MXPA97009019A - Composition and method for treatment of semi - Google Patents

Abstract

The development of seedlings was improved by applying a water-soluble non-aromatic polyamino acid such as polyaspartic acid to the seeds, for example corn and soybean, the germination time was decreased and the development speed of the seedling was increased, the composition can be applied to the seeds with a liquid or solid vehicle or in combination with other treatments for seeds, such as nutrients and pesticides

Description

COMPOSITION AND METHOD FOR SEED TREATMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Compositions for seed treatment for agricultural crops are known. However, many of these rats are based on compositions that have certain inconvenient attributes, and in modern agriculture they could be termed as nsatisfac + opas for the environment. For example, the compositions for tra + armen + o that contribute to the influx that causes environmental problems, such as eutrophication of groundwater, contamination by nitrate, contamination by phosphate, and Lares are satisfactory. With increasing public interest in the impact of materials placed on the ground or at the treatment point to the environment, there is an ever-increasing need to develop effective treatments for seeds that are satisfactory for the environment, that do not cause damage. to the plant, and that they are effective for a broad spectrum of agricultural plants. This invention relates to said seed treatment to reduce the germination time, increase the speed of germination and increase the percentage of seedlings that develop. Therefore, this invention has as its main objective the coverage of the previous needs, in particular the development of a treatment for seeds that is not toxic and is sati f ctor or for the environment, for CUJ + LVOS such as rna? .z, t.rL < Jo, soyas and other crops that propagate from seeds, which increases the speed of germination of seed, the percentage of emergence, as well as the survival of the seedlings that emerge with plants. A further objective of the present invention is to provide a composition that achieves each of the above objects and / or advantages listed, which contains a poly-acrylate of a molecular weight large enough so that it is not borne by the serine or the emerging seedling, and at the same time does not cause pollution to the environment during inflow. Another objective of the present invention is to provide a treatment for seed that is non-toxic and is acceptable for the environment, which can be combined with other treatments or seed coatings such as insecticides and treatments for seed and plant diseases, and nutrients from seeds. seed. A further objective of the present invention is to provide a composition that can be, at the user's option, used as a composition for seed treatment in liquid form or a dry composition for powder application to the seed. Another objective of the present invention is to provide a seed treatment composition that can be used with rnonocotyledons such as corn, and dicotyledonous such as soy. The method to achieve each of the foregoing objectives of the invention, as well as others, will be evident from the detailed description that follows below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The seed treatment compositions of the present invention comprise non-toxic polyarninoacids acceptable to the environment, such as polyapartic acid or salts of the ism that have a molecular weight greater than 1500. The composition can be applied to the seeds in a suitable vehicle such as water or in a powder that is not harmful to the seeds or to the environment. The seeds are planted after conventional manner. The mechanism of action, which is not known with precision, in some way allows the polyarninoacid to promote the development of seedlings, that is, it decreases germination time, increases the number of seeds that germinate, and increases the survival of cells. . In addition, the composition can also be combined with nutrients and other seed treatments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows Florida maize trials for the seed treatment of this invention from Table 1, illustrated graphically for Test 1 (10/18/93). The figure ? Are you testing Florida soybeans for seed treatment of this invention of the Table? , illustrated graphically for test 5 (04/11/93). Figure 3 shows evidence of Dixon's corn, Illinois, for seed treatment of this invention as illustrated in Table 3 par-a test l.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is based on the fact that it has been discovered that certain compounds, mainly certain organic organic amino acids which are presented in the above co-pending application of the present inventors and issued as US Patent No. 5,350,735, can be used in a composition for seed treatment and applied directly, but not in a limited way, to seeds such as corn, soybeans and wheat, with the result that the germination time is reduced, the number of seeds that germinate is increased, and the survival of the seedlings is increased. Although no theory is desired, it is believed that organic polyrneic acids interact in some way with soil and soil nutrients to otherwise improve the effect of these nutrients as they interact with the seed. In general, the polyrnepic organic acids can be applied directly to the seed as a solution or in