RU2798880C2 - Method for increasing resistance of grain plant - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: agriculture.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to methods for increasing the resistance of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its propagation material to drought. The methods include treating the seed and/or propagation material of the cereal plant with at least one of the following: i) a compound of formula (Ia)

, ii) a compound of formula (Ib)

or iii) a mixture which comprises a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib) or an acceptable salt thereof.

EFFECT: improved plant health effects such as increased reproduction rate, increased root length, and increased height in dry conditions.

15 cl, 2 ex

Description

Field of invention

The present invention relates to a method for improving the resistance of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its plant propagation material to abiotic stress, the method comprising treating the cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn, and /or its plant propagation material with at least one of the following:

i) a compound of formula (Ia),

formula (Ia),

ii) a compound of formula (Ib),

formula (Ib), or

iii) a mixture which includes a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib);

or an acceptable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form, or N-oxide.

Description of the invention

The present invention relates to a method for improving the resistance of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its plant propagation material to abiotic stress, the method comprising treating the cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn, and /or its plant propagation material with at least one of the following:

i) a compound of formula (Ia),

formula (Ia)

ii) a compound of formula (Ib),

formula (Ib), or

iii) a mixture which includes a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib);

or an acceptable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form, or N-oxide.

In addition, the present invention also relates to a method for improving the resistance of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn, where the increased resistance is determined by the increased germination rate of seeds of cereals selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or seedlings and /or by increasing the height of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn, and/or by increasing the length of the roots of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn, compared to a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn, and/or its plant propagation material, which has not been contacted with at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), in various conditions, such as well watered or dry conditions.

In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method for improving the resistance of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn, where the increased resistance is determined by the increased germination rate of seeds of cereals selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO; 2004), the population will continue to grow from the current 6.07 billion to 8.9 billion in 2050. The highest growth rates are expected in developing countries. Obviously, the more people there are on Earth, the more resources are required to meet their basic needs, such as food and water. The United Nations has indicated that food production must almost double to feed the expected world population. While there has been impressive growth in food production in recent decades, largely attributable to the development of improved, disease-resistant varieties of staple crops and increased use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, food production has not kept pace with rapid population growth. One of the most serious impacts is the expansion of arable land through deforestation or irrigation of arable land with salt water, leading to soil salinization and widespread land degradation. Such unsustainable agricultural practices can lead to soil depletion and erosion; vegetation reduction and lead to overuse and misuse of agrochemicals. As a result, less arable and productive land is available. Taking into account climate change, we should additionally expect a decrease in yields in many regions of the world due to adverse weather conditions. With a growing world population, increasing crop yields should be seen as a global challenge.

In addition to world population growth, which directly leads to increased food and energy requirements, increasing wealth leads to increased meat consumption and, as a result, to an increase in the demand for feed. In addition, quality issues are becoming increasingly important. As you know, the quality of food is considered by many consumers to be the most important parameter. The quality of food depends on various parameters. In addition to genetic aspects, the farming system, including optimal nutrition, as well as protection from abiotic and biotic stress factors, can significantly change the overall quality of plants and their production as an indicator of plant health. Compliance with quality standards and at the same time remain competitive in the market, environmentally friendly and economically viable production methods are essential for the farmer.

WO 2016/162371 discloses that pesticidal carboxamide compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture thereof, are capable of improving the health of crop plants through at least one modification, for example, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, and the like, compared to the corresponding unmodified control plant. However, this document does not disclose the method as defined at the outset and its beneficial effect on plant health, such as increasing the resistance of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn, where the increased resistance is defined as an increased germination rate of seeds of cereals selected from of a group consisting of wheat and corn and/or seedlings and/or an increase in the height of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or an increase in the length of the roots of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn, by compared with a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its plant propagation material which has not been contacted with at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture which contains the compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib) under both well watered and dry conditions.

There is a continuing need in the field of plant protection for methods that improve plant health. Healthier plants are desirable because they lead, inter alia, to higher yields and/or better crop quality. Healthier plants are also better able to withstand biotic and/or abiotic stresses. The high resistance to abiotic stresses, in turn, allows the person skilled in the art to reduce the amount of pesticides used and therefore slow down the development of resistance to the respective pesticides.

It has now surprisingly been found that this goal is achieved by an initially defined method that provides improved plant health effects such as increased reproduction rate, increased root length and increased height.

In one embodiment, the method according to the invention is a method of increasing the resistance of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its plant propagation material to abiotic stress, the method comprising treating a cereal plant selected from of the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its plant propagation material with at least one of the following:

i) a compound of formula (Ia),

formula (Ia)

ii) a compound of formula (Ib),

formula (Ib), or

iii) a mixture which includes a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib);

or an acceptable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form, or N-oxide.

In one embodiment, the method according to the invention comprises applying directly and/or indirectly to a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its propagation material by irrigation of the soil, by drip application to the soil, by injection into the soil, by dipping or by seed treatment or furrowing, a composition which contains at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture which contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib ), or a suitable salt, stereoisomer, isotopic form, or N-oxide.

In particular, the method includes applying directly and/or indirectly to a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its plant propagation material by irrigation of the soil, a composition that contains at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia ), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), or a suitable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form, or N-oxide.

In one embodiment, the method according to the invention comprises applying directly and/or indirectly to a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn, a composition that includes at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib) , or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), or an acceptable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form, or N-oxide, and/or a liquid or solid carrier. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, applying directly and/or indirectly to a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn, a composition that includes a compound of formula (Ia) or an acceptable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form or N-oxide, and/ or a liquid or solid carrier.

One embodiment is a method according to the invention, wherein at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), or a suitable salt, stereoisomers, the isotopic form, or the N-oxide, is applied once or multiple times.

Another embodiment of the invention is a method, when applying at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), or an acceptable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form or N-oxide, the compounds are applied directly and/or indirectly to a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its plant propagation material. Preferably, the time interval for subsequent application ranges from a few seconds to 3 months, preferably from a few seconds to 1 month, more preferably from a few seconds to 2 weeks, even more preferably from a few seconds to 3 days, and in particular from 1 second to 24 hours. .

Another embodiment of the invention is a method wherein the plant propagation material is seeds.

Another embodiment of the invention is a method that further comprises contacting a population of cereal seeds selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn with at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia); and a compound of formula (Ib), or an acceptable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form, or N-oxide.

Another embodiment of the invention is a method where each cereal plant and/or its plant propagation material is selected in its natural or genetically modified form.

In one embodiment, the method according to the invention is a method of increasing the resistance of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its plant propagation material to abiotic stress, the method comprising treating a cereal plant selected from of the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its plant propagation material with at least one of the following:

i) a compound of formula (Ia),

formula (Ia)

ii) a compound of formula (Ib),

formula (Ib), or

iii) a mixture which includes a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib); or an acceptable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form, or N-oxide,

where increased resistance is determined by increased germination rate of cereal seeds selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or seedlings and/or increase in height of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or increase in root length a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn compared to a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its plant propagation material that has not been contacted with at least one of the compounds of the formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), or a suitable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form, or N-oxide. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, increased resistance is determined by the emergence and/or height increase of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn. In yet another preferred embodiment, increased persistence is defined by an increase in the length of the roots of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, increased resistance is determined by an increased germination rate of cereal seeds selected from the group consisting of wheat seeds and corn seeds. In particular, increased resistance is determined by the increased germination rate of corn cereal seeds.

Another embodiment of the invention is a method wherein increased tolerance is determined by the increased drought tolerance of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its propagation material compared to the drought tolerance of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of from wheat and corn, and/or its plant propagation material, which has not been contacted with at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib) , or an acceptable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form, or N-oxide.

Another embodiment of the invention is a method wherein increased persistence is determined by increased water uptake in a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its propagation material compared to the water uptake of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn, and/or its plant propagation material, which has not been contacted with at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), or an acceptable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form, or N-oxide, under drought conditions.

