WO2000024255A1

WO2000024255A1 - Use of useful substances to promote the growth and health of plants

Info

Publication number: WO2000024255A1
Application number: PCT/EP1999/007860
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bettina Kopp-Holtwiesche; Doris Bell; Johann-Friedrich Fues; Stephan Von Tapavicza; Richard A. Sikora; Ralf-Peter Schuster; Johannes Hallmann
Original assignee: Cognis Deutschland Gmbh
Priority date: 1998-10-26
Filing date: 1999-10-16
Publication date: 2000-05-04
Also published as: ZA200103385B; HK1039438A1; AU1039900A; BR9914802A; EP1124420A1; ID29588A; KR20010080331A; JP2002528396A; CO5231141A1; CN1328418A; DE19849253A1; CA2348951A1; AR020940A1

Abstract

The invention relates to the use of multi-ingredient mixtures of useful materials that are at least predominantly of an organic nature in the cultivation and care of useful and ornamental plants by activating the rhizosphere and/or phyllosphere and promoting plant growth and improving the health of said plants with respect to damage causing agents in the form of fungal diseases, bacterioses and/or viroses in addition to parasites that attack roots and/or parts of the plant above the ground. Said mixtures contain: (a) chitin and/or chitosan with an oligomeric and/or polymeric structure in combination with and with simultaneous or delayed application of (b) ecologically compatible surfactant compounds from the following class: alkyl(poly) glycosides of the O/W variety (APG compounds) and (c) liphophilic saturated and olefinically unsaturated hydrocarbon radicalsith a fatty structure and aerobically and anaerobically degradable organic compounds. Preferably, other ingredients that are used are characterized by compounds of P and/or Nith at least partially lipophilic radicals. If desired, said compounds can be used in conjunction with other macronutrients and micronutrients to promote plant growth in the root area and/or parts of the plant above the ground.

Description

USE OF MIXTURES TO PROMOTE PLANT GROWTH AND PLANT HEALTH

The technical teaching described below relates to the area of promoting healthy plant growth. The teaching according to the invention aims in particular to support and promote the natural interaction of the two factors promoting plant growth on the one hand and strengthening plant defense against pathogens, in particular from the areas of fungal diseases, bacterioses and / or viroses but also sucking pests on roots and / or above-ground parts of plants. The invention is further based on the task of being able to use at least largely natural substance-based components as valuable substances or mixtures of substances to solve this problem, which do not lead to any additional stress on the work area concerned. This applies to the areas of soil and plants as well as the areas of humans and animals that are in contact with them, as well as the groundwater problems that must always be taken into account in connection with agricultural processes.

The technical teaching described below thus fulfills an important requirement for the area of agro-biological and agro-chemical processes, whereby on the one hand an optimization of the desired economic technical results is possible without having to ignore the aspect of economy. Practically all components of the multi-substance system used according to the invention can be designed as natural substance-based chemicals. The source of these components is, on the one hand, healthy plant growth, and on the other hand, basic components formed biologically by the sea or by other means are essential components of the multi-component mixtures in the sense of the invention. The teaching according to the invention combines natural cycles for bound carbon and uses the components separated therefrom and adapted to the requirements according to the invention for the plant structure and the maintenance of healthy plant growth. It is immediately evident that not only additional burdens are excluded for the natural carbon cycle, but positive interventions are made possible, which can help to mitigate and reduce existing damage today.

The teaching of the invention is based on a number of technical developments by the applicant, some of which are the subject of corresponding publications and are the subject of older patent applications. These basics will be referred to in detail below. But first of all:

Subject of the invention

In a first embodiment, the invention relates to the use of multi-component mixtures of valuable substances, at least predominantly of organic origin, for the cultivation and care of useful and ornamental plants by activating the plant rhizosphere and / or phyllosphere and thus promoting both plant growth and plant health against pests, in particular from the areas of fungal diseases, bacterioses and / or viroses, but also from the area of sucking pests on roots and / or parts of plants above ground. The mixtures of recyclables used according to the invention contain the following essential basic components:

(a) Chitin and / or chitosan with oligomer and / or polymer structure, which in combination with

(b) ecologically compatible surfactant compounds from the class of alkyl (poly) glycosides of the O / W type - hereinafter also referred to as "APG compounds" - and further preferably together with

(c) lipophilic saturated and / or olefinically unsaturated hydrocarbon radicals with fat structure and both aerobic and anaerobically degradable organic compounds are used.

