenol group concentration of 0.19 to 1.30 mmol per gram of humic acid, Bacillus thuringiensis, and water. According to a second feature of the present disclosure, the humic acid is 0.1% to 5.0% by weight of the pest control composition based on the total weight of the combination of humic acid, Bacillus thuringiensis, and water. According to a third feature of the present disclosure, the water is 25.00% to 99.89% by weight of the composition based on the total weight of the combination of humic acid, Bacillus thuringiensis, and water. According to a fourth feature of the present disclosure, the humic acid has a phenol group concentration of 0.375 to 1.26 mmol per gram of humic acid.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0004] As used herein, the term "and / or" when used in a listing of two or more items means that any one of the listed items can be used by itself or any combination of two or more of the listed items can be used. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B, and / or C, the composition can contain A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B in combination, A and C in combination, B and C in combination, or A, B, and C in combination.

[0005] Unless otherwise indicated, all ranges include the endpoints. Subscripted values in polymer formulas refer to the molar average value of the specified component in the polymer.

[0006] Test methods refer to the latest test method at the priority date of this document unless the date is indicated by a two-digit number with a hyphen in the test method number. References to test methods include both a reference to the test society and the test method number. Test method organizations are referred to by one of the following abbreviations: ASTM refers to ASTM International (formerly American Society for Testing and Materials), EN refers to European Norm, DIN refers to Deutsches Institut fur Normung, and ISO refers to International Organization for Standards.

[0007] As used herein, "weight %" or "percent by weight" or "weight percent" of a component is based on the total weight of the composition or article in which the component is included, unless otherwise indicated to the contrary. As used herein, all percentages are by weight unless otherwise specified.

[0008] Pest control compositions and methods are disclosed herein. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide that the pest control compositions and methods include fulvic acid, Bacillus thuringiensis, and water.

[0009] The pest control compositions disclosed herein can be applied to plants, such as the surfaces of plants, to control pests. Advantageously, the pest control compositions disclosed herein can provide improved, i.e., higher, residual bacterial survival rates after exposure to light, such as sunlight, compared to other formulations. In other words, the pest control compositions disclosed herein can provide improved UV stability compared to other formulations. This improved residual bacterial survival rate can help provide that the pest control compositions disclosed herein can provide superior pest control compared to other formulations that have a relatively low residual bacterial survival rate after exposure to light. Surprisingly, using fulvic acid having a phenolic group concentration of 0.19 to 1.30 millimoles per gram of fulvic acid provides improved residual bacterial survival rates after exposure to light compared to other formulations containing fulvic acid having a lower phenolic group concentration.

[0010] The pest control compositions disclosed herein include fulvic acid having a phenolic group concentration of 0.19 to 1.30 millimoles per gram of fulvic acid. As used herein, "phenolic group" refers to an aromatic hydrocarbon group directly bonded to one or more hydroxyl groups. Fulvic acid is an acidic organic polymer that can be extracted from humus soil, sediment, or an aquatic environment found in soil. Fulvic acid is identified by the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) number 1415-93-6. Fulvic acid is commercially available from various suppliers. Examples of commercially available fulvic acid include, but are not limited to, products available from Sigma-Aldrich or Fisher Scientific.

[0011] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure provide that humic acid can be a solid incorporated, for example, into the pest control compositions disclosed herein. One or more embodiments of the present disclosure provide that humic acid can be a mixture incorporated into the pest control compositions disclosed herein, for example, a mixture of humic acid and a liquid such as water. One or more embodiments of the present disclosure provide that humic acid can be a solution incorporated into the pest control compositions disclosed herein, for example, a solution of humic acid in a liquid such as water. Combinations of solids, mixtures, and solutions may be utilized. Humic acid can have various pH values for various applications.

[0012] One or more embodiments provide that the humic acid is treated humic acid. As used herein, "treated humic acid" refers to humic acid that has undergone a chemical procedure for extracting humic acid from humus, for example, soil organic matter.