combination with other available additives as well. The solutions containing the organic acid polirnepco can be applied to the seed by means of spraying, or in some other way, for example in a seed soak. Solid or dried materials containing the polyarnene organic acid are also useful to promote effective seed growth. Solid or dry materials can be applied as a powder or composition for sprinkling. Lü Poluneric organic acids, to be suitable in the practice of the present invention, must be water-soluble, non-aromatic, and must have a molecular weight large enough to prevent absorption into the plant system itself. To that end, the units (waste), or L5 parts, of non-aromatic polypnepic organic acid in the linear polyrnene chain, constitute polirnecopic acid. Polymeric organic acids having a molecular weight of about LOO, 000 usually exhibit low solubility in water for the present purposes, thus, for the present purposes, a polyrneric organic acid of molecular weight no greater than 20% is preferred. approximately 100,000. The particularly preferred molecular weight is in the range of about 1,500 to about 40,000. Illustrative are organic polyrneric acids, 5 with or without side chains of carboxylic acid, thiocarboxylic acid, amidocarboxyl, and / or arnine, such as, for example, polyacrylic acid, polyacrylic acid, polysilva, polyglutaric acid, pol-aspartic acid, pol Glycine, polyethylene, polysteine and glutarnic acid, mixtures of the forepeak, and the like. Block or random copolymers or terpolymers of various organic acids are also within the consideration of the present invention as the polyrnecopic acid component thereof. For example, the polyrneric acid component used may be a block copolymer of aspartic acid residues and residues of L-lactic acid, a random copolymer of aspartic acid residues and glycolic acid residues, a conjugated protein constituted by waste chains of inter-connected amino acid with one or more polycarboxylic acid residues, a copolymer of acrylic acid and acplamide, and the like. Polymers of organic acids are available commercially. In addition, these polynucleic acids, especially the innocuous polyacids, can be made by thermal condensation methods, among others. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,057,597 to Koskan, Little et al., American Chemical Society 97: 263-279 (1991), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,981 par-a Harada and others. The starting materials for the polymerization, ie the organic acids, can exist as optical isomers, depending on their respective structures, and can be polimerized either as a racernic mixture or as segregated optical isomers. A racemic mixture is an equal mixture of the two possible optical isomers - the levorot tone and dextrorotat orio isomers. The avoros levorot isomers (1) are isomers of an optically active compound that rotate a beam of polarized light to the left; the dextrorotatopos isomers (d) are isomers of the compound ism that rotate a beam of polarized light to the right. Another convention used to define the configuration relationships of different functional groups attached to a carbon atom asirnetp co, the so-called Fischer method, is based on the geometric arrangement of functional groups in relation to one another, instead of the direction (left or right) in which a standard solution of the compound rotates a beam of polarized light. The F scher method is known in the art and is discussed in more detail in Fieser S Fieser, Introd? Ct on to Organic Chernistry, D.C. Heath and Co., Boston, llassachusetts. , (195?) On pages 209-215. The Fischer method designations are used herein. In accordance with Fischer's method, any cornp? This containing an asymmetric carbon atom of the same configuration as the asymmetric atom in the arbitrary pattern, dextrorotative glyceraldehyde, is classified in the D series, while the compounds in which the Asymmetric carbon atom has the opposite configuration is classified in the L series. Although the Fischer D and L classifications do not correlate with the optical activity dextro (d) and levorotatopa (1) for all compounds, these classifications can be used in combination with the optical activity classifications D and L to define both the geometric arrangement and the specific optical activity of any optically active isomer. In this way, the L-terminal of lactic acid, which is dextrorotate, is defined as L- (d) -lactic acid, and the D isomer is defined as acid D ~ (1) -Letic. However, both of these characteristics of relatively simple compounds can be adequately defined with reference only to a classification system. For example, the L-lactic acid is known to be dextrorotatory and the 1-lactide acid is known to have the D configuration according to Fischer. For this reason, the D and L isomers of lactic acid and other relatively simple organic compounds are usually identified only by means of Descriptions D and L, and without explicit reference to their optical activity. For organic acids which exhibit optical activity, polymers and copolymers of the L-isorneros are preferred. However, racernic mixtures, such as polymers and copolymers of the D-isomers, can be used for the present purposes. In some cases, either the L-form or the D-form may exhibit greater biological activity in relation to the growth of the plant. In these cases, the active form is, of course, the preferred form.

