Emulsifiable agrochemical concentrates (ECS) for low water volume application

Abstract

The present invention relates to an emulsifiable concentrate composition formulated for agricultural application, the composition comprising: A. one or more agrochemically active ingredients in an amount of at least 5 % w / w, based on the total composition, and B. a carrier comprising one or more solvents where the water solubility of the carrier is in the range of from 1.9 g / L to 90 g / L; and C. one or more non-ionic and / or anionic surfactants, and wherein at least one of the one or more agrochemically active ingredients has a water solubility of less than 20 mg / L, in particular of less than 10 mg / L.

Description

[0001] 109898-FF (83144)

[0002] Emulsifiable Agrochemical Concentrates (ECs) for low water volume application

[0003] Field of the Invention

[0004] The present invention relates generally to compositions for agricultural applications, and more specifically, to compositions for application after dilution in a low volume of water.

[0005] Background of the Invention

[0006] Commonly developed formulation types of agrochemicals include suspension concentrate (SC), water- dispersible granules (WDG), flowable concentrate for seed coating (FS), granules (GR), and emulsifiable concentrate (EC). Of these, ECs represent one of the most applied agrochemical formulations. ECs are typically prepared from one or more active ingredient(s) exhibiting a low water solubility dissolved in a water-immiscible solvent, and further comprise one or more surfactants. Upon dilution in water, spontaneous emulsification occurs, and the resulting pesticidal emulsion can then be applied to crops using typical spray equipment.

[0007] Manually spraying pesticides as aqueous solutions or suspensions is labour intensive and time-consuming. Current labour reducing technologies, including ultra- low volume (ULV) and aircraft sprays, are restricted by the requirement of higher technical skills and cost of equipment, and thus are not always feasible for standard grower applications. However, for ULV and aircraft sprays, the active ingredients are typically applied in more concentrated form, and hence it is highly desirable to develop novel pesticide formulations that are easy to apply in higher and more directed active ingredient load, while demonstrating a high level of pest-controlling effect with reduced environmental exposure.

[0008] Many crop protection products, whether chemical or biological, are normally applied at relatively high spray volumes, often at or above 150-400 L / ha. A consequence of this is that much more energy must be expended to carry the high volume of spray liquid and then apply it to the crop by spray application. This can be performed by large machinery which on account of their weight and also the weight of the spray liquid require much more energy, and hence the associated CO2release; but may also cause compaction of soil.

[0009] Accordingly, there is a need for a significant reduction of the high volumes of spray liquid, as well as reduction of the size and weight of the equipment required to apply the product. 109898-FF (83144)

[0010] Recently, in agriculture, low spray volume application technologies including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), unmanned guided vehicles (UGV), and tractor mounted boom sprayers fitted with pulse width modulation spray nozzles (herein, a PWM sprayer) or rotating disc droplet applicators have emerged that offer farmers solutions to apply products with comparatively low spray volumes, typically at 10 to 20 l / ha, or even less. These have advantages including a significantly lower water use which is important in arid regions, and also require less energy to transport and application. Also, they may increase the speed of filling of the spray tank and faster application, all of which may positively impact CO2 generation from both the reduced volume of spray liquid to transport and from the use of smaller and lighter vehicles, and provide a reduced soil compaction damage.

[0011] However, simply increasing the amount of active ingredients in emulsifiable concentrates proves difficult since the typically employed water insoluble solvents only allow for limited amount of active ingredients to be dissolved.

[0012] There is therefore a need to design formulation systems that are effective at low volumes.

[0013] SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0014] The inventors of the present disclosure have found that when active ingredients with low water solubility are formulated with a suitable combination of one or more surfactants and a carrier (comprising one or more solvents) of intermediate average water solubility, then the resulting formulation offers higher active ingredient loading than is typically achievable with conventional EC carriers, and yet still offers stable dilutions in water at ULV relevant rates.