Another embodiment of the invention is a method wherein a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its propagating material is located in a crop area.

Another embodiment of the invention is a method which comprises applying directly and/or indirectly to a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its propagation material an amount of from 0.0001 g to 100 g of at least one of compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture which contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), or an acceptable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form, or N-oxide, calculated per plant. In particular, 0.0005 g - 50 g of at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), or an acceptable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form, or N -oxide, in terms of the plant. In particular, 0.001 g - 50 g of at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), or an acceptable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form, or N -oxide, in terms of the plant.

Another embodiment of the invention is a method which comprises treating cereal seeds selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn with an amount of 0.001 g to 100 g of at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture, which contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), or an acceptable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form or N-oxide, based on 100 kg of seeds. In particular, 0.01 g - 50 g of at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), or an acceptable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form, or N -oxide, in terms of 100 kg of seeds. In particular, 5 g - 100 g of at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), or a suitable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form, or N -oxide, in terms of 100 kg of seeds. In particular, 1 g - 50 g of at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), or a suitable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form, or N -oxide, in terms of 100 kg of seeds.

Another embodiment of the invention is a method wherein the increased resistance of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its plant propagation material is determined by improved yield compared to that of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn, and/or its plant propagation material, which has not been contacted with at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), or an acceptable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form, or N-oxide.

Another embodiment of the invention is a method where one or more cereal plants with increased resistance selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its plant propagation material is further selected based on the presence of the following parameters: increased seed germination rate cereals selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn, and/or seedlings and/or an increase in the height of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or an increase in the length of the roots of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn, and/or increased water absorption and/or increased drought tolerance, compared to a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its plant propagation material that has not been contacted with at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), or a suitable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form, or N-oxide, under both well watered and dry conditions.

Another embodiment of the invention is a method wherein the selected one or more hardy cereal plants selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its propagation material is further selected based on the presence of the following parameters: improved yield in dry conditions compared with the yield of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its plant propagation material, which has not been contacted with at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture, which contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), or an acceptable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form, or N-oxide.

The preparation of compounds of formula (Ia) and (Ib) can be carried out according to standard methods of organic chemistry, for example, in accordance with the methods or working examples described in WO 2010/018857, without being limited to the ways indicated therein.

The term "plant" is synonymous with the term "cultivated plant", which should be understood as a plant of economic importance and/or cultivated by people. The term "plant" as used herein includes all parts of a plant, such as germinating seeds, emerging shoots, herbaceous vegetation, as well as established woody plants, including all underground parts (such as roots) and aboveground parts. In one embodiment, the plant to be treated according to the method of the invention is an agricultural plant.

“Crop plants” are plants, some or all of which (e.g. seeds) are collected or cultivated on an industrial scale, or which provide an important source of fodder, food, fibers (e.g. cotton, flax), combustibles (e.g. wood, bioethanol, biodiesel, biomass) or other chemical compounds. Preferred agricultural plants are, for example, cereals, such as wheat, rye, barley, triticale, oats, sorghum or rice; beet, for example, sugar beet or fodder beet; fruits such as pome fruits, stone fruits or juicy fruits such as apples, pears, plums, peaches, almonds, cherries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or gooseberries; legumes such as lentils, peas, alfalfa or soybeans; oil plants such as rapeseed, oilseed rape, canola, linseed, mustard, olives, sunflower, coconut, cocoa beans, castor oil, oil palms, ground nuts or soybeans; cucurbits such as squash, cucumbers or melons; fibrous plants such as cotton, flax, hemp or jute; citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits or tangerines; vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, asparagus, cabbage, carrots, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkins or peppers; bay plants such as avocado, cinnamon or camphor; energy and commodity plants such as corn, soybean, rapeseed, canola, sugarcane or oil palm; tobacco; nuts; coffee; tea; bananas; climbing plants (table grapes and vines); hop; turf; natural rubber plants.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the crop plants are field crops such as cereals such as wheat, rye, barley, triticale, oats, corn, sorghum, or rice. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the plant to be treated is a plant selected from wheat and corn.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the crop plants are field crops such as soybeans.

The term "locus" should be understood as any type of environment, soil, area or material where a plant grows or is intended to grow, as well as environmental conditions (such as temperature, water availability, radiation) that affect the growth and development of the plant and /or its shoots.

Watering Cycles - Stress levels are created by watering the pots based on the % moisture in the pots measured by the wireless sensors. Depending on weather conditions, the number of cycles changes as needed.

The moisture percentage induces the watering process regardless of the time it takes to reach that point.

Under "well watered" or "standard watered" conditions, potted moisture % is maintained above 80%.

In "dry conditions" in pots, water replenishment occurs when the moisture content of the pots is 45%.

Soil characteristic:

The term "genetically modified plants" should be understood as plants whose genetic material has been modified using recombinant DNA techniques in such a way that, under natural conditions, it cannot be easily obtained by crossing, mutation or natural recombination. The term "plant" should be understood to include wild-type plants and plants that have been modified either by conventional breeding, mutagenesis, or genetic engineering, or a combination thereof. Plants that have been modified by mutagenesis or genetic engineering and are of particular commercial importance include alfalfa, rapeseed (e.g. oilseed rape), beans, cloves, chicory, cotton, eggplant, eucalyptus, flax, lentils, corn, melon, papaya , petunia, plum, poplar, potato, rice, soybean, squash, sugar beet, sugar cane, sunflower, bell pepper, tobacco, tomato and cereals (e.g. wheat), in particular corn, soybeans, cotton, wheat and rice. In plants that have been modified by mutagenesis or genetic engineering, one or more genes have been mutagenized or integrated into the genetic material of the plant. One or more mutagenized or integrated genes are preferably selected from pat, epsps, cry1Ab, bar, cry 1 Fa2, cry1Ac, cry34Ab1, cry35AB1, cry3A, cryF, cry IF, mcry3a, cry2Ab2, cry3Bb1, cry IA. 105, dfr, barnase, vip3Aa20, barstar, als, bxn, bp40, asn1, and pp05. Mutagenesis or integration of one or more genes is carried out in order to improve certain properties of the plant. Such properties, also known as traits, include abiotic stress tolerance, altered growth/yield, disease resistance, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, modified product quality, and pollination control. Of these properties, herbicide tolerance, such as imidazolinone tolerance, glyphosate tolerance, or glufosinate tolerance, is of particular importance. Some plants have been rendered herbicide-tolerant by mutagenesis, such as Clearfield@ oilseed rape, which is tolerant to imidazolinones, such as imazamox. Alternatively, genetic engineering techniques have been used to render plants such as soybean, cotton, corn, beet and oilseed rape tolerant to herbicides such as glyphosate and glufosinate, some of which are commercially available under the tradenames RoundupReady@ (glyphosate) and LibertyLink@ (glufosinate). In addition, resistance to insects, in particular resistance to Lepidoptera and resistance to Coleoptera, is important. Insect resistance is usually achieved by plant modification by integrating the cry and/or vip genes that have been isolated from Baci//us thuringiensis (Bt) and encode the corresponding Bt toxins. Genetically modified insect resistant plants are commercially available under trade names including WideStrike@, Bollgard@, Agrisure@, Herculex@, YieldGard@, Genuity@ and Intacta@.

Plants can be modified by mutagenesis or genetic engineering, either in terms of a single property (single traits) or in terms of a combination of properties (packaged traits). Packaged traits, such as the combination of herbicide tolerance and insect resistance, are becoming increasingly important. In general, all relevant modified plants in connection with single or bundled traits, as well as detailed information on mutagenized or integrated genes and related events, are available on the websites of the organizations "International Service for Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA)" (http: //www.isaaa.org/gmapprovaldatabase) and "Center for Environmental Risk Assessment (CERA)" (http://cera-gmc.org/GMCropDatabase).