In the sense of the action according to the invention, the combination of the active ingredients to (a), (b) and, if desired (c), can be used in a mixture of all valuable components. However, it is also possible to use the components mentioned at least partially with a time delay. In the latter case, however, it must be ensured that the sufficient combination effect of the sum of all valuable substances in the soil and / or plant can be achieved. In this way, in particular, the time periods that are possible in practice when individual components of the multicomponent mixtures are introduced with a time lag are determined or co-determined.

The multicomponent mixtures according to the invention are based on the objective, in particular the growth of plant-strengthening microorganism populations in the rhizosphere area - i.e. in the root area - but also in the area of the phyllosphere - i.e. to influence and promote on the surface of the aerial part of the plant and here in particular on the leaf area. accordingly

SPARE BLADE (RULE 26) speaking, the teaching according to the invention provides for the entry of the multi-component mixtures both in the soil area and in the above-ground plant area. In principle, any forms of this multicomponent mixture that are optimized for the respective practical requirements can be used. Suitable are therefore both flowable and in particular water-thinnable multicomponent mixtures, but also solid supply forms which can be present, for example, in the form of powder, granules and the like and, if appropriate, also in encapsulated form.

Details of the teaching according to the invention

For a better understanding of the teaching according to the invention, a brief summary of the essential elements of the relevant state of the art in print as well as the subject of the earlier applications of the applicant mentioned above in the field of work concerned here will be dealt with first.

DE 44 37 313 describes the use of selected, phosphorus and nitrogen-containing components from the class of the phospholipids to improve plant growth. By adding these phospholipids to the substrate on which the plants grow or are supposed to grow, the growth of these plants can be improved. It is assumed that this increase in growth is related to stimulation of the microorganisms living in the substrate. The main phospholipids that can be used are lecithin, lecithin hydrolyzates and chemically modified lecithins.

WO 93/01150 describes easy-to-use fertilizer mixtures for introducing N into plant growth. It is planned to use water and an oil phase in the presence of W / O invert emulsifiers together with the mixtures of fertilizers based on macro and micronutrients for growing plants. This is intended to ensure the formation of, in particular, pasty mixtures in which the closed oil phase in film form is intended to separate or encase the aqueous mixture components. Oils of vegetable origin and mineral oil are listed as equivalent oil phases.

The subject of the German patent application DE 197 01 127 is a low-foaming wetting aid in the form of a highly concentrated, yet flowable and pourable aqueous concentrate based on surfactants for intensifying the penetration and spreading of water in the area of plant rooting during irrigation, containing as an ecologically compatible surfactant component Al-

SPARE BLADE- (RULE 26) kyl (poly) glycoside compounds of the O / W type - hereinafter also referred to as "APG compounds" - olefinically unsaturated alcohols as foam inhibitors / defoamers and lower water-soluble alcohols as viscosity regulators.

The technical teaching of the earlier application DE 197 48 884.6 of the applicant for promoting and maintaining plant growth by controlling the natural growth processes in the substrate is based on the concept of primarily promoting, controlling and ensuring the growth of microorganisms in the soil by introducing a multicomponent mixture described below . The disclosure of this earlier application is hereby also made the subject of the disclosure of the present invention. The primary promotion of microorganism growth is to be ensured in particular in the rhizosphere area and thus in the area of the substrate permeated by the plant roots which is crucial for plant growth. The teaching of this earlier application is guided by two superordinate concepts: Together with carriers containing phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) and, if desired, further plant macro- and / or micronutrients, selected compounds containing hydrocarbon residues are now to be used as additional C suppliers for the Growth of the microorganism flora can be entered into the soil. At the same time, the preparation of these growth aids and their form of application should enable their optimized spreading in the root area, including the entry into the rhizosphere area of the substrate. The teaching of this earlier application, from which ultimately the teaching of the present further development is based, is accordingly characterized by the fact that it contains aqueous preparations

ecologically compatible wetting agents of the O / W type together with lipophilic saturated and / or olefinically unsaturated hydrocarbon residues with fat structure and both aerobic and anaerobically degradable organic compounds as additional C suppliers for the growth of the microorganism flora,

combined with simultaneous and / or time-delayed entry of

at least partially lipophilic residues and preferably oil-soluble compounds of P and / or N and, if desired, further macro- and / or micronutrients for carriers containing plant growth. Even if such a strengthening of the healthy natural microorganism flora of the soil and thus, in particular, corresponding bacterial strains in the rhizosphere region of the growing plant can achieve positive effects in the direction of healthy plant growth, the teaching of the present invention sees one here again substantial expansion of the technical possibilities.