[0015] Accordingly, it is herein provided a novel composition in EC form, which emulsifies homogenously when mixed with water, and which may be applied at low dilution. The solvents employed in the current disclosure exhibit a much higher water solubility than those disclosed in ECs for use in conventional applications.

[0016] Hence, the present disclosure, in a first aspect, provides for an emulsifiable concentrate composition formulated for agricultural application, the composition comprising: A. one or more agrochemically active ingredients in an amount of at least 5 % VJ / VJ, based on the total composition, and B. a carrier comprising 109898-FF (83144) one or more solvents where the water solubility of the carrier is in the range of from 1.9 g / L to 90 g / L; and C. one or more non-ionic and / or anionic surfactants.

[0017] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides for an agrochemical composition, wherein the formulation is applied onto crops, plant propagation material, or the locus thereof, at a spray volume of between 1 and 20 L / ha, preferably between 2 and 15 L / ha, and more preferably between 5 and 15 L / ha.

[0018] In a further aspect, the present disclosure provides for the use of an agrochemical composition in application of the agrochemical compounds for controlling harmful pests, wherein the composition is applied by UAV, UGV, and / or PWM sprayer.

[0019] In a further aspect, the present disclosure provides for a method of controlling harmful organisms, comprising the contacting of the harmful organisms, their habitat, their hosts, such as plants and seed, and the soil, the area and the environment in which they grow or could grow, but also of materials, plants, seeds, soil, surfaces or spaces which are to be protected from attack or infestation by organisms that are harmful to plants, with an effective amount of the formulations according to the disclosure, wherein the composition is applied by UAV, UGV, and / or a PWM sprayer.

[0020] Short Description of the Figures

[0021] Figure 1 shows optical micrographs (with and without crossed polarizers) recorded of four different dilutions of EC 3 (pydiflumetofen in 4-methylcyclohexanone) in water, after 24 h before analysis, and showing dilutions of 0.25, 1, 10 and 20 % v / v EC in water, as indicated at the top of each image.

[0022] Figure 2 shows optical micrographs recorded of four different dilutions of EC 6 (benzovindiflupyr in acetophenone) in water, each EC was allowed to stand for 24 h before analysis. The dilutions were either 0.25, 1, 10 or 20 % v / v EC in water, and are indicated at the top of each image.

[0023] Figure 3 shows optical micrographs recorded of four different dilutions of EC 10 (isocycloseram in 4- methylcyclohexanone) in water, each EC was allowed to stand for 24 h before analysis. The dilutions were either 0.25, 1, 10 or 20 % v / v EC in water, and are indicated at the top of each image. 109898-FF (83144)

[0024] Figure 4 shows optical micrographs recorded of four different dilutions of EC 19 (pydiflumetofen in a benzyl alcohol / dibutyl propionamide blend) in water, each EC was allowed to stand for 24 h before analysis. The dilutions were either 0.25, 1, 10 or 20 % v / v EC in water, and are indicated at the bottom of each image.

[0025] Detailed Description of the Invention:

[0026] Generally, solvents with moderate to high water solubility are better solvents for agrochemical

[0027] Als compared with solvents of very low water solubility. Therefore, the use of such solvents is desirable in ECs as it maximises Al loading and hence enables the farmer to benefit from associated reduced time spent on e.g. filling spray tanks.

[0028] However, the use of such solvents in conventional (e.g. boom spraying) application was thus far considered as problematic. This problem arises because in a typical spray tanks, wherein ECs are diluted 100 or 200- fold into water. At such high dilutions, most of the solvent would dissolve into the water, leaving the active ingredients at a serious risk of crystallization. In ULV applications such as drones, however, dilution factors are much reduced. For example, in a typical drone tank the EC formulation would comprise e.g. 5 % v / v (or higher) of the total tank volume compared with 1 % v / v (or lower) of a boom sprayer.