"Transgenic plants" are those plants whose genetic material has been modified using recombinant DNA techniques and which, under natural conditions, cannot be easily obtained by crossing, mutation or natural recombination, whereby the modification provides a trait (or more than one trait) or provides an enhancement of a trait (or more than one trait) as indicated below compared to the wild-type plant. Preferably, the term "transgenic plant" refers to a plant that has been modified by genetic engineering.

In one embodiment, one or more genes have been integrated into the genetic material of a genetically modified plant in order to improve certain properties of the plant, preferably enhancing a trait as described below, compared to a wild-type plant. Such genetic modifications also include, but are not limited to, targeted post-translational modification of the protein(s) or post-transcriptional modifications of oligo- or polypeptides, for example by glycosylation or the addition of polymers, such as prenylated, acetylated, phosphorylated or farnesylated or PEG fragments.

In one embodiment, the term "modification" in relation to a transgenic plant or parts thereof should be understood that the activity, expression level, or amount of the gene product, or the content of the metabolite is changed, for example, increased or decreased, in a specific volume relative to the corresponding volume of the control, reference plant or wild-type plant cell, including newly generated activity or expression.

In one embodiment, the activity of the polypeptide is increased or caused by the expression or overexpression of a gene encoding said polypeptide that confers or enhances a trait, as indicated below, compared to a control plant. The term "expression" or "expression of a gene" means the transcription of a specific gene or specific genes or a specific genetic construct. The term "expression" or "expression of a gene", in particular, means the transcription of a gene or genes or a genetic construct into a structural RNA (rRNA, tRNA), regulatory RNA (for example, microRNA, RNAi, RNAa) or mRNA, followed by translation of the latter into a protein or without her. In another embodiment, the term "expression" or "gene expression", in particular, means the transcription of a gene or genes or a genetic construct into structural RNA (rRNA, tRNA) or mRNA, with or without translation of the latter into a protein. In yet another embodiment, this means the transcription of a gene or genes or a genetic construct into mRNA. The process involves transcription of the DNA and processing of the resulting mRNA product. The term "overexpression" or "overexpression" in the context of the present description means any form of expression that is additional to the original level of expression of the wild type.

The term "expression of a polypeptide" should be understood in one of the embodiments as that which means the level of the specified protein or polypeptide, preferably in active form, in a cell or organism.

In one embodiment, the activity of a polypeptide is reduced by reducing the expression of a gene encoding said polypeptide that confers or enhances a trait, as indicated below, when compared to a control plant. Reference herein to "reduced expression" or "reduction or substantial elimination" of expression means a reduction in endogenous gene expression and/or polypeptide levels and/or polypeptide activity compared to control plants. This further includes reducing, suppressing, reducing or removing the expression product of the nucleic acid molecule.

The terms "reduction", "suppression", "reduction" or "removal" refers to a corresponding change in a property in an organism, a part of an organism such as a tissue, seed, root, tuber, fruit, leaf, flower, etc. or in a cage. By "change in property" is meant that the activity, expression level, or content of a gene product or metabolite is changed by a certain amount or amount of protein relative to the corresponding amount or amount of control, reference, or wild-type protein. Preferably, the total volume activity is reduced, reduced or removed in cases where the reduction, reduction or removal is associated with a reduction, reduction or removal of the activity of the gene product, regardless of whether the amount of the gene product or the specific activity of the gene product is reduced, reduced or removed, or both, or whether the amount, stability, or translation efficiency of a nucleic acid sequence or a gene encoding a gene product is reduced, reduced, or removed.

The terms "reduction", "suppression", "reduction" or "removal" include a change in the specified property only in parts of the object of the present invention, for example, the modification can be found in a cell compartment, such as an organelle, or in a plant part, such as a tissue , seed, root, leaf, tuber, fruit, flower, etc., but not detected if the entire object is tested, i.e. whole cell or plant. Preferably, "reduction", "suppression", "reduction" or "removal" is cellular, so the term "reduction, reduction or removal of activity" or "reduction, reduction, reduction or removal of metabolite content" refers to cellular reduction, reduction or removal compared to the wild-type cell. In addition, the terms "reduction", "suppression", "reduction" or "removal" include a change in the specified property only during the various phases of growth of the organism used in the method of the invention, for example, reduction, suppression, reduction or removal occurs only during growth seeds or during flowering. In addition, the terms include transient reduction, reduction, or deletion, e.g., because the method used, e.g., antisense, RNAi, snRNA, dsRNA, miRNA, microRNA, ta-miRNA, cosuppression molecule, or ribozyme, is not stably integrated into the organism's genome, or the reduction, reduction, suppression, or removal is under the control of a regulatory or inducible element, such as a chemical or otherwise inducible promoter, and therefore has only a transient effect.

Methods for achieving said reduction, reduction or removal of an expression product are known in the art, for example from international patent application WO 2008/034648, in particular in para. [0020.1.1.1], [0040.1.1.1], [0040.2.1.1] and [0040.2.1.1] and [0041.1.1.1].

It is known to reduce, suppress, reduce or remove the expression product of a nucleic acid molecule in modified plants. Examples are canola, i.e. double strand oilseed rape with reduced content of erucic acid and sinapins.

Such reduction can also be achieved, for example, using recombinant DNA technology, such as antisense or regulatory RNA (eg miRNA, RNAi, RNA) or miRNA approaches. In particular, RNAi, snRNA, dsRNA, miRNA, microRNA, ta-miRNA, co-suppression molecule, ribozyme or antisense nucleic acid molecule, nucleic acid molecule that allows the expression of a dominant-negative mutant of a protein or nucleic acid construct capable of recombining with and calming, inactivating, suppress or reduce the activity of an endogenous gene can be used to reduce the activity of a polypeptide in a transgenic plant or parts thereof or a plant cell used in one of the embodiments of the methods of the invention. Examples of transgenic plants with a reduced, suppressed, reduced, or removed expression product of a nucleic acid molecule are Carica papaya (papaya plants) with University of Florida event name X1 7-2, Prunus domestica (plum tree) with event name C5 US Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service . Also known are plants with increased resistance to nematodes, for example by reducing, suppressing, reducing or removing the expression product of a nucleic acid molecule, for example from PCT publication WO 2008/095886.

Decrease or significant elimination occurs in ascending order of preference by at least 10%, 20%, 30% or 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 85%, 90% or 95%, 96%, 97%, 98 % or more is reduced compared to control plants. Reference herein to an "endogenous" gene not only refers to the gene in question found in the plant in its natural form (i.e. without any human intervention), but also refers to the same gene (or a substantially homologous nucleic acid acid/gene) in isolated form, subsequently (re)introduced into the plant (transgene). For example, a transgenic plant containing such a transgene may experience a significant decrease in the expression of the transgene and/or a significant decrease in the expression of the endogenous gene.

The terms "control" or "reference" are interchangeable and can mean a cell or part of a plant, such as an organelle, such as a chloroplast or tissue, in particular a plant that has not been modified or treated in accordance with the method described herein in accordance with the invention. Accordingly, the plant used as a control or reference is as close as possible to the plant, and is as identical as possible to the subject matter of the invention. Thus, the control or reference is treated identically or as identically as possible, which means that only conditions or properties that do not affect the quality of the tested property, other than the processing of the present invention, can differ.

It is possible that the control or reference plants are wild-type plants. However, "control" or "reference" may refer to plants carrying at least one genetic modification, when the plants used in the method of the present invention carry at least one more genetic modification than said reference or control plants. In one embodiment, the control or reference plants may be transgenic, but differ from the transgenic plants used in the method of the present invention only by the specified modification contained in the transgenic plants used in the method of the present invention.

The term "wild type" or "wild type plants" refers to a plant without the specified genetic modification. These terms may refer to a cell or part of a plant such as an organelle such as a chloroplast or tissue, in particular to a plant that lacks said genetic modification but is otherwise as identical as possible to plants with at least one genetic modification, used in the present invention.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, the "wild type" plant is not transgenic.