It is known from the relevant state of the art in print that the use of chitin and chitin-based derivatives - here in particular chitosons - can bring about substantial improvements in the agricultural sector, which on the one hand are characterized by increased plant health and in particular also by an increase in crop yield . From the extensive literature, reference is made, for example, to the publication Zbigniew S. Karnicki et al., "CHITIN WORLD", Wirtschaftsverlag NW, Verlag für neue Wissenschaft GmbH, D, Bremerhaven, 1994. Reference is made here, for example, to the publication Henryk Pospieszny et al. "NEW APPLICATIONS OF CHITOSAN IN AGRICULTURE" loc. Cit., Pages 246 to 254 and the literature cited there. Reference is also made to the publication Applicables of Chitin and Chitosan, M.F.A. Goosen (Ed.); Technomic Publishing AG., 1997, Chapter 8, Donald Freepon's "Enhancing Food Production with Chitosan Seed-Coating Technology" as well as other publications of the same reference Chapter 1, Q. Li et al. "Applications and Properties of Chitosan"; Chapter 2, Shigehiro Hirano "Applications of Chitin and Chitosan in the Ecological and Environmental Fields" and Chapter 11, Henryk Struszczyk et al. "New Applications of Chitin and Its Derivatives in Plant Protection". Finally, please refer to the publication in Academic Press. Inc. 1984, pages 291 ff., Lee A. Hadwiger et al. "CHITOSAN, A NATURAL REGULATOR IN PLANT-FUNGAL PATHOGEN INTERACTIONS, INCREASES CROP YIELDS", as well as the printed publication in "Biotechnology Annual Review Volume 2", Elsevier Science B.V. 1996, "Chitin biotechnology applications", author SHIGEHIRO HIRANO op. Cit. Pages 237 to 258.

The literature cited here shows that the natural product-bound chitin or derivatives derived therefrom, and in particular the chitosan obtained by deacetylation, is pronounced activity both in oligomer and in polymer form in the course of plant breeding in the sense of pronounced activity against pathogens, in particular from the fields the fungal diseases, the bacterios and / or viroses. But chitin or chitosan-based treatment agents have also proven effective against sucking pests on roots and / or above-ground parts of plants. The teaching according to the invention makes use of this knowledge of the prior art and combines these components - in the invention

SPARE BLADE RULE 26 designated as active substance class (a) according to the definition - with the valuable substances or mixtures of valuable substances which are highlighted in the teaching of the earlier application DE 197 48 884.6 and according to the invention in the subclasses of (b) - APG compounds of the O / W type - and in (c) - compounds having hydrocarbon residues with a fat structure, which are both aerobic and anaerobically degradable - are described. Studies on the importance of the individual components of the valuable substances or active substances according to the invention have shown that the combination of component ^) to (a) - ie the chitosan compounds with oligomer and / or polymer structure - with the APG compounds from O / W- Type substantial increases in effectiveness can be assigned in the sense of the objective according to the invention. The basis here is presumably the very intensified spreading of the material class to (a) in the soil structure and thus in particular its entry into the immediate border area to the root surface or when applying such material mixtures from the components of (a) and (b) to the aerial part of the plant , the here also triggered intensification in the spreading of the valuable substance parts on a chitosan basis. In addition, the penetration of these valuable components into the microstructure of the plant skin and in particular the leaf surface is also likely to be promoted. The same naturally also applies to the corresponding spreading or distribution of the recyclable components used according to the invention in (c).

In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides, in addition to the components of (a), (b) and preferably (c), compounds of P and / or N which have at least some lipophilic radicals and, if desired, further macro- and / or micro-nutrients for Carriers containing the plant growth in the plant root area and / or on the aerial part of the plant or to apply. Further statements on the specific nature of the materials or class of materials referred to here (d) are given below. First of all, let me make it clear:

The core of the improved lies in the combination of these classes of valuable substances to (a), (b) and (c) in the sense of the teaching according to the invention and preferably also by using the valuable substances in subclass (d) - compounds of P and / or N containing lipophilic residues technical action in the sense of the teaching according to the invention. Again, it should be emphasized here: Each of the subclasses of recyclables affected here can be completely and / or essentially based on natural substances and is fully subject to natural degradation through metabolic processes. Chitin and the chitosan compounds derived from it are known to be natural substances which are formed, for example, by the marine fauna and here in particular crabs, crabs and similar shellfish and which are used in the economic exploitation of these sea-bound local accumulate as residues. In combination with the other classes of materials of the teaching of the invention, which in turn are of plant origin, it becomes possible to optimize healthy plant growth without having to resort to synthetic auxiliaries such as fungicides, bactericides, virocides and the like. In the manner known in the art, however, the biological synthesis of chitin - and thus the production of chitosans in the sense according to the invention - can also be carried out on an industrial scale by the cultivation of mushroom populations.