[0029] Therefore, in ULV applications, the volume of water present in the tank is usually not sufficient to dissolve the EC solvent, which therefore ensures the product remains stable and sprayable, and not crystallised.

[0030] The present invention relates to ECs prepared using solvents with higher water-solubilities than are typically used for EC solvents.

[0031] A list of exemplary suitable solvents is provided in Table 1.

[0032] In typical EC formulations the solvent serves two functions i) it must be a good solvent for the active ingredient to ensure homogeneity of the concentrate, ii) it must be sufficiently water-insoluble to form stable emulsions on dilution in water (at high-dilution volumes), which is critical for ensuring the dilutions do not crystallize and risk blocking nozzles, etc. However, such hydrophobic solvents are typically not favourable solvents for our active ingredients, which therefore limits the loadings we can offer. 109898-FF (83144)

[0033] The benefit of the compositions according to the disclosure is the enhanced product loading, meaning more active ingredient can be incorporated into the formulation and hence less solvent compared to traditional products. This in turn means such compounds are more suited to ULV application. This allows to apply the active ingredients in an amount to the target crop of between 2 and 1500 g / ha, preferably between 5 and 1225 g / ha, and more preferred between 10 and 1200 g / ha.

[0034] As described above, this is desirable as growers will have to spend less time filling tanks, with more convenient pack sizes. Also, it is desirable for sustainability as maximizing active ingredient loadings in turn minimizes solvent loadings, which reduces product carbon footprint. Furthermore, the present disclosure is particularly suited for compositions wherein at least one of the one or more agrochemically active ingredients has a water solubility of less than 20 mg / L, in particular of less than 10 mg / L.

[0035] The surfactants may be non-ionic, anionic, cationic or zwitterionic. Examples of particular suitable surfactants include, but are not limited to, alkyl polyglycosides, polyalkylene oxide block copolymers and polyaryl-phenyl ether phosphates. Alkyl polyglycosides include Agnique PG ("APG") 8107 (Cognis Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA) (an alkyl polyglycoside in which the alkyl group contains 8 to 10 carbon atoms and has an average degree of polymerization of 1.7), Agnique PG 9116 (Cognis Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA) (a 20 alkyl polyglycoside in which the alkyl group contains 9 to 11 carbon atoms and has an average degree of polymerization of 1.6) and Agnique PG 8105 (Cognis Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA) (an alkyl polyglycoside in which the alkyl group contains 8 to 10 carbon atoms and has an average degree of polymerization of 1.5). Polyalkylene oxide block copolymers can be di- and tri-block copolymers, such as ABA or BAB block copolymer or BA block copolymers. Examples include the Genapol PF series (Clariant), the Pluronic series (BASF), the Synperonic PE series (Uniqema), and the Toximul series (Stepan Chemical Co.). A group of ethylene oxide / propylene oxide block copolymers which may be used in the compositions of this invention are butyl-based poly(oxypropylene) / poly(oxyethylene)block copolymers having an average molecular weight in the range of 2400 to 3500, for example Toximul 8320, Stepan Chemical Co.). Suitable examples include Pluronic L10, Pluronic L44, Pluronic L63, Pluronic L64, Pluronic L84, Pluronic P104, Pluronic P105, Step-Flow 26, Toximul 8323 and Toximul 8320. Polyaryl-phenyl ether phosphates include ethoxylated tristyrylphenol phosphates such as Soprophor 35 3D33 (Rhodia), Soprophor 3D33 LN (Rhodia), Emulsogen 57 (Clariant), Agnique PE TSP- 16A (BASF), Agrhospec 7822 (Rhodia), Dispersogen TP 160 (Clariant), Stepfac TP 160 (Stepan), Stepfac TSP-PE (Stepan). The degree of 109898-FF (83144) ethoxylation of the polyaryl-phenyl ether phosphates for this purpose is preferably between 8 and 20, more preferably between 14 and 18.

