MXPA00006013A - Method and composition for combatting insects and viruses transmitted to plants thereby - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for protecting growing plants from insects and from insect-transmitted plant viruses, which comprises applying to a locus or loci selected from surfaces of growing plants and their background, a composition comprising reflective particles of at least one substance, provided that this is not solely uncoated aluminum, whereby said composition is effective to repel said insects and thus protect the plants. Furthermore the invention relates to a composition for protecting growing plants from insects and from insect-transmitted plant viruses, which comprises reflective particles of at least one substance, together with at least one agriculturally acceptable diluent, carrier or adjuvant, provided that said substance is not solely uncoated aluminum.

Description

"". METHOD AND. PAR COMPOSITION? COMBAT THE INSECTS AND THE VIRUSES THAT THEY TRANSMIT TO THE PLANTS. "DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention refers to a method and a composition to combat the insects and the viruses that they transmit to the plants by repelling them. insects of plants A constant objective of the people who manage - within agriculture is to increase the yields of crops such as vegetables, in particular, fight against the pests of plants such as viruses. They are introduced by insects.The use of insecticides does not provide a complete answer to this problem due to the well-known phenomenon of the increase of insect resistance to insecticides.In an article by Smith, FF and ebb, RE, titled "The repellence of aphids by reflective surfaces ..." ("Repelling Aphids by Reflective Surfaces ...") and described on pages 631 to 639 of "Viruses, Vectors and Vegetation" (Karl Maramo Rosch, ed.), Interscience Publishers, 1969, reference is made to previous works and describes the reaction of the aphids to different colors and, in particular, the discovery that aphids are attracted by yellow-colored objects. or modified yellow (as, for example, a yellow saucepan), but which are also influenced by the nature REF.120436 read or the color of the environment surrounding the yellow, for example, the unpainted aluminum pans that surround the yellow pots repel the aphids. The article also -of course the foliage sprayed, especially that -which has a whitish residue, traps the aphids to the ground. -The authors of this publication then describe the results of their own experiments, in which they affirm that the foliar aluminum aero soles repel as many aphids as the-aluminum sheets. However, these aerosols have a lot of disadvantages, because the aerosol deposits adhere to the plants only for 2 or 3 days and then lose their effectiveness, or in the case of harsh plants covered with hair (such as the cucumber, melon and tobacco) said aerosols-leave an opaque gray deposit that does not repel aphids. It has been found that the most persistent aluminum-based aerosols containing adhesives prevent foliage growth. The authors discovered that employing aluminum sheets as layers of manure and straw in experiments with shrub thickets, a maximum of aphid repellency is obtained - when 50% of the soil is covered, and that much higher yields are obtained than when using parathion aerosol or that in a control experiment. They also reported that the aluminum sheets did not repel aphids of all plant species. Japanese document No. 04-190733A (published in July 1992) describes a multiple film for repelling noxious sects and accelerating the growth of vegetation, prepared from a composition containing a thermoplastic resin, powder of metallic and mica aluminum, and optionally, for example, antioxidants, agents to discharge the static electricity and agents that absorb UV light. In the Japanese document N5 04-152833A (published in May of 1992) a similar product is described to reduce the effect of harmful insects on agricultural products, but in which (in particular) the mica of the previous composition is replaced. by a mica -recovered with TiO- in the form of a pearly pigment. Everything disclosed in the cited literature and in the Japanese patent publications mentioned above is explicitly incorporated in this text as a reference. Therefore, the tendency of the pre-art literature that the applicant was aware of, in regard to insect repellency by using reflective materials, is to use a sheet material that is either reflective by itself, as in the case of the aluminum sheets described in the Smith and Webb articles, or is apparently reflective because it contains reflectant particles, as in the case of the published Japanese patent applications, which were mentioned above. However, these sheet materials present two important disadvantages. First, they tend to heat the microenvironment of the plants they are trying to protect, so that in hot climates the plants can be damaged or even destroyed by the intense heat induced by these sheets. Second, these sheets are very expensive, in the order of -US $ 500 per 0.1 hectare. S. Marco reported in Phytopathology, 76: p. 1344 to - 1348 (1986), the results of the experiments in which potato crops were sprayed weekly