In the following, detailed information is initially given on the valuable components defined according to the invention for (a), (b), (c) and (d).

Regarding (a) "Chitin and / or Chitosan with an Oligomer and / or Polymer Structure" The natural substance source chitin on which this is based is known to be a high-molecular compound which is generally characterized by molecular weights well above 1 million. Chitin-based waste, in particular shells or crusts from crabs, crabs and other creatures of the marine fauna, is generated to a considerable extent in the context of today's food technology. A wide variety of possible uses are known; reference is made to the relevant literature cited above. In particular, the recycling of these waste materials in the agrochemical field is also known. In addition to the literature already cited, reference is made here to US Pat. No. 5,057,141 and the literature cited therein, in particular R. Rodriguez-Kabana et al. in "Plant and Soil", 100: 237 to 247 (1987). It is described here in particular that materials containing chitin in admixture with other organic nitrogen compounds, such as ammonium phosphate and urea, develop nematostatic and nematicidal activity in soils with regard to phytopathogenic nematode populations, but at the same time are not phytotoxic to the plants, but rather are used for plant nutrition. The teaching of US Pat. No. 4,536,207 goes in the same direction. The nematocidal activity of a chitin-protein complex compound is described here, which is obtained from a demineralized water-insoluble chitin material and a water-insoluble protein component.

The teaching according to the invention comprises the use of such water-insoluble chitins as active ingredient to (a) or at least as a portion of this active ingredient.

An important embodiment of the technical teaching according to the invention, however, is based on the task of being able to set a significant increase in activity, especially of the mixtures of valuable substances, by using at least partially water-soluble components based on chitin or chitosan come. Chitosan or chitosan compounds are known to be obtained by chitin deacetylation. The primary high-molecular-weight chitosan - especially with molecular weights in the range of 1 million and above - as such is not or only partially soluble in water and aqueous alkali solutions, but it is known that the solubility of these chitosan component (s) can be substantially increased by simple measures increase. The chitosan-based components dissolve in aqueous solutions of organic and inorganic acids. It is also known that chitosan is water-soluble with a degree of deacetylation of 50%. An increase in water solubility is possible by reducing the molecular weights in the range of the chitosan oligomers. Finally, simple chemical reactions - in particular by carboxymethylation to O-CM-chitosan, N-CM-chitosan and / or N / O-CM- Chitosan - the solubility can be adjusted in water over a wide pH range. For details of this basically known knowledge about chitosans see. for example the cited publication Applicants of Chitin and Chitosan, MFA Gossen (Ed.); Technomic Publishing AG, 1997, pages 3 to 29, Chapter 1 "Applications and Properties of Chitosan", Q.Li, et al., There in particular pages 8 and 9.

As already clarified, the chitosans to be used according to the invention for (a) oligomers and / or polymers can be of virtually any molecular weight. Both the low molecular weight oligomers and high molecular weight polymers can - in the manner already specified - be converted into water-soluble forms which enable application to the soil and / or the aerial part of the plant and the spreading of the chitosan in the soil and in particular in the plant root area. Chitosan compounds can be particularly suitable in this connection, which also show sufficient water solubility even in the neutral to weakly basic pH range and thereby in a manner known per se, e.g. by salt formation with inorganic and / or organic acids, by lowering and regulating the degree of polymerization or oligomerization and / or by derivatizing the chitosans with solubilizing groups - e.g. Carboxymethyl groups in the O and / or N position - have been modified.

The state of the art in print also expressly describes the use of such chitosans or chitosan compounds in the agricultural sector, including the use of corresponding aqueous chitosan preparations. The combination according to the invention in the sense of the multicomponent mixtures of the components defined according to the invention to (a), (b), (c) and preferably additionally (d) and the associated objective according to the invention on the one hand to increase the growth of the plant material and on the other hand to protect against attack by Pathogens, especially from the areas of fungal diseases, bacteriosis and / or viroses, but also sucking pests on roots - here, for example, nematodes - and / or on above-ground parts of plants is not disclosed in the cited prior art.