Preferably, the wild type is treated identically in accordance with the method described herein in accordance with the invention. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate if wild type plants would require certain treatments prior to the method of the present invention, eg non-transgenic wild type plants do not need to be selected for transgenic plants, eg by treatment with a selection agent such as a herbicide.

The control plant can also be a null-zygote of the plant being evaluated. The term "null-zygote" refers to a plant that has undergone the same production process as a transgenic but has lost its once acquired genetic modification (eg due to Mendelian segregation) as the corresponding transgenic. If the source material of said manufacturing process is transgenic, then the null zygotes are also transgenic, but do not have the additional genetic modifications introduced into the manufacturing process. In the method of the present invention, the purpose of the wild-type null zygotes is the same as that of the control and reference, or portions thereof. They all serve as controls in any comparison to provide evidence of the beneficial effect of the present invention.

Preferably, any comparison is made under similar conditions. The term "similar conditions" means that all conditions, such as, for example, cultivation or cultivation conditions, soil, nutrients, soil water content, temperature, humidity or ambient air or soil, analysis conditions (such as buffer composition, temperature, substrates, pathogen strain, concentrations, etc.) are kept identical between experiments for comparison. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate whether wild type, control or reference plants will require certain treatments prior to the method of the present invention, eg non-transgenic wild type plants do not need to be selected for transgenic plants, eg by herbicide treatment.

IB case, if the conditions are not similar, the results can be normalized or standardized based on controls.

A “reference”, “control”, or “wild type” is preferably a plant that has not been modified or treated in accordance with the method of the invention described herein, and in any other property is as similar as possible to the plant used in the method of the present invention, insofar as it is possible. The reference, control or wild type is as similar as possible in its genome, transcriptome, proteome or metabolome to the plant used in the process of the present invention. Preferably, the term "reference" or "control" or "wild-type plant" refers to a plant that is nearly 90% genetically identical to an organelle, cell, tissue or organism, in particular a plant of the present invention or a portion thereof. or more, such as 95%, more preferably 98%, even more preferably 99.00%, in particular 99, 10%, 99.30%, 99.50%, 99.70%, 99.90%, 99 .99%, 99.999% or more. The most preferred "reference", "control" or "wild type" is a plant that is genetically identical to the plant, cell, tissue or organelle used in accordance with the method of the present invention, except if the responding or conferring activity nucleic acid molecules or the gene product they encode has been altered, manipulated, replaced or introduced into the organelles, cells, tissues, plants used in the method of the present invention. Preferably, the reference and object of the invention are compared after standardization and normalization, for example, with the amount of total RNA, DNA, protein, or activity or expression of reference genes, such as vital function genes such as ubiquitin, actin, or ribosomal proteins.

The genetic modification carried out in the organelle, cell, tissue, in particular in the plant used in the method of the present invention, in one of the embodiments is stable, for example due to stable transgenic integration or due to stable mutation in the corresponding endogenous gene or due to for modulating the expression or behavior of a gene, either transient, for example, due to transient transformation or temporary addition of a modulator, such as an agonist or antagonist, or inducible, for example, after transformation, by an inducible construct carrying a nucleic acid molecule under the control of an inducible promoter and the addition of an inducer, such as tetracycline.

"Modified plants" and/or "transgenic plants" are selected from the group consisting of cereals such as maize (corn), wheat, barley sorghum, rice, rye, millet, triticale, oats, pseudo-cereals (such as buckwheat and quinoa) , alfalfa, apples, banana, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, canola (rapeseed), carrots, cauliflower, cherries, chickpeas, Beijing cabbage, Chinese mustard, leafy cabbage, cotton, cranberries, marsh bentweed, cucumber, eggplant, flax, grapes, grapefruit, fodder cabbage, kiwi, kohlrabi, melon, curly mustard, mustard, papaya, peanuts, pears, peppers, persimmons, cayanus, pineapple, plums, potatoes, raspberries, rutabaga, soybeans, zucchini, strawberries, sugar beets , sugarcane, sunflower, sweet corn, tobacco, tomato, turnip, walnut, watermelon and winter squash, more preferably from the group consisting of alfalfa, canola (rapeseed), cotton, rice, corn, cereals (such as wheat, barley , rye, oats), soy, fruits and vegetables (eg potatoes, tomatoes, melon, papaya), pome fruits (eg apple and pear), grapes, sugar beet, sugar cane, rapeseed, citrus fruits (eg citron, lime , orange, pomelo, grapefruit and tangerine) and stone fruit (e.g. cherry, apricot and peach), especially cotton, rice, corn, cereals (e.g. wheat, barley, rye, oats), sorghum, squash, soybeans, potatoes, grapes, pome fruits (eg apple), citrus fruits (eg citron and orange), sugar beets, sugar cane, rapeseed, oilseed rape and tomatoes, especially cotton, rice, corn, wheat, barley, rye, oats, soybeans, potatoes , grape, apple, pear, citron and orange.

In one embodiment, the "modified plants" and/or "transgenic plants" are selected from the group consisting of cereals such as maize, corn, wheat, sorghum barley, rice, rye, millet, triticale, oats, pseudocereals (e.g. , buckwheat and quinoa).

In another embodiment, from the group consisting of cereals such as corn and wheat.

In one embodiment, the "modified plants" and/or "transgenic plants" are soybeans.

The term "plant propagation material" should be understood to mean all generative parts of a plant, such as seeds and vegetative plant material, such as cuttings and tubers (eg potatoes), which can be used for plant propagation. This includes seeds, grains, roots, fruits, tubers, bulbs, rhizomes, cuttings, spores, offshoots, shoots, sprouts and other parts of plants, including seedlings and young plants that need to be replanted after germination or after emergence from the soil, meristematic tissues, single and multiple plant cells, and any other plant tissue from which a whole plant can be obtained.

The term "sprouts" or "plant sprouts" should be understood to mean any structure capable of giving rise to a new plant, such as a seed, a spore, or a part of a vegetative body capable of independent growth when separated from the parent plant. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the term "sprouts" or "plant sprouts" means seeds.

The term "BBC major growth stage" refers to the extended BCCH scale, which is a system for uniformly coding the phenologically similar growth stages of all monocot and dicot plant species, in which the entire plant life cycle is subdivided into clearly recognizable and distinguishable longer developmental phases. The BBCH scale uses a decimal coding system, which is divided into major and minor growth stages. The abbreviation BBSN comes from "Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt und Chemische Industrie" (Federal Center for Biological Research of Agriculture and Forestry (Germany), Federal Office for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (Germany) and the chemical industry).

The term "vegetative growth stage" should be understood to refer to the main growth stages according to the WWCH: stage 1 (leaf development), stage 2 (side shoot formation; tillering), stage 3 (stem elongation or rosette growth, shoot development) and stage 4 (development harvested vegetative plant parts or vegetatively propagating organs).

The term "reproductive growth stage" should be understood to mean the main growth stages according to the WWCH: stage 5 (inflorescence emergence; heading), stage 6 (flowering) and stage 7 (fruit development).

The term "synergistically" means that the purely additive (in the mathematical sense) plant health enhancing effect of the simultaneous, i.e. combined or separate use of the compounds according to the invention, or the sequential use of the compounds according to the invention, is superior to the use of the respective compounds in accordance with the process of the invention. .

The term "plant health" or "plant health" is defined as the condition of a plant and/or its products. As a result of improved plant health, yield, plant viability, quality and resistance to abiotic or biotic stress are increased. It is noteworthy that plant health is increased by applying the method according to the invention, regardless of the pesticidal properties of the active ingredients used, since the improvement in health is not based on a reduction in pest pressure, but on complex physiological and metabolic reactions, which lead, for example, to the activation of their own natural defense system. plants. As a result, plant health is improved even in the absence of pests.