[0036] Preferably, component B comprises one or more solvents exhibiting a water solubility of from 2 g / L to 85 g / L or more preferably from 3 g / L to 45 g / L.

[0037] The invention is illustrated by the following, non-limiting examples.

[0038] Examples

[0039] Experiments

[0040] The present invention relates to ECs prepared using solvents with higher water-solubilities than typically used for EC solvents. A range of exemplary solvents with water-solubilities ranging from 2 g / L up to 85 g / L. The list of solvents investigated herein is provided in Table 1.

[0041] Table 1. List of solvents investigated within this project as solvents for ECs. Accompanying water solubility data is also shown. 109898-FF (83144)

[0042] Table 2. The ECs were prepared according to the following recipe.

[0043] For these experiments, the active ingredients investigated were pydiflumetofen, (fungicide), benzovindiflupyr (fungicide) , isocycloseram (insecticide) or feneptamidoquin (fungicide). The surfactant package employed herein a was a blend of anionic and non-ionic surfactants, such as for example a blend of a castor oil ethoxylate, calcium dodecylbenzenesulfonate and tristyrylphenol ethoxylate, in a ratio in the range of from 3:2:1 to 1:2:3.

[0044] Next, a range of model Emulsifiable Concentrates (ECs) were prepared, as described in Table 5 and 6 below). Each EC was diluted in water at concentrations of 0.25, 1, 5, 10 or 20 % v / v. The former two concentrations (0.25 and 1 % v / v) represent typical dilution regimes used in conventional application, the latter three (5, 10 and 20 % v / v) represent ULV application. Each dilution was aged and monitored over time after e.g. 2 h or 24 h, as indicated in Table 5.

[0045] Solvent blends

[0046] In addition to the compositions comprising a single solvent disclosed herein, the present disclosure also relates to blends of two or more solvents having a water solubility falling within the limits disclosed herein. Preferably, also blends incorporating small amounts of more traditional hydrophobic solvents are included into the more water-miscible solvents as set out herein. This may advantageously render the ECs easier to formulate e.g. to achieve more stable emulsions or to boost loading with active ingredients further.

[0047] Definition of the water-solubility of a solvent blend

[0048] Herein, the water-solubility of a blend of two or more solvents is defined by the point at which, upon addition of such a solvent blend to water, a separate phase appears. This can easily be calculated for a given blend provided that the weight fraction of each solvent in the blend as well as the water-solubility of each component alone (i.e. not in a blend) are known. The water-solubility of the blend can then be calculated as follows: 109898-FF (83144)

[0049] 1) Determining the weight fraction of each solvent component in the blend in the absence of any other formulation components. For example, a hypothetical EC prepared according to the following recipe would be considered as follows:

[0050] Table 3. water solubility of a solvent blend

[0051] Mass percent of solvent A + Solvent B = 80 % w / w 20

[0052] Weight fraction of Solvent A = - = 0.25

[0053] ° 20+60

[0054] Weight fraction of Solvent B = =60= 0.75

[0055] ° 20+60

[0056] 2) Next, divide the water solubility of each solvent component by its respective weight fraction

[0057] For Solvent A = = 4 q / L

[0058] 0.25

[0059] For Solvent 13. 33 g / L

[0060] These values indicate the mass of solvent blend required to reach the water solubility of each individual component. Hence, the water solubility of the blend, as defined earlier, is given by whichever of these values is lowest. In this case, the water solubility of the blend would be 4 g / L. Above this threshold, a separate phase of Solvent A would form. To demonstrate this, two hydrophobic solvents are shown below in Table 4: 109898-FF (83144)

[0061] Table 4. Use of small amounts of hydrophobic solvents used as the minority component for solvent blending experiments.

[0062] 109898-FF (83144)

[0063] Table 5. EC compositions for the formulations studied herein. Each EC was diluted in water at varying different dilution volumes, and then monitored over time to assess stability.

[0064] 109898-FF (83144)

[0065] Cont.

