Method of controlling the release of agricultural active ingredients from treated plant seeds

• US 7,774,978 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2007
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stepan Company
• Original Assignee: Stepan Company
• Inventors: Asrar, Jawed, Ding, Yiwei
• Primary Examiner(s): Meeks; Timothy H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Louie; Mandy C
• Application Number:
  US11/832,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20080004178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• Field of Search: 427/4, 47/576, 504/100
• US Class Current: 47/57.6
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 1/06 Coating or dressing seed
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 2300/00 Combinations or mixtures of active ingredients covered by classes A01N27/00 - A01N65/48 with other active or formulation relevant ingredients, e.g. specific carrier materials or surfactants, covered by classes A01N25/00 - A01N65/48
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 25/10 Macromolecular compounds
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 25/26 in coated particulate form
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 25/34 Shaped forms, e.g. sheets, not provided for in any other sub-group of this main group
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 43/653 1,2,4-Triazoles; Hydrogenated 1,2,4-triazoles
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 51/00 Biocides, pest repellants or attractants, or plant growth regulators containing organic compounds having the sequences of atoms O—N—S, X—O—S, N—N—S, O—N—N or O-halogen, regardless of the number of bonds each atom has and with no atom of these sequences forming part of a heterocyclic ring

Abstract

A method of controlling the release rate of an agricultural active ingredient from a seed that has been treated with that active includes providing a seed that has been treated with the active ingredient, applying to the treated seed a film that includes an emulsion of a polymer in a liquid in which both the agricultural active ingredient and the polymer have low levels of solubility, and then curing the film to form a water insoluble polymer coating on the surface of the treated seed. Seeds that have been treated by this method are also provided.

Claims

1. A method of controlling the release rate of an agricultural active ingredient from a seed treated with the active ingredient, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a seed that has been treated with an agricultural active ingredient;

applying to the treated seed, at a temperature of about 34°

F. (about 1°

C.), an aqueous emulsion of a polymer latex, wherein the polymer latex has a solubility in water at 25°

C. of less than 5% by weight, a glass transition temperature of about 15°

C. to about 40°

C. and wherein the active ingredient has a solubility in water at 20°

C. of less than 10 g/L; and

curing the polymer latex emulsion to form a water insoluble, non-migrating polymer coating on the surface of the treated seed, wherein the polymer coating that is formed from the polymer latex emulsion has a glass transition temperature within the range of from about 15°

C. to about 40°

C., thereby providing a coating which retards the release rate of the agricultural active ingredient from the seed.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the weight of the coating to the weight of the treated seed is from about 1:

1 to about 1;

1,000.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the weight of the coating to the weight of the treated seed is from about 1:

10 to about 1;

600.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the weight of the film to the weight of the treated seed is from about 1:

20 to about 1;

400.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the agricultural active ingredient is a pesticide.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the pesticide is selected from the group consisting of herbicides, insecticides, acaracides, fungicides, nematocides, and bactericides.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the seed is the seed of a plant selected from the group consisting of corn, peanut, canola/rapeseed, soybean, curcubits, cotton, rice, sorghum, sugar beet, wheat, barley, rye, sunflower, tomato, sugarcane, tobacco, oats, vegetables, and leaf crops.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymer latex has a glass transition temperature of 15°

C.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymer latex has a glass transition temperature of 25°

C.