Accordingly, in a particularly preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, plant health is improved both in the presence and absence of biotic or abiotic stressors.

The above indicators of plant health may be interdependent or result from each other. An increase in plant viability may, for example, lead to an increase in yield and/or tolerance and/or resistance to abiotic or biotic stress.

One of the indicators of the state of the plant is the yield. "Yield" should be understood as any plant product of economic value that is produced by a plant, such as grains, fruits in the relevant sense, vegetables, nuts, grains, seeds, timber (for example, in the case of forestry) or even flowers (for example, in case of garden plants - ornamental plants). In addition, plant products can be further used and/or processed after harvest. In particular, the yield of the treated plant is increased. In particular, the yield of plants treated according to the method of the invention is synergistically increased.

In one embodiment, "increased yield" of a plant, in particular an agricultural, forestry and/or horticultural plant, means that the yield of the corresponding plant product is increased by a measurable amount compared to the yield of the same plant product grown under the same conditions, but without using the mixture according to the invention.

In particular, the increased yield can be characterized, among other things, by the following improved properties of the plant:

• increased mass of plants

• increased plant height

• increased amount of biomass, eg higher total wet weight (FW)

• increased number of flowers per plant

• higher grain yield

• more shoots or side shoots (branches)

• larger leaves

• increased shoot growth

• high protein content

• increased oil content

• high starch content

• increased pigment content

• increased ratio of width and length of the sheet.

In particular, the yield is increased by at least 4%, preferably by 5-10%, more preferably by 10-20% or even 20-30% compared to untreated control plants or plants treated with pesticides in a manner different from the present method. inventions. In general, the increase in yield can be even higher.

Another indicator of the state of the plant is its viability. The viability of plants is shown in several aspects, such as the general appearance. In particular, the viability of the treated plant is improved. In particular, the viability of plants treated according to the method of the invention is synergistically increased.

Increased plant viability can be characterized, among other things, by the following improved plant properties:

• improved plant vitality

• improved plant growth

• improved plant development

• improved appearance

• improved plant density (less lodging)

• improved germination

• enhanced root growth and/or more developed root system

• enhanced formation of nodules, in particular nodule rhizobia

• leaf blade larger

• larger size

• increased mass of plants

• increased plant height

• increased number of shoots from the root of plants

• increased number of side shoots

• increased number of flowers per plant

• increased shoot growth

• increased root development (branched root system)

• increased yield when grown on marginal soils or in unfavorable climates

• increased photosynthetic activity (eg based on increased stomatal conductance and/or increased rate of CO2 assimilation)

• increased stomatal conductivity

• increased rate of CO2 assimilation

• increased content of pigments (eg chlorophyll content)

• earlier flowering

• earlier fruiting

• earlier and improved germination

• earlier grain ripening

• improved self-defense mechanisms

• improved stress tolerance and plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stress factors such as fungi, bacteria, viruses, insects, heat stress, cold stress, drought stress, UV stress and/or salt stress

• less unproductive shoots from plant roots

• fewer dead basal leaves

• less input required (eg fertilizer or water)

• more green leaves

• full maturation while reducing the growing season

• less fertilizer required

• fewer seeds required

• easier harvesting

• faster and more uniform maturation, longer shelf life, longer panicles

• delay aging

• stronger and/or more productive shoots from plant roots

• better extractability of ingredients

• improved seed quality (for sowing in the next seasons for seed production)

• better nitrogen uptake

• improved playback

• reduction of ethylene production and/or inhibition of its uptake by the plant.

An increase in plant viability specifically means that an improvement in any one or more or all of the aforementioned characteristics of a plant occurs independently of the pesticidal effect of the mixture or active ingredients (components).

Another indicator of plant health is the "quality" of the plant and/or its products.

In one embodiment of the invention, the quality of the treated plant is improved.

In one of the embodiments of the invention, the quality of plants treated according to the method of the invention is synergistically increased. In particular, improved quality means that certain characteristics of a plant, such as the content or composition of certain ingredients, are increased or improved by a measurable or noticeable amount compared to the same factor of a plant obtained under the same conditions, but without the use of mixtures according to the present invention. Improved quality can be characterized, among other things, by the following improved properties of the plant or its product:

• increased nutrient content

• high protein content

• high content of fatty acids

• increased content of metabolites

• increased content of carotenoids

• high sugar content

• increased amount of essential amino acids

• improved composition of nutrients

• improved protein composition

• improved composition of fatty acids

• improved metabolite composition

• improved composition of carotenoids

• improved sugar composition

• improved composition of amino acids

• improved or optimal fruit color

• improved leaf color

• higher shelf life

• higher ability to process the harvested crop.

Another indicator of the state of a plant is its tolerance or resistance to biotic and/or abiotic stress factors. Biotic and abiotic stress, especially over a long period of time, can have detrimental effects on plants. Biotic stress is caused by living organisms, while abiotic stress is caused, for example, by extreme environmental conditions.

In one of the embodiments of the present invention, "increased tolerance or resistance to biotic and/or abiotic stress factors" means:

(1) that certain negative factors caused by biotic and/or abiotic stress are reduced in a measurable or appreciable amount compared to plants exposed to the same conditions but without treatment with the mixture according to the invention, and

(2) that the negative effects are not mitigated by the direct action of the mixture according to the invention on the stress factors, for example by its fungicidal or insecticidal action, which directly kills microorganisms or pests, but rather by stimulating the plant's own defense responses against said stress factors .

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the tolerance or resistance to abiotic stress of the treated plant is increased. In particular, the tolerance or resistance to abiotic stress of plants treated according to the method of the invention is synergistically increased.

The negative factors caused by abiotic stress are also well known and can often be observed in the form of reduced plant viability (see above), for example: dots on leaves, "burned leaves", slower growth, fewer flowers, less biomass, less yields, reduced nutritional value of crops, delayed crop maturation, to name just a few examples. For example, abiotic stress can be caused by:

• extreme temperatures such as heat or cold (heat stress/cold stress)

• strong temperature fluctuations

• temperatures unusual for a particular season

• drought (drought stress)

• high humidity

• high salinity (salt stress)

• radiation (eg increased UV radiation due to depletion of the ozone layer)

• increased ozone content (ozone stress)

• organic pollution (eg phytotoxic amounts of pesticides)

• inorganic contamination (eg heavy metal impurities).

As a result of exposure to biotic and/or abiotic stress factors, the number and quality of stressed plants, their yields and fruits are reduced. In terms of quality, reproductive development is usually highly affected, with consequences for crops that are important for fruits or seeds. The synthesis, accumulation and storage of proteins is most affected by temperature; growth slows down due to practically types of stress; the synthesis of polysaccharides, both structural and reserve, is reduced or changed: these effects lead to a decrease in biomass (yield) and to changes in the nutritional value of the product.

Beneficial properties derived especially from treated seeds include, for example, improved germination and field formation, better viability and/or more uniform field formation.

As indicated above, the above indicators of plant health may be interdependent and may be the result of each other. For example, increased resistance to abiotic stress can improve plant viability, for example for better and larger crops, and thus higher yields. Conversely, a more developed root system can cause increased resistance to abiotic stress. However, these interdependencies and interactions are not all known and not fully understood, so different indicators are described separately. In particular, the use of a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib) included in the methods of the invention results in increased yield of the plant or its product. In particular, the use of mixtures in the methods according to the invention leads to an increase in the viability of the plant or its product.

In particular, the use of mixtures in the methods according to the invention results in an increased quality of the plant or its product.

In one embodiment, the use of which includes a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib) in the methods of the invention results in increased tolerance and/or resistance of the plant or its product to abiotic stress.

As described above for cereals, all embodiments of the methods of the present invention can be carried out in relation to soybean plants.

