AU596468B2 - Improving sprouting in graminaceous crops with cyanamide or salts thereof - Google Patents

Description

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRAIA 56 PATENTS ACT 1952-69 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

Clasn Application Number: Lodged: 6 F018 I t. Class .,*omplete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority I 3.e16ted Art: a*q SdonnscOntin t.~ am mn s .ir ade l ci r SectiOn '19 and "s correct for Pr-n t ing.

Name of Applicant: BASF AKT~IENGESELLSCHAFT

I

Address of Applicant:- 6700 Ludwigshafen, Federal Republic of Germany.

-Actual Inventor: Address for Service: EBERHARD PETER SCH-OTT, MAX HUBERT SAUTER LUIB, ULRICH KIESSLING EDWD. WATERS SONS, 50 QUEEN STREET, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 3000.

Complete Specification for the invention entitled: IMPROVING SPROUTING IN GRAMINACEOUS CROPS WITH CYANAMIDE OR SALTS

THEREOF.

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to u I I BASF Aktiengesellschaft 0.Z. 0050/38817 la Improving sprouting in gramirtaceous crops with cvanamide or salts thereof The present invention relates to a process for improving sprouting in graminaceous crops by treating the crops with cyanamide or a salt thereof of the general formula I N-CN

R

S where the substituents R 1 and R 2 are, independently of each other, hydrogen or an alkali metal, or together denote an alkaline earth metal or zinc.

Cyanamides of the formula I in which R 1 and R 2 are, independently of each other, hydrogen or for example lithium, sodium, potassium or an unsubstituted or substituted ammonium radical, or together denote for example magnesium or calcium, have been disclosed. It is known to use cyanamide to r 5 interrupt dormancy in fruit and vines (DE-A-31 50 404, U.S.-A-4,487,625).

The use of cyanamide in admixture with 2-chloroethylphosphonic acid for defoliating vines and fruit trees and bushes has also been disclosed (DE-A-21 11 178, DE-A-23 18 633). Further, it is possible to use cyanamide Sfor chemically suckering water sprouts From vines and fruit trees and 20 bushes (DE-A-27 37 454) and from hops (DE-A-20 40 119, BE 750 571).

o 44 o Cyanamide may also be used as a herbicide (DE-A-26 59 508). The utility of oo o cyanamide as a suckering and defoliating agent, and as a herbicide is an i indication of the high phytotoxic action on living plants and plant parts.

It is also known that cyanamide has a strong toxic action on sprouting seed (Pesticide Manual, British Crop Protection Council, 1958, p. 63, para. Calcium cyanamide, used as a nitrogenous fertilizer, has been employed for decades as a preemergence herbicide.

We have now found that cyanamide and salts thereof are suitable for improving sprouting in grassy plants (Gramineae), especially sugarcane and rice, because they terminate dormancy and promote sprouting.

BASF Aktiengesellschaft 2 O.Z. 0050/38817 The substituents R 1 and R 2 in formula I have the following meanings: hydrogen; an alkali metal, especially lithium, sodium and potassium; or together either an alkaline earth metal, especially magnesium and calcium, or zinc.

Some of the possible uses of cyanamide and its salts for improving sprouting are shown belc.,,,.

a) Immersion treatment, especially for sugarcane: o, Cuttings having 1 to 6 (preferably 2 to 4) eyes are immersed for from p 1 second to 24 hours, preferably from 10 seconds to 2' minutes, but at Sall events until no more solution is absorbed, in the active ingredi- '"ent solution, and then planted as usual. The concentration of the aqueous solution is from 0.1 to 10,000 ppm (10,000 ppm 1 vol.), and Spreferably from 10 to 5,000 ppm. It is advisable to immerse the cuttings in the solution when they are fresh.

b) Furrow treatment, especially for sugarcane: i Cuttings having 1 to 6 (preferably 2 to 4) eyes are placed in furrows 4 and treated with from 0.001 to 10, and preferably from 0.003 to 3, kg S of cyanamide or a salt thereof per hectare.

ii 25 c) Ratoon treatment, preferably for rice and sugarcane: Stubble fields are treated with from 0.01 to 20, preferably from 0.1 to 10, kg/ha of cyanamide or a salt thereof.