The entry of the chitosan components to (a) in the soil areas to be treated and / or to the above-ground part of the plants can take place at the same time and / or with a time lag with the entry of the components to (b), (c) and optionally (d). In an important embodiment, however, it is provided that sufficiently water-soluble chitosans or chitosan compounds, at least in part, are added or applied to the soil structure and / or to the above-ground part of the plant together with the other components mentioned of the mixtures of valuable substances according to the invention.

If chitins and / or in particular chitosans are used in admixture with the components of (a), (b) and optionally (d), then amounts of at least 0.05% by weight and in particular amounts of at least 0.1 to 1 are used % By weight, based in each case on the anhydrous multicomponent mixture, is used. It is crucial that even such small amounts of the chitin or chitosan-based components can have a substantial influence on the course of life in the soil and in the plant, in particular promoting the growth of healthy microorganism flora and thus plant growth and the growth of Pests is suppressed.

Re (b) "Ecologically compatible surfactant compounds of the O / W type (APG compounds)"

The biodegradable surfactants for subclass (b) used according to the invention are known to be compounds of nonionic character, which are furthermore preferably at least predominantly of natural product-based origin and have preferred HLB values in the range from 10 to 18.

According to the invention, it is particularly preferred to use at least partially and in particular at least predominantly alkyl (oligo) glucoside compounds as component (b), the alkyl radical of which is at least predominantly derived from straight-chain fatty alcohols. Compounds of this type - also referred to as APG components or compounds according to current usage - are surfactant auxiliaries for a wide range of uses. A number of factors are important for their practical use on a large industrial scale today: APG-based wetting agents can be known to be fully natural product-based. They fall as reaction products by reacting fatty alcohols with glucose, oligoglucose or - with simultaneous degradation of the chain length - with polyglycosides such as starch as reaction products of the general formula R-

REPLACEMENT SHEET ^" (RULE 26) O- (G) _x an, in which R is a primary, preferably straight-chain and aliphatic hydrocarbon radical having at least 6 C atoms, preferably having 8 to 24 C atoms and in particular 8 to 18 C atoms, and G is a glycose unit 5 or 6 carbon atoms, preferably for glucose. The degree of oligomerization x - and thus the DP value - which indicates the distribution of monoglycosides and oligoglycosides, is usually a value between 1 and 10 in the surfactant class concerned here and is, for example, in the range from about 1.2 to 5, preferably in the range from about 1, 2 to 4 and in particular in the range of 1, 2 to 2. Reference can be made to the extensive specialist knowledge and literature on the production and nature of APG compounds of the type concerned here, see for example the publication by Hill et. al. "Alkyl Polyglycosides", VCH-Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Weinheim, 1997.

APG compounds as surfactant auxiliaries in aqueous preparations generally trigger considerable foaming when these aqueous preparations are discharged. The teaching of the previously cited German patent application DE 197 01 127 describes the form in which low-foam network aids can be formed with such APG connections. In particular, olefinically unsaturated alcohols and / or partial esters of lower polyhydric alcohols with fatty acids can be used as the foam brake / defoamer. These are compounds which are in principle to be assigned to subclass (c) defined according to the invention, so that this is dealt with below.

Re (c) "Lipophilic hydrocarbon residues with fat structure organic compounds"

The use of this component (s) according to type and amount is of crucial importance in the preferred embodiment according to the invention. This meaning is usually polyfunctional. As just explained above, the class of valuable substances discussed here includes the area of foam brakes or defoamers which are desirable or even necessary in connection with the use of the surfactant components for substance class (b). However, the focus is on a completely different function, which is discussed in detail in the older application DE 197 48 884.6, which has already been cited several times: The components of this subclass are C suppliers for the growth of the microorganism flora in the rhizosphere and phyllosphere areas.

An important characteristic for these additional components to (c) is the determination parameter that they are degradable both aerobically and anaerobically by natural degradation processes. The C source essential for organotrophic growth according to the invention are the lipophilic hydrocarbon residues with fat structure present in this component and thus the comparatively increased concentration of the energy-supplying CH- Groupings. As stated above, these hydrocarbon residues with a fat structure can be saturated and / or at least partially olefinically unsaturated. Further considerations regarding the physico-chemical nature of this component, which will be dealt with in the following, can also be decisive here.

Preferred components for (c) are oil-soluble, however biologically compatible organic compounds with fat residues of the type specified, which have at least 6 C atoms and in particular at least 8 C atoms. The use of appropriate components based on straight-chain hydrocarbon residues or KW compounds is preferred. Corresponding components that are at least predominantly based on natural substances are of particular importance.