In another embodiment, a method of increasing the resistance of a soybean plant and/or its plant propagation material to abiotic stress, the method comprising treating the soybean plant and/or its plant propagation material with at least one of the following:

i) a compound of formula (Ia),

formula (Ia)

ii) a compound of formula (Ib), or

formula (Ib)

iii) a mixture that includes a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), or an acceptable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form, or N-oxide.

In another embodiment, the method of the present invention comprises applying directly and/or indirectly to a soybean plant and/or its plant propagation material by soil irrigation, soil drip, soil injection, dipping, or seed treatment or application to furrows, a composition that contains at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), or an acceptable salt, stereoisomers, isotopic form, or N-oxide .

Lineups

The following discloses suitable formulations and methods of use in relation to this application. These preferred embodiments relate to (1) a method for increasing the resistance of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its plant propagation material to abiotic stress, the method comprising treating a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of from wheat and corn, and/or its plant propagation material with at least one of the following: a compound of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), and to (2) a method for improving the resistance of the present invention, which includes applying directly and/or indirectly to a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or its plant propagation material by soil irrigation, by drip application to the soil, by injection into the soil, by dipping or by seed treatment or furrowing, a composition which contains at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture which contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib ).

When the following refers to "a compound of formula (Ia)", "a compound of formula (Ib)", "a compound of the present invention", "a mixture of the invention", or "a mixture which contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib)", it should be understood that the embodiments are described in combination with (1) the method of the invention and (2) the method of the invention, which includes applying a composition that includes at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia); and a compound of formula (Ib). In particular, at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib) can be provided in the form of an agrochemical composition that includes at least one of compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture which contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), optionally together with one or more other pesticidal active ingredients and adjuvants. In particular, at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib) may be provided in the form of an agrochemical composition that comprises a pesticidally effective amount of at least at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture which contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), optionally together with one or more other pesticidal active ingredients and adjuvants.

The term "pesticidally effective amount" is defined below.

Compositions that contain at least one compound of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib) of the present invention can be converted into commonly used types of agrochemical compositions, for example, solutions, emulsions , suspensions, dusts, powders, pastes, granules, molds, capsules, and mixtures thereof. Examples for formulation types are suspensions (eg SC, OD, FS), emulsifiable concentrates (eg EC), emulsions (eg EW, EO, ES, ME), capsules (eg CS, ZC), pastes, lozenges, wettable powders or dusts (e.g. WP, SP, WS, DP, DS), compression molds (e.g. BR, TB, DT), granules (e.g. WG, SG, GR, FG, GG, MG), insecticidal products ( eg LN) as well as gel formulations for treating plant propagation materials such as seeds (eg GF). These and other composition types are defined in "Catalogue of pesticide formulation types and intePHKtional coding system", Technical Monograph No. 2, ^6th Ed. May 2008, CropLife IntePHKtional.

The compositions are prepared in a known manner, such as described in Mollet and Grubemann, Formulation technology, Wiley VCH, Weinheim, 2001; or Knowles, New developments in 30 crop protection product formulation, Agrow Reports DS243, T&F Informa, London, 2005.

Examples of suitable excipients are solvents, liquid carriers, solid carriers or fillers, surfactants, dispersants, emulsifiers, wetting agents, adjuvants, solubilizers, penetration enhancers, protective colloids, adhesion promoters, thickeners, humectants, repellents, attractants, stimulants. additives, compatibilizers, bactericides, antifreezes, antifoams, colorants, tackifiers, and binders.

Suitable solvents and liquid carriers are water and organic solvents such as medium to high boiling point mineral oil fractions, eg kerosene, diesel oil; oils of vegetable or animal origin, aliphatic, cyclic or aromatic hydrocarbons, for example, toluene, paraffin, tetrahydronaphthalene, alkylated naphthalenes; alcohols, eg ethanol, propanol, butanol, benzyl alcohol, cyclohexanol; glycols; DMSO; ketones, for example cyclohexanone; esters, eg lactates, carbonates, fatty acid esters, gamma-butyrolactone; fatty acid; phosphonates; amines; amides, eg N-methylpyrrolidone, fatty acid dimethylamides; and their mixtures.

Suitable solid carriers or fillers are mineral earths, for example, silicates, silica gels, talc, kaolins, limestone, lime, chalk, clays, dolomite, diatomaceous earth, bentonite, calcium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, magnesium oxide; polysaccharides, eg cellulose, starch; fertilizers, eg ammonium sulfate, ammonium phosphate, ammonium nitrate, urea; vegetable products such as cereal flour, tree bark flour, wood flour, nutshell flour and mixtures thereof.

Suitable surfactants are surface active compounds such as anionic, cationic, nonionic and amphoteric surfactants, block polymers, polyelectrolytes and mixtures thereof. Such surfactants can be used as an emulsifier, dispersant, solubilizer, wetting agent, penetration enhancer, protective colloid, or adjuvant. Examples of surfactants are given in McCutcheon's Volume 1: Emulsifiers & Detergents, McCutcheon's Directories, Glen Rock, USA, 2008 (International ed. or North American ed.).

Suitable anionic surfactants are alkali, alkaline earth or ammonium salts of sulfonates, sulfates, phosphates, carboxylates and mixtures thereof. Examples of sulfonates are alkylarylsulfonates, diphenylsulfonates, alpha-olefin sulfonates, lignin sulfonates, fatty acid and oil sulfonates, ethoxylated alkylphenol sulfonates, alkoxylated arylphenol sulfonates, condensed naphthalenes sulfonates, dodecyl- and tridecylbenzene sulfonates, naphthalenes and alkylnaphthalenes sulfonates, sulfonates osuccinates or sulfosuccinamates. Examples of sulfates are sulfates of fatty acids and oils, ethoxylated alkylphenols, alcohols, ethoxylated alcohols or fatty acid esters. Examples of phosphates are phosphate esters. Examples of carboxylates are alkyl carboxylates and carboxylated alcohol or alkylphenol ethoxylates.

Suitable nonionic surfactants are alkoxylates, N-substituted fatty acid amides, amine oxides, esters, sugar-based surfactants, polymeric surfactants and mixtures thereof. Examples of alkoxylates are compounds such as alcohols, alkylphenols, amines, amides, arylphenols, fatty acids or fatty acid esters which have been alkoxylated by 1 to 50 equivalents. For alkoxylation, ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide, preferably ethylene oxide, can be used. Examples of N-substituted fatty acid amides are fatty acid glucamides or fatty acid alkanolamides. Examples of esters are fatty acid esters, glycerol esters or monoglycerides. Examples of sugar-based surfactants are sorbitans, sucrose-glucose esters or alkyl polyglucosides. Examples of polymeric surfactants are vinylpyrrolidone homo- or copolymers, vinyl alcohols or vinyl acetate.

Suitable cationic surfactants are quaternary surfactants, for example quaternary ammonium compounds with one or two hydrophobic groups or salts of long chain primary amines. Suitable amphoteric surfactants are alkyl betaines and imidazolines. Suitable block polymers are type A-B or A-B-A containing blocks of polyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide or type A-B-C containing alkanol, polyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide. Suitable polyelectrolytes are polyacids or polybases. Examples of polyacids are alkali salts of polyacrylic acid or polyacid comb polymers. Examples of polybases are polyvinylamines or polyethyleneamines.

Suitable adjuvants are compounds which themselves have little or no pesticidal activity and which improve the biological effectiveness of the targeted active ingredients. Examples are surfactants, mineral or vegetable oils and other excipients. Additional examples are listed in Knowles, Adjuvants and additives, Agrow Reports DS256, T&F Informa UK, 2006, Chapter 5.

Suitable thickeners are polysaccharides (eg xanthan gum, carboxymethyl cellulose), inorganic clays (organically modified or unmodified), polycarboxylates and silicates.