with slurry. It was covered that the cylindrical virus of the potato leaves was reduced - by 0 - 61% and that the Y virus of the potato did it by 0 - 68%. It was also found that the slurry produced the repellency of a number of aphid species and the attraction of a species (the determination was carried out by comparing the number of aphids - taken to the sprayed traps and to the control traps). However, the use of grout has serious disadvantages, namely: the repellent effect it exerts on insects is not powerful enough; an increase in concentration in the spray can be harmful to plants; and the -rooted crops would require special treatment to remove the grout from the fruits or vegetables in question. In fact, farmers practically do not use the slurry to protect the crops, except to paint the bark of the trees. In accordance with the present invention it was surprisingly discovered that insects can be effectively removed from growing plants in a considerably more economical way than the usual methods employing protective reflective sheets. This way makes it possible to avoid damage or destruction of the plants that occurs when using such sheets in hot climates and does not have the disadvantages of the slurry mentioned above. Accordingly, the present invention provides a method for protecting growing plants from insects and viruses that are transmitted through insects, a method that consists of applying to a selected location of the growing plant surfaces. and the surrounding medium a composition containing reflective particles of at least one substance, as long as it is not only uncoated aluminum, said composition being effective in repelling insects and thus protecting the plants. From another aspect, the invention provides a composition - to protect growing plants from insects and from - viruses that are transmitted through insects, a composition containing reflecting particles of at least one substance together with at least one diluent, vehicle or additive acejp_table from the agricultural point of view, provided that the substance is not only uncoated aluminum. The present invention provides a way to avoid, at least to a large extent, the deleterious effect exerted by destructive insects and viruses transmitted by insects on growing plants. The method of the invention also decreases the temperature of the plant microenvironment, which can be of great importance in warm climates, for example avoids leaf burns in the zucchini and increases the quality and sweetness of the melons. In addition, the Ivent method exhibits a reflection of the infrared region that is -dependent of the wavelength. According to the invention, the composition containing the reflective particles can be applied on the surfaces of the growing plants and / or on the surrounding medium in any manner known in the prior art. - Spraying is now preferred, but it is not excluded, for example, the use of powders to dust the plants. As can be deduced from the preceding paragraphs, the compositions of the invention that can be employed in the method of the invention are essentially mixtures that can take any form that is known in the prior art, for example, they can be presented in the form of suspensions. or dispersions to be applied as an aerosol, or they can take the form of a powder to be sprinkled. In all cases they may contain conventional and lipophilic diluents, vehicles or lipophilic additives that are acceptable from an agricultural point of view. Among the diluents there may be mentioned, for example, mineral oil, vegetable oil and water. Aqueous suspensions or dispersions may contain, for example, surfactants and / or adhesives for ligating the reflective particles to the plants.

The powders may contain, for example, solid carriers or diluents such as chalk or diatomaceous earths. The term "reflective particles" includes powders, platelets, flakes and sheets that reflect light and also substances that reflect light, which are usually used in pigments and are indicated in more detail below. As reflecting particles (or powders or plaques) which can be used to carry out the method of the invention, for example, layered silicates such as talc, kaolin, sericite or mica, glass plates, Si0 scales ?, flake ceramics, Ti02 flakes, lithopones, barium sulfate in the form of platelets, alumina or micaceous iron oxide in the form of platelets, in particular, when it is coated with one or more layers of alkaline earth metal carbons, alkaline earth metal sulfates or metal oxides such as Ti0", Fe203, SnO, Si02, -A120 ,, ZnO, ZrO and mixtures of these compounds. Coated mica platelets are, for example, those which are known under the trade names of "Iriodin" (Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Ale mania) and "Mearlin" or "MagnaPearl" (The Mearl Corporation, New - York, USA) and that are used as pearlescent pigments. In particular, mica platelets coated with Ti02 are preferred, and / or Fe203. A particular and non-limiting example of the composition of the Mearlin coated mica platelets, considered as useful for the present invention, is that of "Mearlin Card Silver BN001" which generally contains from 64 to 67% mica, from 22 to 31 % of Ti02, 2 to 4% of graphite ("Graphitan 