[0013] The various chemical procedures utilized to extract humic acid can provide different compositional configurations of the extracted humic acid. The extraction procedure can be varied to obtain a desired composition, for example, a specific phenol group concentration. However, as disclosed herein, surprisingly, a correlation was found between the compositional configuration of humic acid and the technical effect of providing improved residual bacterial survival rate after exposure to light. Surprisingly, it has been found that humic acid having a phenol group concentration of 0.19 to 1.30 millimoles per gram of humic acid provides improved residual bacterial survival rate after exposure to light, while other humic acids having a phenol group content of less than 0.19 millimoles per gram of humic acid, for example, are not effective in providing improved residual bacterial survival rate after exposure to light. One or more embodiments provide that the pest control composition can include fulvic acid and / or other humic components that can result, for example, from humic acid extraction procedures.

[0014] One or more embodiments provide that the humic acid is water-soluble or water-dispersible. The process utilized to provide a water-dispersible or water-soluble humic acid can reduce the phenolic group concentration of the humic acid.

[0015] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure include determining the phenolic group concentration of the humic acid. The phenolic group concentration of the humic acid can be determined using known apparatus and processes. For example, the phenolic group concentration of the humic acid can be determined by absorbance analysis. As an example, the humic acid to be analyzed is added to an assay solution, for example, reducing one of the assay components, and then complexing the reduced component with another component present in the assay solution to obtain a colored complex, whereby a colored complex can be obtained. The colored complex can then be utilized for absorbance analysis. Humic acid determined to have a phenolic group concentration of 0.19 to 1.30 millimoles per gram of humic acid can be utilized in the embodiments disclosed herein. The humic acid can have a phenolic group concentration of 0.10 millimoles per gram of humic acid to 1.50 millimoles per gram of humic acid determined according to the procedures described in the Examples section below. For example, the humic acid can have a phenolic group concentration of 0.10 or more, or 0.20 or more, 0.30 or more, or 0.40 or more, or 0.50 or more, or 0.60 or more, or 0.70 or more, or 0.80 or more, or 0.90 or more, or 1.00 or more, or 1.10 or more, or 1.20 or more, or 1.30 or more, or 1.40 or more milligrams per gram of humic acid, while at the same time, 1.50 or less, or 1.40 or less, or 1.30 or less, or 1.20 or less, or 1.10 or less, or 1.00 or less, or 0.90 or less, or 0.80 or less, or 0.70 or less, or 0.60 or less, or 0.50 or less, or 0.40 or less, or 0.30 or less, or 0.20 or less.

[0016] The determination of the phenolic group concentration of humic acid and / or other analytical methods as described above are used to determine the phenolic content of humic acid and can subsequently be used to provide a chemical procedure to obtain humic acid having a desired phenolic content concentration, i.e., 0.19 to 1.30 millimoles per gram of humic acid. One or more embodiments provide that one or more components can be excluded from the extraction. For example, phenolic blocking agents, cross-linking agents, and oxidizing agents can be excluded from the extraction medium. Many components and / or conditions may be preferred for extraction. For example, reducing agents for quinones, chemical reagents, and high temperatures for cleaving phenolic ethers can be utilized for extraction. Further, the extraction medium composition can be designed to include a solvent mixture that is more partitioned to the phenolic compound.

[0017] The pest control composition disclosed herein includes Bacillus thuringiensis. As defined herein, "Bacillus thuringiensis" is spores and / or crystallized proteins of the species Bacillus thuringiensis and includes all Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies that exhibit insecticidal properties. Examples of such subspecies include kurstaki, israelensis, and aizawa. Bacillus thuringiensis can be added to an insecticidal formulation as part of a solid or liquid formulation. The presence and subspecies of Bacillus thuringiensis are determined by random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis. A commercially available liquid formulation of Bacillus thuringiensis is the THURICIDE™ insecticide marketed by CERTIS USA (Columbia, Maryland).

[0018] A greater residual bacterial survival rate after exposure to light can, compared to other formulations, desirably provide improved pest control.

[0019] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure define that the pest control composition disclosed herein can include additives. Examples of additives include, inter alia, viscosity modifiers, pH adjusters, herbicides, fungicides, and combinations thereof. Different amounts of additives can be utilized for various applications.

