Mitigating necrosis in transgenic glyphosate-tolerant cotton plants treated with herbicidal glyphosate formulations

• US 8,129,564 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2006
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monsanto Technology LLC (Bayer AG)
• Original Assignee: Monsanto Technology LLC (Bayer AG)
• Inventors: Prosch, Stephen D., Haupfear, Eric A., Casanova, Eduardo, Rogers, Peter E., Eaton, David R., Becher, David Z., Seitz, Michael E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Puttlitz, Karl J
• Application Number:
  US11/368,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20070037708A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,195 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 562/11
• 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 25/00 Biocides, pest repellants or attractants, or plant growth regulators, characterised by their forms, or by their non-active ingredients or by their methods of application , e.g. seed treatment or sequential application; Substances for reducing the noxious effect of the active ingredients to organisms other than pests
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 25/32 Ingredients for reducing the noxious effect of the active substances to organisms other than pests, e.g. toxicity reducing compositions, self-destructing compositions
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 57/20 containing acyclic or cycloaliphatic radicals

Abstract

This invention relates generally to improved methods and herbicidal glyphosate compositions for use in controlling the growth of weeds and unwanted vegetation, and particularly for use in controlling weeds in a crop of transgenic glyphosate-tolerant cotton plants by over-the-top, foliar application of a herbicidal glyphosate formulation.

Claims

1. A method for selectively controlling weeds in a field containing a crop of transgenic glyphosate-tolerant cotton plants having increased glyphosate tolerance in vegetative and reproductive tissues, the method comprising:

when at least five leaf nodes are present on a cotton plant of said crop, applying to foliage of said crop and weeds a sufficient amount of a herbicidal glyphosate formulation comprising N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine or an agronomically acceptable salt thereof to control growth of said weeds without incurring significant glyphosate-mediated reproductive injury to said plant of said crop; and

controlling the concentration of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid and salts thereof present in the herbicidal glyphosate formulation and the application rate of the herbicidal glyphosate formulation to said crop and weeds in said field such that the application rate of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid and salts thereof is no more than about 2.5 g of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid equivalent/hectare so as to not induce significant leaf necrosis in said cotton plants of said crop.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein the herbicidal glyphosate formulation is applied to said crop and weeds in said field when at least one reproductive node is present on the plant of said crop.

4. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein the herbicidal glyphosate formulation is applied to said crop and weeds in said field when ten or more leaf nodes are present on the plant of said crop.

5. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein the herbicidal glyphosate formulation is applied to said crop and weeds in said field up to and including layby of said crop of transgenic glyphosate-tolerant cotton plants.

6. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein the herbicidal glyphosate formulation is applied to said crop and weeds in said field when six or more leaf nodes and no more than fourteen leaf nodes are present on the plant of said crop.

7. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein glyphosate-mediated reproductive injury to said plant of said crop is quantified by flower pollen shed and/or lint yield.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said plant of said crop exhibits a flower pollen shed comparable to that of a transgenic glyphosate-tolerant cotton plant in the absence of foliar application of a herbicidal glyphosate formulation after the four leaf node stage.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said plant of said crop exhibits a lint yield comparable to that of a transgenic glyphosate-tolerant cotton plant in the absence of foliar application of a herbicidal glyphosate formulation after the four leaf node stage.

10. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein leaf necrosis in said crop is quantified by the area of necrotic lesions on the surface of the leaves of said plants of said crop and wherein necrotic lesions on the surface of the leaves of said plants of said crop on average account for no more than about 5% of the total leaf area of said plants of said crop.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the concentration of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid and salts thereof present in the herbicidal glyphosate formulation and the application rate of the herbicidal glyphosate formulation to said crop and weeds in said field are controlled such that the application rate of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid and salts thereof is no more than about 1.5 g of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid equivalent/hectare.

20. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein the genome of the transgenic glyphosate-tolerant cotton plants comprises one or more DNA molecules selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:

1, SEQ ID NO;

2, SEQ ID NO;

3, and SEQ ID NO;

4;

or

the genome of the transgenic glyphosate-tolerant cotton plants in a DNA amplification method produces an amplicon comprising SEQ ID NO;

1 or SEQ ID NO;

2;

or

the transgenic glyphosate-tolerant cotton plants comprise a glyphosate tolerant trait that is genetically linked to a complement of a marker polynucleic acid, and the marker polynucleic acid molecule is homologous or complementary to a DNA molecule selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO;

1 and SEQ ID NO;

2.

21. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein the crop of transgenic glyphosate-tolerant cotton plants comprises cotton plants grown from seed of cotton event designated MON 88913 and having representative seed deposited with American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) with Accession No. PTA-4854 or glyphosate-tolerant progeny thereof.

22. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein the herbicidal glyphosate formulation is applied to said crop and weeds in said field when six or more leaf nodes and no more than eighteen leaf nodes are present on the plant of said crop.

23. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein the herbicidal glyphosate formulation is applied to said crop and weeds in said field when six or more leaf nodes and no more than twenty leaf nodes are present on the plant of said crop.

24. The method of claim 19 wherein the concentration of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid and salts thereof present in the herbicidal glyphosate formulation and the application rate of the herbicidal glyphosate formulation to said crop and weeds in said field are controlled such that the application rate of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid and salts thereof is no more than about 1.2 g of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid equivalent/hectare.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the concentration of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid and salts thereof present in the herbicidal glyphosate formulation and the application rate of the herbicidal glyphosate formulation to said crop and weeds in said field are controlled such that the application rate of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid and salts thereof is no more than about 1 g of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid equivalent/hectare.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the concentration of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid and salts thereof present in the herbicidal glyphosate formulation and the application rate of the herbicidal glyphosate formulation to said crop and weeds in said field are controlled such that the application rate of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid and salts thereof is no more than about 0.7 g of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid equivalent/hectare.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the concentration of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid and salts thereof present in the herbicidal glyphosate formulation and the application rate of the herbicidal glyphosate formulation to said crop and weeds in said field are controlled such that the application rate of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid and salts thereof is no more than about 0.5 g of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid equivalent/hectare.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the concentration of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid and salts thereof present in the herbicidal glyphosate formulation and the application rate of the herbicidal glyphosate formulation to said crop and weeds in said field are controlled such that the application rate of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid and salts thereof is no more than about 0.25 g of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid equivalent/hectare.

2. A method for selectively controlling weeds in a field containing a crop of transgenic glyphosate-tolerant cotton plants having increased glyphosate tolerance in vegetative and reproductive tissues, the method comprising:

when at least five leaf nodes are present on a cotton plant of said crop, applying to the foliage of said crop and weeds a sufficient amount of a herbicidal glyphosate formulation to control growth of said weeds without incurring significant glyphosate-mediated reproductive injury to said plant of said crop, the herbicidal glyphosate formulation comprising N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine or an agronomically acceptable salt thereof, N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid or salt thereof and a safening agent in a concentration sufficient to inhibit significant leaf necrosis in said crop induced by N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid or salt thereof present in the herbicidal glyphosate formulation,

wherein said safening agent is selected from the group consisting of metal ions, antioxidants, humectants, light absorbing compounds, and mixtures thereof.

11. The method of claim 2 wherein said safening agent inhibits significant leaf necrosis in said crop induced by N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid or salt thereof present in the herbicidal glyphosate formulation by inhibiting buildup of phytotoxic free radicals in said plants of said crop.

12. The method of claim 2 wherein said safening agent comprises a metal ion that is subject to formation of a complex or salt with N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid or an anion formed by deprotonation or partial deprotonation thereof, the formation of such complex or salt being effective to inhibit significant leaf necrosis in said crop of transgenic glyphosate-tolerant cotton plants induced by N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid or salt thereof present in said herbicidal glyphosate formulation.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the metal ion is polyvalent.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the metal ion is a transition metal ion.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the metal ion is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, antimony, iron, chromium, nickel, manganese, cobalt, copper, zinc, vanadium, titanium, molybdenum, tin, barium and mixtures thereof.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the metal ion is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, copper, iron, zinc and mixtures thereof.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the safening agent comprises a mixture of iron and zinc metal ions or a mixture of iron and copper metal ions.

18. The method of claim 2 wherein the concentration of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid and salts thereof present in the herbicidal glyphosate formulation and the application rate of the herbicidal glyphosate formulation to said crop and weeds in said field is such that the application rate of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid and salts thereof is greater than about 2.5 g of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid equivalent/hectare.

29. The method of claim 2 wherein the safening agent comprises an antioxidant.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the antioxidant is selected from the group consisting of hydroquinone, resorcinol, BHA, BHT, and mixtures thereof.

31. The method of claim 29 or 30 wherein the molar ratio of antioxidant to N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid equivalent is from about 50:

1 to about 1;

1.

32. The method of claim 2 wherein the safening agent comprises a humectant.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the humectant is hygroscopic and substantially non-ionizable in water.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the humectant comprises a polyhydroxy alcohol.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein the humectant is selected from the group consisting of sorbitol, xylitol, inositol, mannitol, pantothenol, glycerol, and derivatives and mixtures thereof.

36. The method of any one of claims 32 to 35 wherein the molar ratio of humectant to N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid equivalent is from about 250:

1 to about 1;

1.

37. The method of claim 2 wherein the safening agent comprises a light absorbing compound.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein the light absorbing compound comprises a dye.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein the light absorbing compound comprises 3-carboxy-5-hydroxy-1-psulfophenyl-4-p-sulfophenylazopyrazole trisodium salt.