[0066] 109898-FF (83144)

[0067] Table 6. Comparative EC formulations 16 and 17 were prepared with either a hydrophobic solvent (e.g. Solvesso 200ND, water solubility = 1.5 mg / L) or hydrophilic solvents (e.g. dimethyl lactamide, completely water miscible) and ECs 18 and 19 were prepared with 10 % of the hydrophobic solvents blended in, according to Table 5. The majority component for ECs 18 and 19 was benzyl alcohol.

[0068] As described above, this invention employs solvents of medium-to-high water solubility (of about 2 to 100 g / L) for use in ULV compositions. Comparative examples 16 and 17 are outside of this range are exemplified.

[0069] ECs were prepared with solvents that either have a water-solubility much lower than 2g / L (e.g. an aromatic fluid such as Solvesso 200ND, see EC 16 in Table 5) or much higher than 100 g / l (e.g. dimethyl lactamide, see EC 17 in Table 5.). For reference, Solvesso 200 has a water solubility of approximately 1.5 mg / L, whereas dimethyl lactamide is completely miscible with water in all proportions.

[0070] As can be seen from Table 4, when utilizing very hydrophobic solvents (EC 16) the EC dilutions were stable in all dilution regimes investigated. However, the maximum loading of the active ingredient benzovindiflupyr that could be attained using this solvent was only 2.5 % VJ / VJ, which is significantly lower than the 15 % VJ / VJ loadings achieved using the solvents outlined in Table 2.

[0071] Table 7. Dilutions of the EC compositions as described in Table 5 into water, at varying dilution volumes. For example, 20 % v / v means 20 % EC and 80 % water by volume. ECs were diluted and aged for 24 hours prior to analysis (except where noted) via optical microscopy. Stable dilutions are designated "S", unstable dilutions denoted with "X". 109898-FF (83144)

[0072] 1. EC prepared with a solvent blend, the water solubility of which is defined in the text.

[0073] 2. Analysis conducted after 2 h.

[0074] ECs 16 and 17 are used as counter-examples and are outside of our scope. EC 16 was prepared with a very water-insoluble solvent (aromatic fluid) and so remains stable on dilution, however, the maximum Al loading achievable was only 2.5 % VJ / VJ (Table 6). EC 17 was prepared with a fully miscible solvent, which enabled high Al loadings, however, everything crystallised upon dilution (as indicated in Table 7). 109898-FF (83144)

[0075] When using solvents with much higher water solubilities than 100 g / L (EC 17), none of the EC dilutions investigated were stable over 24 h. All of these dilutions failed instantaneously and precipitated out as soon as they were added to water.

[0076] From EC 18 and 19 it can be seen that these ECs with about 10 % hydrophobic solvent still exhibit stability at ULV dilutions, but not at more conventional dilution regimes, i.e. <1 % VJ / VJ. Example optical micrographs are shown in Figure 4.

[0077] The following tables exemplify the highest and lowest strength of Al, in these examples, pydiflumetofen, feneptamidoquin and benzovindiflupyr, achievable upon dilution of the EC at ULV and broadcast spraying volumes. ECs 1 to 5 are the minimum limits i.e. the lowest strength Al, and EC 8 is the maximum limit i.e. the highest strength Al.

[0078] Table 8. Diluted EC compositions of pydiflumetofen

[0079] 109898-FF (83144)

[0080] Table 9. Diluted EC composition of benzovindiflupyr

[0081] Table 10. Diluted EC composition of feneptamidoquin 109898-FF (83144)

[0082] Table 11. Diluted EC composition of feneptamidoquin

[0083] Table 12. Diluted EC compositions of isocycloseram 109898-FF (83144)

[0084] Table 13. Diluted comparative EC composition of benzovindiflupyr

[0085] Crystallisation upon Dilution

[0086] Selected optical micrographs from samples in Table 7 are shown below to demonstrate "S" and "X" assignments.