Cyanamide or salts thereof (or agents containing cyanamide or salts thereof) may be applied S- to the whole plant stem prior to harvesting of the plant materizl.; to the whole stem or parts thereof after harvesting of the plant material; by treating the stubble remaining in the soil after harvesting with the aim of promoting sprouting.

We have also found that the amount of active ingredient can be reduced by adding spreader-stickers to the aqueous active ingredient solutions, or that more sprouts emerge, given the same amount of active ingredient, when r BASF Aktiengesellschaft 3 0.Z. 00b0/38817 spreader-stickers are added. The weight ratio of spreader-sticker to cyanamide or salt thereof is from 0.1:1 to 50:1, preferably from 1:1 to 10:1.

Examples of suitable spreader-stickers or surfactants are alkali metal, alkaline earth metal and ammonium salts of ligninsulfonic acid, naphthalenesulfonic acid, phenolsulfonic acids, alkylaryl sulfonates, alkyl sulfates, and alkyl sulfonates, alkali metal and alkaline earth metal salts of dibutylnaphthalenesulfonic acid, lauryl ether sulfate, fatty alcohol sulfates, alkali metal and alkaline earth metal salts of Str, fatty acids, salts of sulfated hexadecanols, heptadecanols, and octadecanols, salts of sulfated fatty alcohol glycol ethers, condensation products of sulfonated naphthalene and naphthalene derivatives with formaldehyde, condensation products of naphthalene or naphthalenesulfonic j :5 acids with phenol and formaldehyde, polyoxyethylene octylphenol ethers, ethoxylated isooctylphenol, ethoxylated octylphenol and ethoxylated nonylphenol, alkylphenol polyglycol ethers, tributylphenyl polyglycol ethers, alkylaryl polyether alcohols, isotridecyl alcohol, fatty alcohol ethylene oxide condensates, ethoxylated castor oil, polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers, ethoxylated polyoxypropylene, lauryl alcohol polyglycol ether acetal, sorbitol esters, lignin, sulfite waste liquors and methyl cellulose.

4 .t..4 Cyanamide and its salts, or agents containing cyanamide and its salts, may be applied for instance in the form of directly sprayable solutions, powders, suspensions (including high-percentage aqueous, oily or other suspensions), dispersions, emulsions, oil dispersions, pastes, dusts, broadcasting agents, or granules by spraying, atomizing, dusting, broadcasting, watering or immersion. The forms of application depend entirely S 30 on the purpose for which the agents are being used, but they must ensure as fine a distribution of cyanamide or its salts, or the agents containing cyanamide or its salts, as possible.

For the preparation of solutions, emulsions, pastes and oil dispersions to be sprayed direct, mineral oil fractions of medium to high boiling point, such as kerosene or diesel oil, further coal-tar oils, and oils of vegetable or animal origin, aliphatic, cyclic and aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, xylene, paraffin, tetrahydronaphthalene, alkylated naphthalenes and their derivatives such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, cyclohexanol, cyclohexanone, chlorobenzene, isophorone, etc., and strongly polar solvents such as dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, N-methylpyrrolidone, water, etc. are suitable.

BASF Aktiengesellschaft 4 O.Z. 0050/38817 Aqueous formulations may be prepared from emulsion concentrates, pastes, oil dispersions or wettable powders by adding water. To prepare emulsions, pastes and oil dispersions the ingredients as such or dissolved in an oil or solvent may be homogenized in water by means of wetting or dispersing agents, adherents or emulsifiers. Concentrates which are suitable for dilution with water may be prepared from active ingredient, wetting agent, adherent, emulsifying or dispersing agent and possibly solvent or oil.

Powders, dusts and broadcasting agents may be prepared by mixing or S10 grinding the active ingredients with a solid carrier.

.,t S Granules, coated, impregnated or homogeneous granules, may be prepared by bonaing the active ingredients to solid carriers. Examples of solid carriers are mineral earths such as silicic acid, silica gels, S 15 silicates, talc, kaolin, attapulgus clay, limestone, lime, chalk, bole, loess, clay, dolomite, diatomaceous earth, calcium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, magnesium oxide, ground plastics, fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate, ammonium phosphate, ammonium nitrate, and ureas, and vegetable products such as grain flours, bark meal, wood meal, and nutshell meal, cellulosic pr-ders, etc.