Particularly important representatives of the substance class for (c) mentioned here are corresponding hydrocarbon compounds which are at least partially functionalized with oxygen as a hetero atom. Typical examples of components of this type are fatty alcohols and / or fatty acids or their derivatives and / or salts. Suitable fatty alcohol or fatty acid derivatives are their esters, ethers and / or amides. The fatty alcohols and the esters of fatty acids with monofunctional and / or polyfunctional alcohols are of particular importance in the context of the invention. When using polyfunctional alcohols, the term fatty acid esters encompasses both the full esters and the partial esters. Which special components are the preferred representatives in the respective specific individual case is determined, if appropriate, by secondary effects and thus by the presence of any desired synergisms within the overall system. Corresponding statements made in German patent application P 19701127.6 are dealt with by way of example only:

Surfactant-based aqueous preparations and, in particular, corresponding aqueous APG-based wetting aids are generally distinguished by the high foaming power of these non-ionic surfactants based on APG. For the work area affected according to the invention, this can represent a pronounced burden. Here the additional task arises to remedy the problem by using so-called foam brakes or defoamers. Fatty alcohols, partial esters of in particular lower polyfunctional alcohols - e.g. Glycerin and fatty acids and especially their mixtures fulfill this task. At the same time, however, they are the C suppliers desired according to the invention for stimulating and increasing the growth of microorganisms in the soil and are therefore optimal representatives for the components of (c) in the sense of the definition according to the invention.

The mixing of aqueous APG concentrates with defoamers / foam brakes based on alcohol and / or based on partial esters of fatty acids and polyhydric alcohols, especially special glycerin, but can lead to the formation of gels that are no longer flowable. By adding limited amounts of lower monofunctional and / or multifunctional alcohols, for example by adding limited amounts of ethanol to the gel-like thickened concentrate, it is then possible to ensure the flowability and pourability again in the area of room temperature.

The valuable substances or mixtures of substances to be used in the specific individual case as mixture component (c) are thus determined in preferred embodiments not only by considerations for optimizing this component as a carbon supplier for the growth of microorganisms. Secondary effects such as low foam of the aqueous multicomponent mixture, homogenization of the lipophilic components together with wetting agents of the O / W type in the aqueous phase-containing multicomponent mixture and applicability in the sense of dilution with further water and subsequent application by pouring and / or spraying can be decisive. The aforementioned application P 19701127.6 deals in particular with these aspects. For the purpose of completing the disclosure of the invention, the subject matter of this application is hereby expressly made the subject of the present disclosure of the invention.

In particular for the trouble-free entry of the water-based substance mixtures into the soil substrate and the transport of the carbon suppliers to the mixture component (c) in the sense of the definition according to the invention, it can be important to select such components for (c) that the pour points are at least partially equal to / less than 25 to 30 ° C and in particular equal to / less than 10 to 15 ° C. Suitable components here are, for example, olefinically unsaturated C - ^^ - fatty alcohols of natural origin, in particular at least predominantly Ci6 / 18 ^_ fatty alcohols with a high degree of olefinic double bonds and solidification ranges equal to / less than 20 ° C, preferably equal to / less than 10 to 15 ° C. Preferred multicomponent mixtures for this constituent (c) in the sense of the definition according to the invention are mixtures of fatty alcohols with partial esters of saturated and in particular at least partially olefinically unsaturated fatty acids with polyfunctional alcohols with 2 to 6 C atoms and in particular 3 to 5 C atoms. For example, glycerol partial esters of fatty acids of natural origin can be important mixture components for blending with corresponding fatty alcohols, with approximately equal amounts of fatty alcohol and fatty acid partial esters or corresponding substance mixtures with a multiple of the partial ester, based on the fatty alcohol, being preferred substance mixtures. Suitable mixtures of fatty alcohol to fatty acid partial glyceride are, for example, in the range from about 1: 1 to 1:10, preferably 1: 1 to 1: 5 and in particular from about 1: 1 to 1: 3 parts by weight. As previously indicated, such fatty acid partial esters can also be used alone as component (s) of (c) come. Corresponding representatives with pour points in the aforementioned areas are preferred.