[0087] Figure 1 discloses optical micrographs (with and without crossed polarizers) recorded of four different dilutions of EC 3 (pydiflumetofen in 4-methylcyclohexanone) in water, each EC was allowed to stand for 24 h before analysis. The dilutions were either 0.25, 1, 10 or 20 % v / v EC in water, and are indicated at the top of each image. Crystals are clearly present in the 0.25 and 1 % v / v dilutions after 24 h, confirming EC failure at typical dilution rates, these are denoted "X" in Table 7. However, only droplets were observed in the 10 or 20 % v / v dilutions, confirming EC stability in the ULV regime, these are denoted "S" in Table 7.

[0088] Figure 2 discloses optical micrographs recorded of four different dilutions of EC 6 (benzovindiflupyr in acetophenone in) in water, each EC was allowed to stand for 24 h before analysis. The dilutions were either 0.25, 1, 10 or 20 % v / v EC in water, and are indicated at the top of each image. Solid particles are clearly present in the 0.25 % v / v dilution after 24 h, confirming EC failure. However, only droplets were observed in the 1, 10 or 20 % v / v dilutions, confirming EC stability in ULV. 109898-FF (83144)

[0089] Figure 3 discloses optical micrographs recorded of four different dilutions of EC 10 (isocycloseram in 4- methylcyclohexanone) in water, each EC was allowed to stand for 24 h before analysis. The dilutions were either 0.25, 1, 10 or 20 % v / v EC in water, and are indicated at the top of each image. Solid particles are clearly present in the 0.25 and 1 % v / v dilution after 24 h, confirming EC failure. However, only droplets were observed in the 10 or 20 % v / v dilutions, confirming EC stability in ULV.

[0090] Figure 4 shows optical micrographs recorded of four different dilutions of EC 19 (pydiflumetofen in a benzyl alcohol / dibutyl propionamide blend) in water, each EC was allowed to stand for 24 h before analysis. The dilutions were either 0.25, 1, 10 or 20 % v / v EC in water, and are indicated at the bottom of each image. Solid particles are clearly present in the 0.25 and 1 % v / v dilution after 24 h, confirming EC failure. However, only droplets were observed in the 10 or 20 % v / v dilutions, confirming EC stability in ULV.

[0091] While the invention has been described in connection with certain embodiments, it will be understood that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

109898-FF (83144)Claims1. An emulsifiable concentrate composition formulated for agricultural application, the composition comprising:Component A. one or more agrochemically active ingredients in an amount of at least 5 % VJ / VJ, based on the total composition, andComponent B. a carrier comprising one or more solvents where the water solubility of the carrier is in the range of from 1.9 g / L to 90 g / L; andComponent C. one or more non-ionic and / or anionic surfactants; and wherein at least one of the one or more agrochemically active ingredients has a water solubility of less than 20 mg / L, in particular of less than 10 mg / L.

2. An emulsifiable concentrate composition according to claim 1, wherein the amount of component A. is in the range of from 5 % VJ / VJ to 20 % VJ / VJ, preferably from 6 % VJ / VJ to 19 % VJ / VJ, more preferably from 8 % VJ / VJ to 15% VJ / VJ.

3. An emulsifiable concentrate composition according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein component B comprises one or more solvents exhibiting a water solubility of from 2 g / L to 85 g / L.

4. An emulsifiable concentrate composition according to claim 3, wherein component B comprises one or more solvents exhibiting a water solubility of from 3 g / L to 45 g / L.

5. An emulsifiable concentrate composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising at least one of p-anisaldehyde, acetophenone, 4-methylcyclohexanone, butyl lactate, cyclohexanone and benzyl alcohol.

6. An emulsifiable concentrate composition according to any one of the previous claims, comprising component A. in the range of from 8 % VJ / VJ to 15 % VJ / VJ; component C. in an amount of less than 25 % VJ / VJ; and the remainder comprising component B up to 100 % VJ / VJ, based on total weight.