[0020] The pest control composition disclosed herein may contain 0.1% to 50.0% by weight of humic acid based on the total weight of the combination of humic acid, Bacillus thuringiensis, and water. For example, the control composition may contain 0.1% by weight or more, or 0.2% by weight or more, or 0.4% by weight or more, or 0.6% by weight or more, or 0.8% by weight or more, or 1.0% by weight or more, or 1.2% by weight or more, or 1.4% by weight or more, or 1.6% by weight or more, or 1.8% by weight or more, or 2.0% by weight or more, or 2.2% by weight or more, or 2.4% by weight or more, or 2.6% by weight or more, or 2.8% by weight or more, or 3.0% by weight or more, or 3.2% by weight or more, or 3.4% by weight or more, or 3.6% by weight or more, or 3.8% by weight or more, or 4.0% by weight or more, or 4.2% by weight or more, or 4.4% by weight or more, or 4.6% by weight or more, or 4.8% by weight or more, or 5.0% by weight or more, or 10% by weight or more, or 20% by weight or more, or 30% by weight or more, or 40% by weight or more. On the other hand, at the same time, it may contain 50% by weight or less, or 40% by weight or less, or 30% by weight or less, or 20% by weight or less, or 10% by weight or less, or 5% by weight or less, or 4.8% by weight or less, or 4.6% by weight or less, or 4.4% by weight or less, or 4.2% by weight or less, or 4.0% by weight or less, or 3.8% by weight or less, or 3.6% by weight or less, or 3.4% by weight or less, or 3.2% by weight or less, or 3.0% by weight or less, or 2.8% by weight or less, or 2.6% by weight or less, or 2.4% by weight or less, or 2.2% by weight or less, or 2.0% by weight or less, or 1.8% by weight or less, or 1.6% by weight or less, or 1.4% by weight or less, or 1.2% by weight or less, or 1.0% by weight or less, or 0.8% by weight or less, or 0.6% by weight or less, or 0.4% by weight or less, or 0.2% by weight or less of humic acid.

[0021] The pest control composition disclosed in this specification can contain 0.01% to 25.00% by weight of Bacillus thuringiensis based on the total weight of the combination of fulvic acid, Bacillus thuringiensis, and water. All individual values and sub-ranges from 0.01% to 25.00% by weight are included. For example, the pest control composition can contain from a lower limit of 0.01%, 0.03%, 0.05%, 0.08%, or 1.00% by weight to an upper limit of 25.00%, 15.00%, 10.00%, 5.00%, or 4.50% by weight of Bacillus thuringiensis based on the total weight of the combination of fulvic acid, Bacillus thuringiensis, and water.

[0022] The pest control composition disclosed in this specification can contain 25.00% to 99.89% by weight of water based on the total weight of the combination of fulvic acid, Bacillus thuringiensis, and water. All individual values and sub-ranges from 25.00% to 99.89% by weight are included. For example, the pest control composition can contain from a lower limit of 25.00%, 50.00%, 65.00%, 75.00%, or 80.5% by weight to an upper limit of 99.89%, 99.47%, 98.95%, 96.92%, or 94.00% by weight of water based on the total weight of the combination of fulvic acid, Bacillus thuringiensis, and water.

[0023] The pest control composition disclosed in this specification can be formed using known devices and processes. The components of the pest control composition can be combined, for example, mixed, to form the pest control composition. For example, the components of the pest control composition can be added to a container and stirred therein. The components of the pest control composition can be combined in any order.

[0024] The pest control composition disclosed in this specification can be applied to plants, for example, the surface of plants, to control pests. The pest control composition may be applied to plants using known devices and methods. For example, the pest control composition may be sprayed, scattered, and / or poured onto plants, among other applications. For various applications, various amounts of the pest control composition can be applied to plants.

[0025] The pest control composition may be applied to plants using known devices and methods. For example, the pest control composition may be sprayed, scattered, and / or poured onto plants, among other applications. For various applications, various amounts of the pest control composition can be applied to plants.