The formulations contain from 0.1 to 95, and preferably 0.5 to 90, by Sweight of active ingredient.

25 Oils of various types, herbicides, fungicides, nematocides, insecticides, bactericides, trace elements, fertilizers, spreader-stickers, synergists, o antifoams silicones), other bioregulators and antidotes may also be o. added to the formulations.

As will be clear from the following examples, the duration of immersion is but, not essenba'; importantJ the higher the concentration of the agent te ashorter will this .prrefcoby duration be, and vice versa. The immersion period is from 10 seconds to minutes.

J 35 Examples All the experiments were carried out with fresh cuttings, each having two eyes; the cuttings were immersed in a bath at a temperature of 18 0 C for minutes in Example 1 and for 10 seconds in Examples 2 to 4. The cuttings were then immediately planted 30 cm deep in the open. In each experiment, cuttings were planted in a 10 m 2 plot, with 4 replicates in each case.

The experiments were assessed in accordance with the randomized block system. All treatments with cyanamide in water as solvent were compared with those in which the cuttings were treated just with pure water.

of t I ~iI

V

ii

I

5 t r ti~~ *0 0 1 0 0 0#0 BASF AktiE Treatment Example 1 Crop: Soil type >7 ~ngesellschaft 0.Z. 0050/38817 and planting took place on the same day.

Sugarcane sandy loam Variety: NA 5679

'I

Ii 0 0 0 A 0 O Days after ppm of cyanamide trea tment 0 4900 12250 24500 49000 Shoots/plant 33 8 .25 9 .00 4 .00 1 .25 0 VI.] 100 109 48B 15 0 Plants/in 2 60 3.00 3.75 1.92 0.67 0 171100 125 64 22 0 These figures show that a concentration of 4,900 ppm promotes budding, but concentrations of 12,250 ppm and more prevent it.

Example 2 Crop: Sugarcane Variety: RB Soil type: sandy loam Days after ppm of cyanamide treatment 0 78 309 1225 4900 Plants/in 2 19 0.32 1 .02 1 .02 0.92 0 [71] 100 319 319 288 203 Plants/in 2 33 1.58 2.10 2.58 2.32 1.80 [1 100 133 163 147 114 BASF Aktiengesellschaft O.Z. 0050/38817 Example 3 Crop: Soil type: Sugarcane sandy loam Variety: NA 5679 tt I C so 4 30 Days after ppm of cyanamide treatment 0 78 309 1225 4900 Plants/m 2 21 1.02 1.38 1.35 1.48 1.32 100 135 132 145 129 Plants/m 2 41 2.25 2.88 2.92 2.90 2.80 100 128 130 129 124 Example 4 Crop: Sugarcane Variety: NA 5679 Soil type: sandy loam Days after ppm of cyanamide treatment 0 9.8 98 490 Plants/m 2 39 0.7 0.9 0.8 1.1 [1 1 100 128 114 157 Plants/m 2 60 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.6 100 106 112 112 Examples 2 to 4 with two different varieties show that cyanamide in a concentration of about 1 to 5,000 ppm significantly promotes budding.

i i! i ;i i

B

:ii It is also clear from these figures that cyanamide, at a concentration of ppm and 50 times this rate, is fully tolerated by plants. From the fact that the high concentration of 4,900 ppm has a good action after immersion of the cuttings for 20 minutes, and the lowest concentration of 9.8 ppm has just as good an action after an immersion period of only 10 seconds, it can be concluded that even lower concentrations than 9.8 ppm with a longer immersion period and higher concentrations than 4,900 ppm with a shorter immersion period will also confer a sufficient action.

A

i '7 BASF Aktiengesellschaft O.Z. 0050/38817 Example Crop: Soil type: Sugarcane sandy loam Variety: NA 5679 irti ot 0 tO o t t 20 o 00 *r 0 Days after ppm of cyanamide treatment 0 98 98 cyanamide 500 spreader-sticker Plants/m 2 39 0.7 0.8 1.30 7. 100 114 186 Plants/m 2 60 3.2 3.6 3.9 100 112 122 These figures show that the effectiveness of cyanamide can be increased by adding a spreader-sticker This wetting agent reduces the surface tension of the water and thus increases wetting of the plant parts, improving the action of cyanamide without a spreader-sticker.