A further determining element for the new technical action which is essential in the sense of the invention - namely the minimum quantities of C suppliers for microorganism growth to be used in the context of the multi-component mixtures to be applied according to the invention as a whole - will be discussed in detail at a later point in time. The following should be clarified here in advance: In an important embodiment, the teaching according to the invention sees the quantity matching of the component (c) to the quantities of P and, if appropriate, further macro- and / or micronutrients entered by the mixture component to (d) as an essential element in front. The source of carbon (c) for the growth of microorganisms is used in such minimum amounts that - based on the phosphorus P introduced via the mixture component (d) - the weight ratio of C: P is at least in the range from about 5 to 10: 1 and preferably is at least about 20 to 25: 1. Depending on the nature of the soil and in particular the type and amount of the organically bound carbon present in the soil area, embodiments may be preferred in which substantially higher C: P ratios are ensured. Important lower limit values are 40: 1 and preferably in the range of at least 50: 1. A much larger excess of the C supplier is generally still possible, so that C: P weight ratios of up to 500: 1 or even more are within the scope of the teaching according to the invention. By optimizing the spread of this C supplier in the soil, which is easily accessible to the growth of microorganisms, and by transporting it to the area of the rhizosphere, the stimulation and support of the organotrophic growth of microorganisms in the sense of the task according to the invention is realized.

The valuable substances used according to the invention for (c) with their lipophilic residues of the fat character and the aerobic as well as the anaerobic degradability are completely degradable to CO2, H2O and biomass. As a result, it is ensured that no inert or ecotoxicologically questionable degradation products accumulate in the soil when they are used. The components containing lipophilic residues to (c) migrate only slowly in the soil; they tend to attach to lipophilic or oleophilic surfaces and thus in particular to root surfaces. They are practically not washed out into the groundwater and are not toxic, so that their use is also harmless for this reason. The last-mentioned interaction between the lipophilic residues of the mixture components used according to the invention to (c) and further constituents of the substrate or the multicomponent mixture added according to the invention can be

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SPARE BLADE (RULE 26) of particular importance when selecting suitable and optimized components for the substance class discussed below (d).

Re (d) "Compounds of P and / or N containing at least partially lipophilic residues and, if desired, further macro- and / or micronutrients for carriers containing plant growth"

Finally, the teaching of the invention provides, in a preferred embodiment, to enter selected valuable substances or mixtures of valuable substances from the range of fertilizers which contain phosphorus and / or nitrogen in the substrate to be treated and / or on the aerial plant part, in particular the leaf. Components that carry these two elements can be preferred representatives of this class of substances. If desired, in this context - i.e. other macro- and / or micronutrients for plant growth containing carrier substances are used as proportionate components of component (d). First of all, however, the following applies:

The entry of this valuable component (s) to (d) can take place simultaneously and in connection with the entry of the valuable materials to (c) and the ecologically compatible wetting agents used for this to (b). However, it is also possible to enter these valuable components into (d) with a time offset or to combine such a time-offset entry with the simultaneous input of the components with (a), (b), (c) and (d).

In a particularly important embodiment of the invention, oil-soluble compounds of P and / or N are used as component (d) which has at least some lipophilic residues. Particularly preferred representatives of these auxiliaries are therefore the phospholipids described in the publication DE 44 37 313 cited at the beginning and / or their derivatives as essential representatives of these components to (d). The subject matter of the disclosure of this DE 44 37 313 is hereby also expressly made the subject of the disclosure within the framework of the teaching according to the invention, so that essential aspects are only emphasized below in part. Already in this publication it is pointed out that the effect of the added phospholipids on the microbial soil flora manifests itself, among other things, in the fact that organic compounds and plant residues present in the soil are broken down more quickly, with an increase in soil bacteria. In the sense of the teaching according to the invention, the lipophilic and flowable components for (c) are now additionally provided as carbon suppliers for the growth of microorganisms. Lipophilic molecular parts of the components acc. (d) associate with the lipophilic residues of the hydrocarbon type from the C suppliers to (c) in the sense of the teaching according to the invention. In an unpredictable way, the mobilization and strengthening of the microorganism strains of the diverse types of soil

14

REPLACEMENT BLAπ (RULE 26) populations instead, which - in exchange with the plant roots - lead to the sustainable strengthening and increase of plant growth. It is clear that this means that the acceleration of growth acts at least in its initial phases independently of the organic compounds present in the soil, such as plant or root residues and the like. Nevertheless, in the further course the composting process (mineralization) taking place in the soil is accelerated and dead plant material is returned to the biological cycle more quickly. Plant nutrients defined in the substrate become available again. The ventilation of the soil or the substrate on which the plants grow is improved, the water balance is made more uniform.

Preferred components for material class (d) are esters of phosphoric acid with 1- and / or polyhydric alcohols, which have lipophilic residues in their molecular structure. Corresponding partial esters of phosphoric acid, which are then generally used in the form of their (partial) salts, are particularly suitable.