[0026] The components of the pest control composition can be combined in any order. For example, humic acid may be combined with Bacillus thuringiensis, and then the combination of humic acid and Bacillus thuringiensis may be combined with water. Humic acid may be combined with water, and then the combination of humic acid and water may be combined with Bacillus thuringiensis. Bacillus thuringiensis may be combined with water, and then the combination of Bacillus thuringiensis and water may be combined with humic acid. Humic acid, Bacillus thuringiensis, and water may be combined simultaneously.

[0027] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method for pest control. The method can include applying a pest control composition to a plant, for example, the surface of the plant, to control pests. The method can include applying to the plant a pest control composition comprising humic acid, Bacillus thuringiensis, and water. As described above, advantageously, the pest control composition disclosed in this specification can provide an improved, i.e., higher residual bacterial survival rate, after exposure to light, for example, sunlight, compared to other formulations.

Examples

[0028] In the examples, for instance, various terms and names related to materials are used, including the following.

[0029] Humic acid - 1 (humic acid, solution with 5.2 wt% solids, pH 9.2), Humic acid - 2 (humic acid, solution with 4.8 wt% solids, pH 5.4), Humic acid - 3 (humic acid, solution with 6.0 wt% solids, pH 8.8), Humic acid - 4 (humic acid, solid, pH 9.1, measured with a 2.5 wt% Humic acid - 4 solution), Humic acid - 5 (humic acid, solid, pH 9.3, measured with a 2.5 wt% Humic acid - 4 solution), Humic acid - 6 (humic acid, solution with 5.6 wt% solids, pH 8.5), Humic acid - 7 (humic acid, solution with 4.4 wt% solids, pH 8.6), Humic acid - 8 (humic acid, solution with 0.6 wt% solids, pH 8.2), THURICIDE™ Bacillus thuringiensis formulation (pesticide, liquid, Bacillus thuringiensis, manufactured by CERTIS).

[0030] The humic acid - polyol blend was formed as follows. Humic acid (48.6 grams, solid humic acid obtained from SIGMA - ALDRICH™) and approximately 10 wt% potassium hydroxide were heated to 150 °C in a Parr reactor. Ethylene oxide (888.2 grams) was heated and added to the reactor contents at an addition rate of approximately 0.5 - 1.0 g / min, during which the reactor pressure increased. The addition of ethylene oxide was started and stopped several times during the addition. After adding approximately 115 g of ethylene oxide, the reactor pressure decreased significantly along with the corresponding heat output. Cooling water was increased to maintain the temperature. While minimizing the pressure rise in the reactor, the addition rate was increased over time to approximately 4 g / min. After adding approximately 494 g of ethylene oxide, the addition rate was decreased to 1 g / min for the remaining addition. When the addition of ethylene oxide was complete, the reactor contents were cooled to 80 °C, the reactor was vented, and purged with nitrogen. The bottom valve of the reactor was opened, 53.7 g of black liquid was collected and discarded, and the bottom valve was closed. The remaining reactor contents solidified upon cooling. 530 mL of deionized water was added to the reactor contents to obtain the humic acid - polyol blend. 1361.8 g of the humic acid - polyol blend was removed from the reactor.

[0031] The method for forming the pest control composition of Example 1 was carried out as follows. The measurement of the phenol group concentration per gram of humic acid was performed as follows. After measuring the concentration, humic acid having a phenol group concentration of 0.19 to 1.30 mmol per gram of humic acid was combined with a pest control agent to form a pest control composition. A humic acid solution (0.1 wt% humic acid) was prepared by combining each of humic acid-1, humic acid-2, humic acid-3, humic acid-4, humic acid-5, humic acid-6, humic acid-7, humic acid-8, humic acid-polyol blend and water, respectively. An aliquot of each humic acid solution was combined with an assay solution. The assay solution contained a 4 wt% copper(II) sulfate solution (excess Cu 2+ salt, CAS 7758-99-8; purchased from THERMO FISHER (trademark), product number 23224), and bicinchoninic acid (CAS 1245-13-2, obtained from MILLIPORE SIGMA (trademark), product number B9643). The phenol group reduced Cu 2+ to Cu+ and formed a purple complex with bicinchoninic acid. The concentration of the formed complex was determined colorimetrically by measuring the absorbance using a VARIAN CARY (trademark) 50 UV-Vis spectrophotometer at 562 nm. From the concentration of Cu+-BCA, the phenol group concentration in the humic acid was determined using hydroquinone as a calibration standard. It is a linear calibration curve showing the absorbance of hydroquinone plotted on the y-axis and the nanomoles of phenol groups on the x-axis, y = 0.0104x, and R squared = 0.9989. The phenol group concentration was determined as nanomoles of phenol in the aliquot and converted to millimoles per gram of humic acid using the dilution factor and the mass of humic acid. The results are reported in Table 1.