6154") and 0.1 to 0.5% of Sn02. The utility of this last product - in the practice of the invention does not in any way exclude the use of mica coated with Ti02. in which the coating contains different amounts of graphite and Sn02, or contains only one or none of these ingredients, or contains other minor ingredients. Another example of the reflective particles, powders or platelets that can be used in the practice of the present invention is constituted by crystals of --BiOCl which in the stores is sold under the trademark - "Mearlite" (The Mearl Corporation). Another example of the reflective particles (or powders or platelets) that can be used to carry out the present invention is aluminum coated with epoxy and / or polyester and marketed by Debra Incorporated (New York, USA) under the trademark " Debrex ". Copper or bronze reflecting particles, etc., are also potentially useful for carrying out the invention. Other examples of reflective particles, powders or platelets which can be used to carry out the method of the invention are constituted by an iridescent gloss pigment and also marketed by Debra Incorpora-ted such as (i) "HT glitter", (ii) "LR glitter" and (iii) "SR glitter". The essential polymers of these compositions are the following ^ (i) polyethylene terephthalate + acrylate copolymer; (ii) polybutylene terephthalate + acrylic copolymer + ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer; (iii) polyethylene terephthalate + polybutylene terephthalate + ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer. Mixtures of reflective particles are also preferred in combination with absorbent pigments such as, for example, carbon black. The person skilled in the art should know that for the purposes of the invention the active substances for repelling insects are chosen according to their properties of light reflection, pearling or gloss, and that the chemical composition is, in effect, a consideration. Secondary, but bearing in mind that the present invention aims primarily at treating crops intended for human consumption, it is also highly desirable that the active substances that repel insects are not toxic. The person skilled in the art must also take into account that when reflective particles or platelets are offered by the manufacturer in a vehicle to be used as pigments., such - vehicles can make these products unsuitable for agricultural application, in which they are often used predoppently water vehicles. In other words, normally the active substances for repelling insects must initially be in solvent-free form and then they must be introduced for use in an aqueous medium.; this general principle does not exclude in any way the possibility of using such a commercial substance in a vehicle suitable for agricultural application, provided that there are no toxic substances in it. Without detracting from the general nature of the invention it should be mentioned that at present it is considered that the method of the invention will be especially applicable for repelling aphids, skipjack, Lariomyza Bryoniae, white flies and thrips of growing plants, protecting them in this way. both of these insects and of the viruses that transmit these insects. The examples given below serve to illustrate the invention. Example 1 Along one side of a cotton field were placed six yellow plates (20 x 40 cm) in a row and at a distance of 15 meters from the edge of the field. Another six of these - yellow plates were similarly placed forming - a second row, but at a distance of 25 meters from the edge of a field. The plates were sprayed (two of each row) respectively with 1% aqueous suspensions (containing 0.1% of the surface active agent "Shatach 90") of coated mica-with titanium dioxide (MT0.) and of mica coated with titanium oxide and graphite (BN001, as described above), for which the plates were previously sanded in order to improve the distribution of the spray (which was not uniformly distributed anyway). ). From each row two control plates were chosen that were not sprayed. Each of these rodents was followed by another spraying with a transparent "Rimi-put" glue to adhere the chips that rested on the plate. The experiment was started at dusk on day 1 and the pineapples were collected on the afternoon of day 5. The number of leaflets on each plate was as follows: Control M.T.O. BN001 1 446 34 33 2 598 45 28 3 408 45 21 4 534 40 35 average 496.5 41 29.9 Deviation 74.32 4.53 5.4 standard Summary of the results. The effectiveness of the M.T.O and BN001 to reduce the number of captured skips was 91.73 and 94%, respectively, compared to the control; while the BN001 reduced the n5 of skips captured by 28.56%, compared with the M.T.O. Example 2 In a field of melons, twenty yellowish plates (20 x 20 cm) were randomly placed and sprayed respectively in groups of five with 1% aqueous suspensions (containing 0.1% of the surfactant "Shatach"). 