Suitable bactericides are bronopol and isothiazolinone derivatives such as alkylisothiazolinones and benzisothiazolinones.

Suitable antifreezes are ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, urea and glycerin.

Suitable antifoam agents are silicones, long chain alcohols and salts of fatty acids.

Suitable dyes (eg red, blue or green) are pigments with low water solubility and water soluble dyes. Examples are inorganic dyes (eg iron oxide, titanium oxide, iron hexacyanoferrate) and organic dyes (eg alizarin, azo and phthalocyanine dyes).

Suitable tackifiers or binders are polyvinyl pyrrolidones, polyvinyl acetates, polyvinyl alcohols, polyacrylates, biological or synthetic waxes and cellulose ethers.

Examples of types of compositions and their production:

1) Water soluble concentrates (SL, LS)

10-60 wt. % pesticidally active(s) compound(s) and 5-15 wt. % wetting agent (for example, alcohol alkoxylates) was dissolved in water and/or in a water-soluble solvent (for example, alcohols) up to 100 wt. %. The active substance dissolves when diluted with water.

2) Dispersion concentrates (DC)

5-25 wt. %. pesticidally active(s) compound(s) and 1-10 wt. % dispersant (for example, polyvinylpyrrolidone) was dissolved in an organic solvent (for example, cyclohexanone) up to 100 wt. %. When diluted with water, a dispersion is formed.

3) Emulsion concentrates (EC)

20 15-70 wt. %. pesticidally active(s) compound(s) and 5-10 wt. %. emulsifiers (for example, calcium dodecylbenzenesulfonate and castor oil ethoxylate) were dissolved in a water-insoluble organic solvent (for example, an aromatic hydrocarbon) up to 100 wt. %. When diluted with water, an emulsion is formed.

4) Emulsions (EW, EO, ES)

5-40 wt. % pesticidally active(s) compound(s) and 1-10 wt. % emulsifiers (for example, calcium dodecylbenzenesulfonate and castor oil ethoxylate) were dissolved in 20-40 wt. % water insoluble organic solvent (eg aromatic hydrocarbon). This mixture was introduced into water up to 100 wt. % using an emulsifying device and brought to a homogeneous emulsion. When diluted with water, an emulsion is formed.

5) Suspensions (SC, OD, FS)

In a ball mill with a stirrer, 20-60 wt. % pesticidally active(s) compound(s) were crushed with the addition of 2-10 wt. % dispersants and wetting agents (for example, sodium lignosulfonate and alcohol ethoxylate), 0.1-2 wt. % thickener (eg xanthan gum) and water up to 100 wt. % to obtain a thin suspension of the active substance. When diluted with water, a stable suspension of the active substance is formed. For the type of composition FS was added up to 40 wt. % binder (for example, polyvinyl alcohol).

6) Water-dispersible granules and water-soluble granules (WG, SG)

50-80 wt. % pesticidally active(s) compound(s) was finely ground with the addition of a dispersant and wetting agents (for example, sodium lignosulfonate and alcohol ethoxylate) to 100 wt. % and received as water-dispersible or water-soluble granules using technical means (eg, extrusion, irrigation column, fluidized bed). When diluted with water, a stable dispersion or solution of the active substance is formed.

7) Water-dispersible powders and water-soluble powders (WP, SP, WS)

50-80 wt. % pesticidally active(s) compound(s) were ground in a rotor-stator mill with the addition of 1-5 wt. % dispersants (for example, sodium lignosulfonate), 1-3 wt. % wetting agents (for example, alcohol ethoxylate) and a solid carrier (for example, silica gel) up to 100 wt. %. When diluted with water, a stable dispersion or solution of the active substance is formed.

8) Gel (GW, GF)

In a ball mill with a stirrer, 5-25 wt. %. pesticidally active(s) compounds(s) were crushed with the addition of 3-10 wt. % dispersants (for example, sodium lignosulfonate), 1-5 wt. % thickener (for example, carboxymethyl cellulose) and water up to 100 wt. % to obtain a thin suspension of the active substance. When diluted with water, a stable suspension of the active substance is formed.

9) Microemulsion (ME)

5-20 wt. % pesticidally active(s) compound(s) was added to 5-30 wt. % organic solvent mixture (for example, fatty acid dimethylamide and cyclohexanone), 10-25 wt. % mixture of surfactants (for example, alcohol ethoxylate and arylphenol ethoxylate), and water up to 100%. This mixture is stirred for 1 hour to spontaneously obtain a thermodynamically stable microemulsion.

10) Microcapsules (CS)

The oil phase, which contains 5-50 wt. % pesticidally active(s) compound(s), 0-40 wt. % water-insoluble organic solvent (eg, aromatic hydrocarbon), 2-15 wt. % acrylic monomers (eg, methyl methacrylate, methacrylic acid, and di- or triacrylate) are dispersed in an aqueous solution of a protective colloid (eg, polyvinyl alcohol). Radical polymerization initiated by a radical initiator leads to the formation of poly(meth)acrylate microcapsules. Alternatively, the oil phase, which contains 5-50 wt. % pesticidally active(s) compound(s) in accordance with the present invention, 0-40 wt. % water insoluble organic solvent (eg, aromatic hydrocarbon) and isocyanate monomer (eg, diphenylmethene-4, 4'-diisocyanate) were dispersed in an aqueous solution of a protective colloid (eg, polyvinyl alcohol). The addition of a polyamine (eg hexamethylenediamine) results in the formation of polyurea microcapsules. The number of monomers is 1-10 wt. %. Mass. %. refers to the general CS composition.

11) Fine powders (DP, DS)

1-10 wt. % pesticidally active(s) compound(s) were finely ground and thoroughly mixed with a solid carrier (for example, fine kaolin) up to 100 wt. %.

12) Granules (GR, FG)

0.5-30 wt. %. pesticidally active(s) compound(s) were finely ground and combined with a solid carrier (eg, silicate) to 100 wt. %. Granulation is achieved by extrusion, spray drying or fluid bed drying.

13) Ultra Low Volume (UL) Fluids

1-50 wt. pesticidally active(s) compound(s) was dissolved in an organic solvent (eg, aromatic hydrocarbon) to 100 wt. %.

Composition types 1-13 may optionally contain additional excipients, such as 0.1-1 wt. % bactericides, 5-15 wt. % antifreeze, 0.1-1 wt. % anti-foaming agents, and 0.1-1 wt. % dyes.

As a rule, agrochemical compositions contain between 0.01 and 95 wt. %, preferably between 0.1 and 90 wt. %, most preferably between 0.5 and 75 wt. % active substance.

The active substances are used in a purity of 90% to 100%, preferably 95% to 100% (according to NMR spectrum).

Various types of oils, wetting agents, adjuvants, fertilizers or micronutrients and other pesticides (e.g. herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, growth regulators, safeners) can be added to the active substances or compositions containing them as a premix, if necessary only immediately before application (mixture in the tank). Such agents may be mixed with the compositions of the present invention in a weight ratio of 1:100 to 100:1, preferably 1:10 to 10:1.

Typically, the user will apply the composition of the present invention from a pre-dosing device, backpack sprayer, spray tank, spray aircraft, or irrigation system. Typically, the agrochemical composition is diluted with water, buffer and/or other excipients to the desired application concentration, and thus a ready-to-use spray liquid or agrochemical composition according to the present invention is obtained. Typically, 20 to 2000 liters, preferably 50 to 400 liters of ready-to-use spray liquid per hectare of agricultural land are used.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the individual components of the composition in accordance with the present invention, such as parts of a set or parts of a binary or ternary mixture, can be mixed by the user in a nebulizer, and additional excipients can be added if necessary.

In a further embodiment, either the individual components of the composition according to the invention, or partially pre-mixed components, e.g. components that include the pesticidal active compound(s), can be mixed by the user in a sprayer, and other auxiliaries and additives can be added if necessary. .