[0032] The pest control composition of Example 2 was formed as follows. A humic acid-1 solution (0.28 mL, 2.5 wt% humic acid in water) and a THURICID™ Bacillus thuringiensis formulation (9.72 mL, 7.35 wt% Bacillus thuringiensis) were added to a container and mixed with a magnetic stir bar to obtain Example 2.

[0033] The pest control composition of Example 3 was formed in the same manner as Example 2, except that humic acid-2 (0.28 mL, 2.5 wt% humic acid in water) was used instead of humic acid-1.

[0034] The pest control composition of Example 4 was formed in the same manner as Example 2, except that humic acid-3 (0.28 mL, 2.5 wt% humic acid in water) was used instead of humic acid-1.

[0035] The pest control composition of Example 5 was formed in the same manner as Example 2, except that humic acid-4 (0.28 mL, 2.5 wt% humic acid in water) was used instead of humic acid-1.

[0036] The pest control composition of Example 6 was formed in the same manner as Example 2, except that humic acid-5 (0.28 mL, 2.5 wt% humic acid in water) was used instead of humic acid-1.

[0037] Comparative Example A was formed in the same manner as Example 2, except that humic acid-6 (0.28 mL, 2.5 wt% humic acid in water) was used instead of humic acid-1.

[0038] Comparative Example B was formed in the same manner as Example 2, except that humic acid-7 (0.28 mL, 2.5 wt% humic acid in water) was used instead of humic acid-1.

[0039] Comparative Example C was formed in the same manner as Example 2, except that humic acid-8 (0.28 mL, 2.5 wt% humic acid in water) was used instead of humic acid-1.

[0040] Comparative Example D was formed in the same manner as Example 2, except that a humic acid-polyol blend (0.28 mL, 2.5 wt% humic acid in water) was used instead of humic acid-1.

[0041] Comparative Example E was formed in the same manner as Example 2, except that humic acid-1 was not used.

[0042] The residual bacterial survival rates before and after light exposure for Examples 2-6 and Comparative Examples A-E were determined as follows.

[0043] Approximately 3 g of Examples 2-6 and Comparative Examples A-E were used for each sample. The materials were spread on each plastic Petri dish and dried for about 1 hour. The samples were exposed to light at 35 milliwatts / cm 2 for 2 hours. For extraction, each sample was placed in a 1 wt% solution of TWEEN® 20 solution and incubated for about 12 hours. For plating, the samples were diluted to the desired starting concentration using a 0.1 wt% solution of TWEEN® 20, then serially diluted at appropriate concentrations and plated uniformly with 10 μL droplets. The plates were then held in an incubator at 30 °C for about 12 hours. The number of colonies before and after light exposure was counted to determine the residual bacterial survival rate after light exposure. The results are reported in Table 1.

[0044]

Table 1

[0045] The data in Table 1 show that each of Examples 2-6 had an improved residual bacterial survival rate after light exposure compared to each of Comparative Examples A-E.

Claims

Claim 1 A pest control composition comprising: humic acid having a phenol group concentration of 0.19 to 1.30 mmol per gram of the humic acid, Bacillus thuringiensis, water, and being a pest control composition. Claim 2 The pest control composition according to claim 1, wherein the humic acid is 0.1% to 5.0% by weight of the pest control composition based on the total weight of the combination of the humic acid, the Bacillus thuringiensis, and the water. Claim 3 The pest control composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the water is 25.00% to 99.89% by weight of the composition based on the total weight of the combination of the humic acid, the Bacillus thuringiensis, and the water. Claim 4 The pest control composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the humic acid has a phenol group concentration of 0.375 to 1.26 mmol per gram of the humic acid.

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