Control of fungi

• US 3,931,413 A
• Filed: 05/23/1974
• Issued: 01/06/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: National Research Development Corporation
• Original Assignee: National Research Development Corporation
• Inventors: Frick, Eric Lionel, Burchill, Roy Terry
• Primary Examiner(s): Meyers, Albert T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robinson, D. W.
• Application Number:
  US05/472,841
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• Field of Search: 424/311, 424/312, 424/317, 424/318
• US Class Current: 514/558
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 31/02 Acyclic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 37/00 Biocides, pest repellants or attractants, or plant growth regulators containing organic compounds containing a carbon atom having three bonds to hetero atoms with at the most two bonds to halogen, e.g. carboxylic acids containing cyclopropane carboxylic acids or derivatives thereof, e.g. cyclopropane carboxylic acid nitriles, A01N53/00
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 37/02 Saturated carboxylic acids or thio analogues thereof; Derivatives thereof

Abstract

A method for the control of fungi which have an overwintering phase inside the buds of a plant or on other parts thereof comprises treating a plant selected from the group consisting of food crop and ornamental plants whilst the plant or at least the buds thereof are dormant or in a state of near dormancy with a fungicidal composition comprising as an active component a compound selected from the group consisting of medium chain aliphatic acids.

Claims

1. A method for the treatment of plants in order to inhibit infection caused by a fungus which is capable of overwintering in the bud of the plant said fungus selected from the group consisting of Venturia inaequalis, Venturia pirina, Podosphaera leucotricha, Sphaerotheca pannosa var. Persicae, Uncinula necator and Taphrina deformans, which consists essentially of applying a fungidical amount of an aliphatic acid containing six to 18 carbon atoms to said buds of the plant during the period of dormancy of said buds.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the plant is selected from the group consisting of an apple tree, a pear tree, a peach tree, a rose bush and a grape vine.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said compound is selected from the group consisting of an aliphatic acid containing from six to 12 carbon atoms.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein said compound is selected from the group consisting of octanoic, decanoic and undecanoic acid.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein said compound is decanoic acid.

9. A method according to claim 6, wherein said compound is undecanoic acid.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the plant is treated during the period of dormancy of the buds before leaf fall.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the compound is applied to the plant in the form of a composition containing from 1 to 6% (w/v) of the compound in a diluent or carrier.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said composition contains from 3 to 5% (w/v) of the compound in a diluent or carrier.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the compound is applied to the plant as an aqueous composition at high volume.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein the aliphatic acid is applied to the plant in the form of a composition containing a surface active agent.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein said surface active agent is non-ionic or anionic.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein said surface active agent is a fatty acid ester of a polyoxyethylene sorbitan containing from about three to about 80 oxyethylene units per molecule and wherein the fatty acid group has from about eight to about 18 carbon atoms.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein said surface active agent is selected from the group consisting of a dodecanoate ester of polyethoxylated sorbitan containing an average of 20 oxyethylene units per molecule, an oleate ester of polyethoxylated sorbitan containing an average of 20 oxyethylene units per molecule, and a dodecanoate ester of polyethoxylated sorbitan containing an average of about five oxyethylene units per molecule.

18. A method according to claim 15, wherein said surface active agent is a polyethylene oxide condensate of an alkyl phenol wherein the alkyl group contains from six to 12 carbon atoms, and wherein said ethylene oxide is present in an amount of from 5 to 25 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alkyl phenol.

3. A method for the treatment of plants in order to inhibit infection caused by a fungus of the type which is capable of overwintering in the bud of the plant, which fungus infection is caused by a fungus selected from the group consisting of Venturia inaequalis, Venturia pirina and Podosphaera leucotricha, which consists essentially of applying a fungicidal amount of an aliphatic acid containing six to 18 carbon atoms to the buds of the plant during the period of dormancy of said buds.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the plant is selected from the group consisting of an apple tree and a pear tree.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein said fungus infection is caused by Podosphaera leucotricha and the plant is an apple.