Homogeneous, essentially nonaqueous adjuvant compositions with buffering capability

Abstract

A homogeneous, essentially nonaqueous adjuvant composition containing at least one spray oil selected from the group consisting of:(a) vegetable oils;(b) fatty acids and blends thereof;(c) esterified fatty acids or blends thereof;(d) saponified fatty acids or blends thereof;(e) N,N-dimethylamide of the formula(f) polybutenes of the following formula a surfactant in an effective amount to emulsify said composition and a buffering agent in amount sufficient to reduce the pH to below about 7.

Description

The present invention relates to the field of agricultural, forestry, turf, ornamental, industrial, aquatic, rights-of-ways and other applications where pesticides are used and, more specifically, to adjuvant compositions which improve the chemical and physical properties of a pesticide such as an herbicide, insecticide or fungicide.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIn order to enhance or modify the chemical and / or physical characteristics of certain pesticides, certain materials are added to form a mixture for spraying. Generally referred to as adjuvants, these materials have no pesticidal activity of their own. Since spray application can be critical to the performance of the agricultural chemical, adjuvants are added to reduce application problems such as chemical stability, incompatiblity, solubility, suspension, foaming, drift, evaporation, volatilization, phytotoxicity, surface tension, droplet size and coverage. They can, depending on their type, enhance wetting, spreading, sticking...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is a homogeneous, essentially nonaqueous adjuvant composition comprising a spray oil, a surfactant and a buffering agent in an amount to reduce the pH to below about 7. When mixed with a pesticide, the composition provides one-step addition of the adjuvants to obtain a more uniform spread of the spray solution of the herbicide or pesticide, improved penetration and slower evaporation. The adjuvant can also be used as a pesticide or herbicide without the addition of any additional pesticide to the adjuvant. The presence of the buffering agent maintains the pH of the mixture within a desired range pH below about 7 in the presence of alkaline waters typically used in spray solutions.

Problems solved by technology

Otherwise, the amount of oil and surfactant in the spray will vary form use to use and these variations would adversely affect the physical properties of the spray.

It is difficult to combine such compounds with oil and obtain a homogeneous composition having the desired spray uniformity and coverage.

Images