Polyorganic acids are not particularly suitable for the practice of the present invention, such as lactic acid and sirollar acid, as well as inorganic acids such as polyaspartic acid, which have a molecular weight on a scale of about 1,500 to about 40,000, polyglottic acid having a molecular weight on the scale of about 4,000 to about 14,000, poly glycine having a molecular weight in the range of more than 1,500 to about 7,000, and polylysine which It has a molecular weight in the scale of approximately 2,000 to approximately 7,000. The term "chelate", as used herein in its various forms, refers to a complex formed by a polydentate ligand, that is, a ligand that provides more than one pair of electrons to a cation. See for example, Masterson et al., Chemical Principies, b ed. , Saunders College Publishing Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1985), p. 635. Similarly, the term "chelating agent", as it is used in the present in its vain forms, refers to a ligand that possesses at least two pairs of non-shared electrons, these pairs being sufficiently far apart from each other to give a ring structure with a stable geometry, ibid, p. 638. The polyorganic acids currently contemplated are not chelating agents, and as such, do not form chelates with plant nutrients.

A preferred composition for the seed treatment of the present invention is polyaspartic acid, or was mentioned above. The aspartic polyacid may be used as the sole seed treatment, or may be used in combination with other conventional seed treatments such as insecticides, seed nutrients, herbicide antidotes, and treatments against seed diseases and seedlings. Although it is preferred to use the polyaspartic acid as the sole treatment agent in a sunscreen vehicle such as water, other treatment agents may also be used, such as seed nutrients, insecticides and treatments against seed and seedling diseases. In addition, small amounts of drying agent enhancers such as lower alcohols, etc. can be used in the composition. If desired, surfactants, ernulsifiers and preservatives can also be added at low levels (0.5% by weight or less) to increase the stability of the seed coat product. The seed coating composition can be a liquid carrier composition, such as when the polyarninoaspartic acid is solubilized in water, or it can be a powder composition with conventional glutinosity additives to ensure that the seeds adhere and coat. Suitable glues of talc are graphites and cellulose materials such as carboxymethyl cellulose and L L I love you. The seeds may be coated using a variety of methods including, but not limited to, pouring or pumping an aqueous solution of polyaspartate into a seed containing device, spraying an aqueous polyaspartate solution into a mixing device. e contains seeds, application by spray of an aqueous solution of poliasparta or on a layer of seeds on a conveyor system. Mixing devices useful in the present invention include, but are not limited to, tumblers, such as cement mixers and roller mills, and fluidized bed reactors. A stream of dry air may optionally be used to aid in the drying of the seed coatings. The drying can be carried out simultaneously with the coating or after coating. The aqueous polyaspartate solution can be an aqueous solution of polyaspartic acid or polyaspartic acid salts. The salts of the polyaspartic acid are preferably sodium, potassium or ammonium salts. The most preferred polyaspartic acid salt is the sodium salt. The molecular weight of the polyaspartate can be from about 1500 to about 100, 000 The molecular weight of the polyaspartate is preferably from about 1500 to about 40,000. The concentrations of the aqueous polyaspartate solution useful in the present invention are preferably from about Lf)% by weight to about 60% by weight. The concentrations of the aqueous polysate solution or useful in the present invention are very preferably from about 20% by weight to about 30% by weight. The seed coatings were carried out in the following manner: Corn seeds or soybeans (0.454 kg) were placed in a 4 1 volume metallic cylinder on a roller mill. The lid of the metal cylinder had approximately a hole of 5 crn in diameter in the middle part. The mill was tilted at approximately an angle of 30 ° to prevent any seed from coming out of the hole in the lid. The mill was started with a rotation speed of about 60 rprn and 6.0 rnl of 28% aqueous solution (w / w) of sodium polyaspartate in increments of 1 rnl was added for 20 minutes. An air hose was placed in the hole in the lid of the can and a stream of dry air was passed over the seeds while they were still stirring, for about 30 minutes. Then 3 milliliters of 28% aqueous polyaspartate solution were added for about 10 minutes and the air stream was continued for 30 to 40 minutes, until the seeds were stirred freely without adhesion. The seeds to which the treatment was applied may be either monocotyledone such as corn and wheat, or dicotyledonous such as soybean. The seed coat can also be used for seeds of fruits and vegetables such as melons, tomatoes and lettuce. The following examples further illustrate the process and compositions of the present invention, but not the 1 mimic.