90") of mica -without coating (M), of mica coated with titanium oxide (MTO) and mica coated with titanium oxide and graphite (BN001), for which the plates were previously sanded in order to improve the distribution of the dew (which was not evenly distributed anyway). Five control plates were not sprayed. Each of these sprays was followed by another spray-with a transparent tail, as in Example 1. After four days, the number of white flies and jumping on each plate was as follows: (a) White flies: effect of the sprayed on the number of white flies collected; Control No. M.T.O, BN001 1 432 368 344 124 2 469 421 132 321 3 500 370 217 256 4 493 437 203 280 535 375 278 132 Average 485.8 394.2 234.8 176.4 Deviation 34.2 28.95 71.68 1o8.89 standard Summary of results The effectiveness of M.T.o.and BN001 to reduce the incidence of captured whiteflies was approximately 50-60%, while M only reduced the incidence of captured whiteflies by 20%. (b) Saltari lees: effect of the spray on the number of harvested shoots: Control M M.T.O, BN001 1 39 9 977 6 6 5 2 69 4 488 5 5 10 3 55 2288 33 2 4 92 8833 1155 2 5 77 4433 33 5 Average 66.4 56.8 6.4 4.8 Deviation 18.19 25.9 4.5 2.9 standard Summary of the results. The effectiveness of M.T.O. and BN001 to reduce the incidence of captured skips was approximately 90%; M also showed a tendency (not statistics) to reduce the incidence of captured skips. Example 3 On July 25, 1991, Galia melon was planted in a test urvlote containing four rows of approximately seventy plants each. The plants were divided into three groups: the control group without spraying, another group that was sprayed with a commercial oil ("Virol") and the other group that was sprayed according to the present invention (this aerosol consisted of a suspension - 1% aqueous epoxy-coated aluminum particles - containing (approximately) 0.1% of a surfactant and 0.1% of an agricultural polyvinyl adhesive). The sprays were carried out after the formation of the first leaf (July 30), and then again on the 4th, 9th, 15th, 20th, 25th and 30th of September and September 11 and 16. The spraying left only faint marks on the vegetation that could be seen with great difficulty. Monitoring of pepi-no mosaic virus (VMP) (which is transmitted by aphids) was carried out -three dates before harvesting; monitoring of the virus - yellowing the cucumber leaves (CYVV) (which is transmitted by the whitefly) - was carried out only on the first date, as the virus had disappeared in the next two days. The monitoring was carried out in each case by observation, subjecting any doubtful case to a laboratory examination to obtain a serological confirmation of the infection. Below are the results of these experiments in which each group has its date assigned and contains 62 to 75 plants. Percentages of the infected plants in the group Control Group Date "Virol" To the coated epoxy cori 23 of 1 13.3 7.7 1.6 August 2 10.0 12.5 4.4 (VMP) 3 11.3 2.9 1.5 4 7.7 7.4 1.4 Average 10.7 7.7 2.3 of 1 20.0 9.2 1.6 August 2 12.9 18.1 4.4 (VMP) 3 16.1 4.3 1.5 4 7.7 7.4 1.4 Average 14.3 9.9 2.3 16 of 1 20.0 9.2 1.6 septiem2 12.9 18.1 4.4 bre (VMP) 3 16.1 10.1 4.6 4 23.1 8.8 2.9 Average 18.0 11.7 3.4 Date Control Group "Virol" Al coated with. epoxy 23 of 1 24.0 20.0 6.3 August 2 21.4 5.6 1.5 (CYW) 3 6.5 21.7 1.5 4 7.7 2.9 10.1 Average 15. 4 12. 4 4. 9 Conclusions: the results shown in the table indicate that the percentage of infection in the plants treated with the oil was moderately lower than that of the control plants, while the plants sprayed according to the invention - they exhibited a percentage of infection considerably lower than that of the control plants. Example 4. A 50 x 50 cm plywood board was painted. -of a green color similar to the leaves of the mature pumpkin. This color was chosen to represent the attraction of insects to plants. Two additional controls were added: one yellow, which attracts several species (aphids, white chests, various hoppers, etc.), and another one that represents poor attraction, similar to that exerted by bare ground. The green boards were also used as background colors on which each of the pigmejítos was applied. Five tables were exposed for each color on the ground and close to a cotton field and a certain wild vegetation in the vicinity of Kibbutz Nachshon, a locality located on the central and inland coastal plain which lies approximately 30 km south. from Tel Aviv and 40 km north of Jerusalem. The tables were distributed randomly within the terrain, maintaining a distance of 7 m between each -one. The pigments were applied to these tables by -root. Once a week they were placed on each table - two A4 transparencies to which a sticky substance had been applied to catch the insects. These transparencies were moved to recount and replaced by new ones. The exhibitions were held on August 21 and 28 and also on September 4, 11 and 25. The design of the kidney correctly responded to the monitoring of insects, for which the captures on the yellow colors were taken as positive and the captures on the brown colors as negative (see the attached table). Although particular forms of embodiment of the invention have been described in this text, the person skilled in the art should bear in mind that various variations and modi fi cations can be made. The present invention encompasses all of these variations and modifications which are within the scope or concept of the present invention and which are apparent to the skilled attendant upon reading the present specification and the claims that follow.

