IE940658A1 - Plant treatment - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of supplying sulphur to a plant growing in a plant growth medium, or to a plant growth medium in which a plant is to be grown, comprises applying to the plant or to the plant growth medium a composition which includes a plant physiologically acceptable amount of methylsulphonylmethane.

Description

PLANT TREATMENT APPLICATION No 658 This invention relates to a method of supplying sulphur to a plant and to compositions for use in that method.

Sulphur is an essential element in the growth and health of most plants. It is known to treat plants suffering from sulphur deficiency with ionic sulphates, for example magnesium, potassium, or ammonium sulphate. A relatively large weight of ionic sulphate, however, needs to be fed to a plant to provide sufficient sulphur for good health in a form in which the plant can use it.

The term plant is used herein to denote any plant, whether for food, ornamental, or other purposes. The term includes seeds, seedlings, and the like.

We have now found that sulphur may be provided in a physiologically acceptable form for a plant by treating the plant with methylsulphonylmethane. By treating the plant with methylsulphonylmethane (hereinafter referred to as MSM; also known as dimethyl sulphone) in plant physiologically acceptable amounts it is possible to promote healthy plant growth in a plant suffering from sulphur deficiency. This is a surprising result because homologues of MSM, for example ethylsulphonylmethane, are phytotoxic. The weight of MSM required to correct the sulphur deficiency is less than the weight of magnesium sulphate required to produce a similar result.

In addition to the correction of sulphur deficiency, we have also surprisingly found that the supply of MSM to certain varieties of plant may also promote further growth in already healthy plants. The mechanism for this enhancement of growth is not yet known; it may be due to -I ! ,-5 “·ΐ 1' ’ ·.!” s AO I N 3>|(P, ; . ,· , »z -•.«•.-Μ*'*· ?bb.........up! SP1264.A2 July 1994 sulphur donation or it may, for example, be related to an increased permeability of plant cell membranes to nutrient ions induced by the MSM.

According to the present invention there is therefore provided a method of supplying sulphur to a plant growing in a plant growth medium, or to a plant growth medium in which a plant is to be grown, which method comprises applying to the plant or to the plant growth medium a composition which includes a plant physiologically acceptable amount of MSM.

The plant growth medium may be any suitable substrate, for example soil, peat, or other organic medium, or a hydroponic solution.

The invention is suitable for use in conventional agriculture, for example the feeding of farm crops, but it is also particularly suitable for horticulture, and the feeding of plants growing in glass houses, particularly in hydroponic media.

The MSM may be applied as a solution in a solvent, for example water, to the leaves of the plant, or to the soil or other medium in which the plant is growing. Alternatively the MSM may be added to a conventional fertiliser mixture, either as a solid or in liquid form, for administration to the plant.

The invention also provides a composition for use in a method of supplying sulphur to a plant growing in a plant growth medium, or to a plant growth medium in which a plant is to be grown, the composition including a plant physiologically acceptable amount of MSM.

SP1264.A2 July 1994 The composition may consist essentially of MSM which is added as granules, pellets, or a powder to the plant growth medium. MSM is readily commercially available in solid form, and it is suitable for use in its commercially available form. When the MSM is used in solid form it may optionally be formulated in a sustained release form; for example the solid MSM may be coated with a wax, resin, or with elemental sulphur which causes the MSM, after coming into contact with moisture, to dissolve in that moisture over a period of days or weeks.

In a preferred embodiment, the composition comprises MSM and a carrier medium. The carrier medium may be a solid or semi-solid, for example soil, peat, or a fertiliser mixture. The MSM is preferably formulated in the solid or semi-solid mixture at a concentration of 0.01% to 10% by weight, and it is particularly preferred to be in the range 0.5% to 5% by weight. The solid or semi-solid mixture may be dissolved in water prior to its application to a plant or a plant growth medium, or it may be added directly to the plant growth medium. Alternatively the carrier medium may be a liquid; the liquid may be any diluent carrier that does not adversely affect the health of the plant; preferably the liquid is water. The MSM preferably is present in a concentration of 0.01 to 1.0 gl*1 (grams per litre), and it is particularly preferred to be in a concentration of 0.05 to 0.50 gl1. Other nutrients, growth modifiers, or pesticides may also optionally be added to the carrier medium, for example sulphates, phosphates, or nitrates.

The MSM may be incorporated into conventional fertilisers or plant feed additives by admixture as a granular solid, or by dissolving the MSM to form a solution which dries SP1264.A2 July 1994 out during granule formation of, for example, a fertiliser base.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided the use of MSM in the manufacture of a composition for supplying sulphur to a plant growing in a plant growth medium.

Many varieties or families of plant may be treated with MSM as described above, to give an enhancement to growth or to provide a nutritionally beneficial sulphur supplement; these include Brassica, for example cabbage or broccoli, cereals, for example wheat or barley, and root vegetables, for example sugar beet.

The invention also provides a plant which has been treated with a composition including MSM.

To illustrate the invention by way of example, the following experiments were carried out on cabbage seedlings.

EXPERIMENT 1 The seedlings were all prepared by germinating cabbage seeds for a week. The seedlings were then supported by pieces of card so that their roots were in a hydroponic solution and the shoots were in air.

Three basic stock hydroponic solutions were used, and these were composed as follows: SP1264.A2 July 1994 SOLUTION 1 Component Concentration/gl Ca (NO3) 2.4H2O MgSO4.7H2O kh2po4 Ferric EDTA 1.333 0.167 0.333 0.025 Plus Boron, Zinc, Manganese & Molybdenum in trace (sub-micromolar) amounts.

SOLUTION 2 As for Solution 1, but replacing 50% of the magnesium sulphate by a molar equivalent amount of magnesium chloride.