EXAMPLE 1 Corn seeds were coated with a 50% strength solution based on the weight of sodium polyaspartate and water. The seeds were mixed with the sodium polyaspartate water solution which, at this concentration, was distinctly sticky. After mixing evenly, the seeds were allowed to air dry. In the tests shown below a conventional fertilizer was used, that is, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, in the normal proportion used by the farmer who participated in the test. The reference to "IX" means the normal fertilizer used by the farmer at the normal rate of application; 1 / 2X means half of the normal proportion used by the farmer, and 1 / 4X means a quarter of the normal proportion used by the farmer, etc. Vain tests were carried out over a period of 2 years to determine if the sodium polyaspartate actually increases the germination rate, that is, the amount of time it takes to germinate the seedling, and also increases the degree of establishment (percentage of plants What do they emerge? In this example for corn located in Florida, corn was planted by conventional methods at different levels of fertilizer, as shown in Table L. Figure 1 graphically illustrates table L, (test 1), with the ee X being the fertilizer application rate and the ee Y being the account of the degree of establishment or the number of plants in a given uniform pair. Table 1 (below) shows the results of seed treated with sodium polyaspartate and untreated seed. Figure 1 shows the results for test number 1. It can be seen in Table 1 that the plot with seed treated with sodium polyaspartate had a higher degree of establishment than the untreated seed. The numbers are significant and indicate that assuming that the plant would progress-usually to maturity-there would be a substantially increased yield.

L5 TABLE 1 EMERGENCY OF THE CORN FROM THE SEED (Number of sheets per 24"4 rows of groove) Proportion of Feasting Date IX 1 / 2X 1 / 4X L / OX 10/18/93 treated 109.67 L04.75 102.75 101.00 control 97. UO 91.50 97.25 89.50 10 / 19/93 treated 110.6? 105.00 107.00 107.00 control 100.67 97.75 99.50 92.75 10/20/93 treated 110.33 104.75 106.50 107. r * 5 control 100.00 96.75 98.00 92.00 EXAMPLE 2 Soybeans in Florida were divided into two parts. All the seed was taken from the bag itself. To one half of the seed, sodium polyaspartate was applied in the manner and at the concentration level indicated in Example 1, and the other half of the seed was used from the same bag in an untreated condition. The emergency was recorded beginning 5 days after the plantation, giving an average of 35% more plants with the treated seed than with the untreated seed. Seven days after planting, there were an average of approximately 46% more plants in the treated seed plots than in the untreated seed plots (see Table 2 below). Twenty days after planning, a reading was made to determine the degree of final establishment. At this time, the average number of plants in the parcels where the seed was treated was 42% higher than on those parcels that did not receive the treatment with hate polyaspartate .. In this test, as in Example 1 , the seed was coated with a 50% by weight solution of sodium polyaspartate by simply adding water and then mixing the solution with the seed and allowing it to dry on its own. The shelf life of the treated seed was analyzed, keeping part of the treated seed until the following spring and planting in the midwest of the United States, where similar sub-average results were obtained, thus verifying the data.