Total catch of skips. Thistóptaros and white flies on two A4 transparencies located on 5 painted boards (10 in total). The count corresponds to the exhibition between August 21 and September 25 at Kibbutz Nachshon. > V = green; A = yellow; M = brown.

Iriodin® 120: Coated mica can T02 with a particle size of 5 to 20 μm (ivierck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany). Iriodin® 221: coated mica can Ti02 with a particle size of 5 to 25 μm (Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany). Iriodin® 231: coated mica can 1102 with a particle size of 5 to 25 μm (M = rck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany). Iriodin® silver and bluish: mica coated with Ti02 / sub-oxides of titanium with a particle size of 10 to 40 um (Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany). Timiran® super blue: coated mica can? L02 with a particle size of 10 to 60 um (Merck KGaA, Daimstadt, Germany). Iriodin® 235: mica coated with Ti02 with a particle size of 10 to 60 μm (Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany). Iriodin® 9612: mica coated with FeTIO3 with a particle size < 15 um flvferck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany). Iriodin® 289: Coated mica can T102 with a particle size of 10 to 125 μm (Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany).

Iriodin® 9602: mica coated with FeTi03 with a particle size of 10 to 40 um (Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany). Iriodin® 163: mica coated with Ti02 with a particle size of 20 to 180 μm (Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany). Iriodin® 100: mica coated with Ti02 with a particle size of 10 to 60 μm (Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany). Iriodin® 299: mica coated with Ti02 with a particle size of 10 to 125 μm (Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany).

It is noted that in relation to this date the best method known by the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims (17)

1. CLAIMS Having described the invention as above, the content of the following claims is claimed as property: 1. A method to protect growing plants from insects and viruses that are transmitted through insects, characterized in that it consists in applying a composition containing reflecting particles of at least one substance to a chosen place on the surfaces of growing plants and the surrounding medium, provided that - and when this is not only uncoated aluminum, said composition effective to repel said insects and thus - protect the plants.
2. 2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the composition is adapted to be applied on the surfaces in question in the form of aerosol or powder.
3. 3. A method according to claim 2, characterized in that the composition is an aqueous suspension or dispersion of said reflecting particles.
4. 4. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that the aqueous suspension or dispersion contains at least one surfactant or adhesive agent.
5. 5. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the particles are chosen from the group formed by the numeral, mica coated with Ti02, mica coated with Fe203, mica coated with both Ti02 and Fe203, mica coated with both Ti02 as with graphite, reflective copper, reflective bronze, reflective coated aluminum and BiOCl.
6. 6. A method according to claim 5, characterized in that the mica coated with Ti02 also contains in its -coating at least one of the graphite and Sn02 components.
7. 7. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the particles are constituted by pigment-free iridescent brightness.
8. 8. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the particles comprise the pearled particles.
9. 9. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the insects are chosen from the group formed by the -fatids, the hoppers, Lariomyza Bryoniae, the white flies and the tisanóptaros.
10. 10. A composition for protecting plants in the growth of insects and viruses that are transmitted through the insect, characterized in that it contains reflecting particles of at least one substance together with at least one -diluent, vehicle or additive. acceptable from the agricultural point of view, with the proviso that said substance is not only uncoated aluminum.
11. 11. A composition according to claim 10, characterized in that it is adapted to be applied on the supers of the growing plants in the form of aerosol or powder.
12. 12. A composition according to claim 11, characterized in that it is an aqueous suspension or dispersion of several reflecting particles.
13. 13. A composition according to claim 12, characterized in that the aqueous suspension or dispersion contains, in addition, at least one surfactant or adhesive.
14. 14. A composition according to claim 10, characterized in that the particles are chosen from the group formed by mica, mica coated with Ti02, mica coated with -Fe2 3, mica coated with both Ti02 and graphite, reflective copper, bronze reflective, reflective aluminum and BiOCl.
15. 15. A composition according to rei indication 14, characterized in that the mica coated With Ti02 also contains in its coating at least one of the graphite and Sn0? Components.
16. 16. A composition according to claim 10, characterized in that the particles are constituted by pigment-free iridescent brightness.
17. 17. A composition according to claim 10, characterized in that the particles comprise the pearlescent particles.