SOLUTION 3 As for solution 1, but replacing all of the magneisum sulphate by a molar equivalent amount of magnesium chloride.

The stock solutions all contain the same concentrations of chemical species, except for a varying ratio of sulphate to chloride ions. Solution 1 provides sufficient sulphate for normal cabbage growth.

MSM was added in varying proportions to each of the stock solutions. For each stock solution, four concentrations of MSM were prepared, at concentrations of 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.50 gl'1.

Each of the 12 combinations of stock solution and MSM was put in a jar, and a seedling was supported in each jar by SP1264.A2 July 1994 means of a piece of card with a hole in it so that the roots of the seedlings were immersed in the solution, and the shoots were in the air above the hardboard.

The seedlings were then allowed to grow for six weeks in a glass house during early summer. The heights of the plants were measured, and an assessment was made of their health by visual observation of the leaves. Results are given in Table 1 for the approximate height of the plants, in mm, for each of the 12 hydroponic solutions.

Solution 2 3 MSM Concentration/gl'1 0.00 0.05 0.10 0.50 115 160 128 115 112 132 147 125 · 61 108 125 86 TABLE 1 Table 1 shows that plants fed on a nutrient solution containing MSM grew taller than those fed on a nutrient solution without MSM. The leaves were also bigger for plants fed on MSM, although this effect was not quantified. A concentration of 0.05 to 0.10 gl'1 of MSM produced healthy plants. At 0.50 gl'1 there was less growth improvement than for the lower concentrations, indicating that 0.50 gl'1 is close to the upper limit for physiological acceptability in cabbages.

Doubling the level of sulphate, without MSM, did not significantly affect the growth of the plants. When MSM was added to the nutrient solutions in any of the experimental concentrations it produced bigger plants. This indicates that MSM can not only provide a SP1264.A2 July 1994 physiologically acceptable source of sulphur for plants, but it may also enhance plant growth.

EXPERIMENT 2 Ten spring cabbage seeds were germinated to produce large seedlings, and then transplanted into commercial compost in a pot. The plants were divided into a test group of five plants and a control group of five plants, and were watered twice weekly. The plants in the test group were treated with MSM at a concentration of 0.1 gl'1, in the water, and the plants in the control group were not treated with MSM.

Miracle-Gro all-purpose water soluble plant food was fed equally to both test groups. Miracle-Gro is a registered trade mark. The plant food comprises nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK), in an approximate ratio of 1:2:1. It has trace quantities of iron, copper, zinc, manganese, boron, and molybdenum. Solutions of the plant food were prepared according to the manufacturer's instructions, using 18 ml of plant food per 4.5 litres of water. Each plant was fed with an equal quantity of the solution of plant food every 10 days, as indicated by soil dryness.

The plants were kept outdoors and protected from above against rain. After eight weeks of treatment the plants were each removed from the compost by cutting through the stem of the plant at a point level with the surface of the surrounding compost, and then weighed. Results for the test group and the control group are given in Table 2 below. The numbers are the weight in grams of each plant.

SP1264.A2 July 1994 TEST GROUP CONTROL GROUP 830 590 752 680 726 628 682 632 746 628 MEAN 747 632 TABLE 2 The test group treated with MSM averaged a little over 18% greater weight than the control group. The spring cabbages in the test group were noticeably larger than those in the control group, and had larger fronds.

Furthermore, the internodes of the plants treated with MSM were noticeably shorter, and the stems were noticeably thicker, than those of the plants in the control group. This makes the cabbages in the control group less prone to wind damage, as well as looking aesthetically more pleasing.

Thus MSM may be used to aid plant growth in compost as well as hydroponic plant growth media.

Claims (15)

1. A method of supplying sulphur to a plant growing in a plant growth medium, or to a plant growth medium in which a plant is to be grown, which method comprises applying to the plant or to the plant growth medium a composition which includes a plant physiologically acceptable amount of MSM.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the composition comprises MSM in a carrier medium.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the carrier medium is a fertiliser mixture.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the carrier medium is water.

5. A composition for use in a method of supplying sulphur to a plant growing in a plant growth medium, or to a plant growth medium in which a plant is to be grown, the composition including a plant physiologically acceptable amount of MSM.

6. A composition as claimed in claim 5, which comprises MSM and a carrier medium.

7. A composition as claimed in claim 5, wherein the carrier medium is a solid or semi-solid.

8. A composition as claimed in claim 5, wherein the MSM is present in a concentration in the range 0.01 to 10% by weight. SP1264.A2 26 July 1994

9. A composition as claimed in claim 5, wherein the MSM is present in a concentration in the range 0.5 to 5% by weight. 10. A carrier composition medium is a as claimed liquid. in claim 5, wherein the 11. A liquid composition is water. as claimed in claim 10, wherein the 12 . A composition as claimed in claim 10 or claim 11, wherein 0.01 to the MSM is present in a 1.0 gl 1 · concentration in the range 13 . A composition as claimed in claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the MSM is present in a concentration in the range 0.05 to 0.5 gl' 1 ·

10. 14. A composition as claimed in claim 7, wherein the MSM is formulated in a sustained release form.

11. 15. A composition as claimed in claim 5, further including a conventional plant fertiliser mixture.

12. 16. The use of MSM in the manufacture of a composition for supplying sulphur to a plant growing in a plant growth medium.

13. 17. A plant which has been treated with a composition which includes MSM.

14. 18. A method of supplying sulphur to a plant or to a plant growth medium substantially as hereinbefore described. SP1264.A2 26 July 1994

15. 19. A composition for use in a method of supplying sulphur to a plant growing in a plant growth medium, or to a plant growth medium in which a plant is to be grown, substantially as hereinbefore described.