TABLE 2 EMERGENCY OF THE SOY FROM THE SEED (No. of lines per 24.4 millimeters of furrow) Treatment Groups Proportions of Fertilizer Testing Plant Average Establishment IX L / 2X 1 / 4X L / 8X 1Q Group treated 1 5.0 155.5 210.8 159.0 167.0 control 89.0 119.3 13.5.5 146.8 123.4 20 Group treated 158.7 182.8 213.8 201.0 LB9.0 control 95.7 127.8 142.5 154.0 130.0 3O Group treated 158.7 179.8 214.5 196.3 187.3 control 97.7 130.8 146.8 148.7 131.0 4O Group treated 158.0 175.3 210.0 194.3 184.4 control 96.7 127.8 145.8 146.7 129.2 5O Group triad 163.0 167.0 200.0 186.3 179.1 control 93. f 123.5 144.3 142. ü 125.9 EXAMPLE 3 Field trials were conducted in Dixon, Illinois, applying the sodium polyaspartate to corn seeds, in exactly the same way as illustrated in Example 1. Table 3 shows the results of these field tests in Dixon, Illinois, and test 1, in the treatment of fertilizer IX, is illustrated graphically in figure 3.

TABLE 3 DIXON, ILLINOIS, MAIZE EMERGENCY FROM SEED (Fotal Account) Test Groups Proportions of Fertilizer LX 1 / 2X 1 / 4X IQ Group T Trraattaaddoo 2 21122 198 185 Cont ol 193 203 178 2Q Group T Trraattaaddoo 3 32222 198 291 Control 283 203 275 In all the previous examples it can be seen that the time for germination was reduced, the time for emergence was reduced, and the survival of the seedling as it emerges was increased, as indicated by the establishment accounts. Therefore, it can be seen that the invention achieves at least all of its stated objectives.

Claims (18)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - A method to improve the development of seedlings, said method comprises: applying to seeds of agricultural crops a small but effective amount for treatment for the development of seedlings of a non-aromatic polyorganic acid soluble in water or a salt thereof. It is a polyacrylic acid or an aspartic acid copolymer and another polyarnmocid, said polymer having a molecular weight greater than 1,500.

2. The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that the amino acid is polyaspartic acid.

3. The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that the polyaryanoacid salts are the sodium, potassium or ammonium salts.

4. The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that the polyaryanoacid salt is the sodium salt.

5. The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that the polyamino acid is polyasparic acid having a molecular weight on the scale of about 1,500 to about 40,000.

6. The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that the polylainoacid is polysaccharide acid having a molecular weight in the scale of approximately 3,000 to about 5,000. 7 .- The method according to the rei indication 1, also characterized because the seeds are inonocot ledoneas. 8. The method according to claim 5, further characterized in that the seeds are corn seeds. 9. The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that the seeds are tri o. 10.- The method according to the claim 1, also characterized because the seeds are cactus-like. 11. The method according to claim 8, further characterized in that the seeds are soybeans. 12. The method according to the claim 1, further characterized in that the water-soluble non-aromatic polyarnmocid is applied to the seeds in combination with other seed treatment agents. 13. The method according to claim 10, further characterized in that the other seed treatment agents are selected from the group consisting of insecticides, seed nutrients, and treatments for seed and seedling diseases. 14. The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that the water soluble polyarnino acid is applied in combination with a vehicle acceptable for plant uLa. 15. The method according to the indication L, also characterized by the fact that the vehicle is a 1-vehicle. 16. The method according to the claim 12, further characterized in that the vehicle is a solid vehicle. 1

7. A composition for seed treatment comprising: a small but effective amount of treatment for seedling development of a water-soluble poliaspart co acid having a molecular weight greater than 1,500, in combination with a acceptable vehicle for the seed. 1

8. The composition according to claim 15, further characterized in that the composition includes at least one additional seed treatment agent selected from the group consisting of insecticides, seed nutrients, and treatments for seed and seedling disease. .