In a further embodiment, either the individual components of the composition according to the invention or partially premixed components, eg components that include the pesticidal active compound(s), may be applied together (eg after tank mixing) or sequentially.

Common seed treatment formulations include, for example, FS fluid concentrates, LS solutions, suspoemulsions (SE), DS dry treatment powders, WS water-dispersible suspension treatment powders, SS water-soluble powders, and ES emulsion and EC and GF gel. These formulations can be applied to seeds in a diluted or undiluted form. Seed treatment is carried out before sowing, either directly on the seeds, or after their premature germination. Preferably, the formulations are applied such that germination is not included.

The concentrations of the active substance in ready-to-use formulations, which can be obtained after two to tenfold dilution, are preferably from 0.01 to 60 wt. %, more preferably from 0.1 to 40 wt. %.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the FS formulation is used for seed treatment. Typically, an FS formulation may include 1-800 g/l active ingredient, 1-200 g/l surfactant, 0 to 200 g/l antifreeze, 0 to 400 g/l binder, 0 to 200 g /l of pigment, and up to 1 liter of solvent, preferably water.

Particularly preferred formulations of FS compounds 1, preferably compounds i) of formula (1), for seed treatment usually contain from 0.1 to 80 wt. % (from 1 to 800 g/l) of the active ingredient, from 0.1 to 20 wt. % (1 to 200 g/l) of at least one surfactant, for example from 0.05 to 5 wt. % wetting agent and from 0.5 to 15 wt. % dispersing agent, up to 20 wt. %, for example from 5 to 20 wt. % antifreeze, from 0 to 15 wt. %, for example, from 1 to 15 wt. % pigment and/or dye, from 0 to 40 wt. %, for example, from 1 to 40 wt. % binder (adhesive/adhesive agent), optionally up to 5 wt. %, for example, from 0.1 to 5 wt. % thickener, optionally from 0.1 to 2% of an antifoam and optionally a preservative such as a biocide, an antioxidant, etc., for example, in an amount of from 0.01 to 1 wt. % and filler/carrier medium up to 100 wt. %.

When treating seeds, the application rates of carboxamide compound i) of formula (1), carboxamide compound ii) of formula (Ia) or a mixture including carboxamide compounds i) and ii) are usually from 0.1 to 10 kg in terms of 100 kg of seeds, preferably from 1 g to 5 kg per 100 kg of seeds, preferably from 1 g to 1000 g per 100 kg of seeds, and in particular from 1 g to 200 g per 100 kg of seeds, for example from 1 g to 100 g or from 5 g to 100 g in terms of 100 kg of seeds.

Therefore, the invention also relates to seeds which contain at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture which contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib). The amount of at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), will generally range from 0.001 g to 10 kg, based on 100 kg of seed , preferably from 0.1 g to 10 kg per 100 kg of seeds, more preferably from 1 g to 5 kg per 100 kg of seeds, in particular from 1 g to 1000 g per 100 kg of seeds. For certain crops, such as lettuce, the rate may be higher. In particular, the invention relates to seeds that include at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), in an amount of from 0.001 g to 100 g at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), in terms of 100 kg of seeds. In particular, 5 g - 100 g of at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib), or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), in terms of 100 kg of seeds.

Examples

Watering Cycles - Stress levels are created by watering the pots based on the % moisture in the pots measured by the wireless sensors. Depending on weather conditions, the number of cycles changes as needed.

The moisture percentage induces the watering process regardless of the time it takes to reach that point.

Under "well watered" or "standard watered" conditions, potted moisture % is maintained above 80%.

In "dry conditions" in pots, water replenishment occurs when the moisture content of the pots is 45%.

"Untreated" means that the seeds have not been exposed to the compound I (a).

The treatment(s) were applied directly to seeded seeds at the rates indicated in the table(s) below. The seeds were then covered and the percentage of germination was calculated 21 days after planting.

The percentage of germination was calculated as the number of germinated seeds divided by the number of seeds planted and expressed as a percentage.

The seeds were planted in two types of soil (mineral and organic) free of pests (insects, weeds or diseases) to avoid interaction with the applied treatment.

Example 1: Increasing the % Germination of Maize (Corn) Plants by Irrigation

Example 2 Increasing % Germination in Wheat Plants by Seed Treatment

Claims (31)

1. A method for improving drought tolerance of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn, the method comprising treating seeds and/or propagation material of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn with at least one from the following: i) a compound of formula (Ia)

formula (Ia), ii) a compound of formula (Ib)

formula (Ib), or iii) a mixture which contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib) or an acceptable salt thereof. 2. A method for increasing the germination rate of seeds and/or propagation material of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn, the method comprising treating seeds and/or propagation material of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn, with at least one of the following: i) a compound of formula (Ia),

formula (Ia), ii) a compound of formula (Ib),

formula (Ib), or iii) a mixture which contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib) or an acceptable salt thereof. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, which comprises applying directly and/or indirectly to the propagation material a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn, by irrigation of the soil, dripping into the soil, injection into the soil, by dipping or by seed treatment or furrow application, a composition that contains at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib) or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib) or an acceptable salt thereof according to claim 1 or 2. 4. The method according to claim 3, which includes applying directly and/or indirectly to the propagation material of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn by irrigation of the soil, a composition that contains at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia) , (Ib) or a mixture which contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib) or a suitable salt thereof. 5. The method according to p. 3, in which the composition contains at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib) or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib) or their acceptable salt according to p. 1 or 2 and a liquid or solid carrier. 6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each cereal propagation material is selected in its natural or genetically modified form. 7. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-6, in which the increased resistance is determined by the increased germination rate of seeds of cereals selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn, and/or by seedlings, and/or the increase in height of the cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or an increase in the length of the roots of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn compared to a cereal propagation material selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn that has not been contacted with at least one of compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib) or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib) or an acceptable salt thereof, both under well watered and standard and dry conditions. 8. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-7, in which increased resistance is determined by the increased germination rate of cereal seeds selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn. 9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the increased tolerance is determined by the increased drought tolerance of the cereal propagation material selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn compared to the drought tolerance of the cereal propagation material selected from the group consisting of from wheat and corn, which has not been contacted with at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib) or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib) or their acceptable salt. 10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the increased persistence is determined by the increased water absorption of a cereal propagation material selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn compared to the water absorption of a cereal propagation material selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn, which has not been contacted with at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib) or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib) or a suitable salt thereof, under drought conditions. 11. The method according to any of the preceding claims, which comprises applying directly and/or indirectly to the propagation material of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn an amount of from 0.0001 g to 100 g of at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia) , (Ib) or a mixture which contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib) or an acceptable salt thereof according to claim 1 or 2, calculated per plant. 12. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, which comprises treating cereal seeds selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn with an amount of 0.001 g to 100 g of at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib) or a mixture, which contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib) or an acceptable salt thereof according to claim 1 or 2, based on 100 kg of seeds. 13. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the increased persistence of a cereal propagation material selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn is determined by improved yield compared to that of a cereal propagation material selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn that has not been contacted with at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib) or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib) or a suitable salt thereof, both in well-irrigated and in standard and dry conditions. 14. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the selected one or more cereal propagation material with increased resistance selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn is further selected based on the presence of the following parameters: increased germination rate of seeds of cereals selected from of a group consisting of wheat and corn and/or seedlings and/or increasing the height of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn and/or increasing the root length of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn , and/or increased water absorption and/or increased drought tolerance, compared to a cereal propagation material selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn that has not been contacted with at least one of the compounds of formula (Ia), (Ib ) or a mixture that contains a compound of formula (Ia) and a compound of formula (Ib), or a suitable salt thereof, both under well watered and standard and dry conditions. 15. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-14, in which the propagating material of a cereal plant selected from the group consisting of wheat and corn is located in the crop area.