The invention is of considerable economic significance. In sugarcane, for instance, only 30 to 40% of eyes sprout without any assistance, i.e., 25 three times as much plant material must be applied (compared with 100.

sprouting) to achieve the number of plants per unit area giving a profitable harvest.

Table 5 shows that eye sprouting in sugarcane was, without assistance, to 407 and was equated to 1007. in the table. A concentration of 98 ppm of cyanamide increases eye sprouting to 1147, and 98 ppm of cyanamide and 500 ppm of spreader-sticker increases sprouting to 1867..

c z're~ 7 BASF Aktiengesellschaft O.Z. 0050/38817 Example 8 Crop: Sc.i. type: Sugarcane sandy loam Variety: SP 1143 1125 Days after Treatment: 20 min. at 50 0

C

t ream e n t Cyanamide Monosodium Zinc cyanamide cyanamide 0 25 49 90 25 49 98 190 190 Shoots/plant 48 3.0 8.4 9.6 4.2 7.8 6.6 4.2 2.4 100 280 320 140 260 220 140 80 200 Shoots/plant 73 9.0 15.6 21.0 7.2 19.8 21.0 14.4 12.6 16.2 100 173 233 80 220 233 160 140 180 Example 7 Crop: Sugarcane Variety: NA 5679 Soil type: sandy loam Days after Treatment: 20 min. at 50 0

C

treament Cyanamide Monosodium cyanamide 0 25 49 98 25 49 98 Shoots/plant 56 21.0 27.0 33.0 19.8 37.2 34.8 27.6 l00 1Z 157 94 177 166 131 Shoots/plant 73 25.2 32.4 33.0 22.2 40.2 34.8 30.6 100 128 131 88 160 138 121

Claims (7)

1. A process for improving sprouting in graminaceous crops, wherein 0.1 to 95% by weight of active ingredient being a cyanamide or a salt thereof of the present formula I N-CN R 2 0409 o 00 0 4 0 0O QQ o 9 00 00 0 0 0 9 0 St o ot a t a tL i s where the substituents R 1 and R 2 are, independently of each other, hydrogen or an alkali metal ion or together denote an alkaline earth metal ion or zinc, is applied to sugar cane and rice. LCG/KJS:EK(11:36) A i BASF Aktiengesellschaft 9 O.Z. 0050/38817 wAcAk£kkx THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS: o for improving sprouting in graminaceous crops, wheri, cy ide or a salt thereof of the general formula I 1 N-CN where the substituents R 1 and R 2 are, independe of each other, hydrogen or an alkali metal, or together denote an alka earth metal or zinc, is all.wed to act on the crop.-

2. A process as set forth in claim 1, where R 1 and R2 are, independently of each other, hydrogen, lithium, sodium or potassium, or together denote magnesium, calcium or zinc.

3. A process as set forth in claim 1, wherein, in the immersion treatment of cuttings, concentrations of from 0.1 to 10,000 ppm of cyanamide or a salt thereof are used, and/or, in furrow treatment, from 0.001 to I 10 kg/ha of cyanamide or a salt thereof is used, and/or, in ratoon treatment, from 0.01 to 20 kg/ha of cyanamide or a salt thereof is used. I .,r20

4. A process as set forth in claim 1, wherein, in the immersion treatment of cuttings, concentrations of from 10 to 5,000 ppm of cyanamide or a S salt thereof are used, and/or, in furrow treatment, from 0.03 to "3 kg/ha of cyanamide or a salt thereof is used, and/or, in ratoon treatment, from 0.1 to 10 kg/ha of cyanamide or a salt thereof is used.

A process for improving sprouting in Gramineae as set forth in i claim 1, wherein the Gramineae are sugarcane or rice. 30

6. A process as set forth in claim 1, wherein a spreader-sticker is ll additionally used in a weight ratio of spreader-sticker to cyanamide or salt thereof of from 0.1:1 to 50:1.

7. A process as set forth in claim 1, wherein a spreader-sticker is additionally used in a weight ratio of spreader-sticker to cyanamide or salt thereof of from 1:1 to 10:1. DATED THIS 25th day of November, 1987. BASF AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT EDWD. WATERS SONS, S250 QUEEN STREET, MELBOURNE. VIC. 3000.