7. An emulsifiable concentrate composition according to any one of the previous claims, comprising an additional solvent having a water solubility of less than 2 g / L, in an amount of less than 5% VJ / VJ, based on the total composition.109898-FF (83144)8. An emulsifiable concentrate composition according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the agrochemically active ingredient is chosen from fungicides, nematicides, insecticides and / or herbicides9. An emulsifiable concentrate composition according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the agrochemically active ingredient is chosen from pydiflumetofen, benzovindiflupyr, isocycloseram, feneptamidoquin, and combinations thereof; preferably, wherein the emulsifiable concentrate composition comprises the agrochemically active ingredient benzovindiflupyr in acetophenone as solvent; isocycloseram in 4-methylcyclohexanone; pydiflumetofen in 4-methylcyclohexanone; feneptamidoquin in 4-methylcyclohexanone or anisaldehyde, or pydiflumetofen in a blend of benzyl alcohol and dibutyl propionamide; more preferably an emulsifiable concentrate comprising 8 % VJ / VJ pydiflumetofen and 82 % VJ / VJ of p-anisaldehyde, acetophenone, 4-methylcyclohexanone, dimethyl 2-methylpentanedioate or cyclohexanone, each with anionic and non-ionic surfactants in an amount of less than 10 % VJ / VJ; 15 % VJ / VJ benzovindiflupyr and 75 % VJ / VJ of acetophenone, butyl lactate or benzyl alcohol; each with anionic and non-ionic surfactants in an amount of less than 10 % VJ / VJ; 20 % VJ / VJ feneptamidoquin and 60 % VJ / VJ 4-methylcyclohexanone with anionic and non-ionic surfactants in an amount of less than 20 % VJ / VJ; or 20 % VJ / VJ feneptamidoquin and 70 % VJ / VJ p-anisaldehyde and anionic and non-ionic surfactants in an amount of less than 10 % VJ / VJ; 10 % VJ / VJ isocycloseram and 80 % VJ / VJ of acetophenone, 4-methylcyclohexanone, butyl lactate, benzyl alcohol, or cyclohexanone; and anionic and non-ionic surfactants in an amount of less than 10 % VJ / VJ; and 8 % VJ / VJ pydiflumetofen; < 10 % VJ / VJ anionic and non-ionic surfactants; 10 % VJ / VJ methyl benzoate or dibutyl propionamide, and up to 100 % VJ / VJ benzyl alcohol.

10. An emulsifiable concentrate composition according to any one of the previous claims, wherein component C. comprises at least one non-ionic surfactant (i), ; at least one ionic surfactant (ii), preferably, wherein component C. comprises sub-components (i):(ii) in a ratio in the range of from 5:1 to 1:1.

11. An agrochemical composition according to one or more claims 1 to 10, wherein the formulation is to be applied onto crops, plant propagation material, or the locus thereof, at a spray volume of between 1 and 20 L / ha, preferably between 2 and 15 L / ha, and more preferably between 5 and 15 L / ha.109898-FF (83144)12. Use of an agrochemical composition according to one or more of the claims 1 to 10 in application of the agrochemical compounds for controlling harmful pests, wherein the composition is applied by UAV, UGV, and / or PWM sprayer, in particular by UAV.

13. A method of controlling harmful organisms, comprising the contacting of the harmful organisms, their habitat, their hosts, such as plants and seed, and the soil, the area and the environment in which they grow or could grow, but also of materials, plants, seeds, soil, surfaces or spaces which are to be protected from attack or infestation by organisms that are harmful to plants, with an effective amount of the formulations according to one or more of claims 1 to 12, wherein the composition is applied by UAV, UGV, and / or a PWM sprayer.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the applied amount of A. to the crop is between 2 and 1500 g / ha, preferably between 5 and 1225 g / ha, and more preferred between 10 and 1200 g / ha.

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