Suitable phosphoric acid esters in this sense are accordingly partial esters of fatty alcohols, which enter the required lipophilic portion into the phosphoric acid ester molecule via the hydrocarbon residue of the fatty alcohol. Partial esters of phosphoric acid with straight-chain fatty alcohols can be particularly suitable here, preferably at least to a substantial extent using C ₆ . ₁₀ fatty alcohols and / or their lower ethoxylates have been prepared. In principle, however, the phosphoric acid esters of higher fatty alcohols with, for example, 12 to 24 carbon atoms are also suitable, with particular importance being attached to olefinically unsaturated fatty alcohol residues.

Phospholipids and phospholipid derivatives are, however, particularly preferred phosphoric acid esters for the valuable subclass (d). As is well known, these are amphiphilic substances which are obtained from plant or animal cells. Preferred phospholipids in the sense of the teaching according to the invention are corresponding compounds of plant origin or phospholipid derivatives obtained therefrom. A particularly preferred representative of this class of substances for (a) are the glycerophospholipids, which are usually also referred to as lecithin. The sphingophospholipids are less preferred. Known and usable substances here are the diacylphospholipids, phosphatidylcholines, phosphatidylethanolamines, phosphatidylinosoles, phosphatidylserines, phosphatidylglycerols, phosphatidylglycerol phosphates, diphosphatidylglycerol, N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidic acid. Monoacylphospholipids, lysophosphatidylcholines, lysophosphatidylethanolamines, lysophosphatidylinositols, lysophosphatidylserines, lysophosphatidylglycols are preferred.

15

SPARE BLADE (RULE 26) cerole, lysophosphatidylglycerophosphate, lysodiphosphatidylglyerine, lyso-n-acylphosphatidylethanolamine and lysophosphatidic acid. The phosphatidylglycerides, which are commercially available as vegetable or animal lecithins and zephalins, are technically accessible and available in large quantities. These preparations are obtained, for example, from oils such as corn oil or cottonseed oil or soybean oil. Components according to the invention for subclass (a) can be enzymatically hydrolysed glycerophospholipids (enzymatically hydrolysed lecithin) which have a more hydrophilic character due to the elimination of a fatty acid ester. The only exceptions are products that have lost their phosphoric acid residue due to the enzymatic hydrolysis.

Preferred components for (d) are lecithin, lecithin hydrolyzates and / or chemically modified lecithins. These compounds can also be used in admixture with other N-containing components, but it is expedient to dispense with the use of such additional N components when applying the multicomponent mixture to the aerial part of the plant, in particular to the leaf.

In the following, numerical information on the proportions of the valuable components of (a) to (d) is first made, which are applied in a mixture with one another and / or with a time offset against one another in the soil and / or on the aerial part of the plant. The numerical values that follow now relate to the respective representatives of the material class in question in percent by weight, based on an anhydrous or practically water-free mixture of materials.

The components of (a), ie chitin and / or chitosans with an oligomer and / or polymer structure, are used in amounts of at least 0.01% by weight and preferably in amounts of at least 0.05% by weight. Quantities of at least 0.1 to 1% by weight, based in each case on the practically water-free mixture of valuable substances, are particularly preferred. The quantitative upper limit of this component is determined by a number of factors, as can be understood from the following considerations: If soluble and, in particular, water-soluble components are used for (a), chitosans with an oligomer and / or polymer structure are primarily used here . The molecular size, in particular of polymeric compounds, can influence the quantitative limit of this constituent in conjunction with the claim to flowable and pourable preparations. The situation is different if increased solubility in water is ensured by the previously indicated derivatization of the chitin and / or chitosan structure and / or by the formation of sufficiently low oligomer types even at higher concentrations. represents is. The considerations affected here include in particular the fact that the action of the components of (a) against pathogens can be ensured even at very low application concentrations. Accordingly, upper limits for the content of the mixture component (s) to (a) in the mixture of valuable substances are, for example, 15 to 25% by weight, but preferably at significantly lower values of, for example, 5 to 10% by weight.

The surfactants for (b) from the class of the APG compounds of the O / W type are usually present in amounts of about 5 to 45% by weight, preferably in the range of about 10 to 40% by weight - again based on the anhydrous mixture of recyclable materials - used. When the hydrocarbon radicals having a fat structure and both aerobic and anaerobically degradable organic compounds are also used to (c), a range of up to about 40% by weight, preferably the range in amounts of 1 to 30% by weight, usually applies. Also the components used in preferred embodiments to (d) - i.e. the compounds of P and / or N - which have at least some lipophilic residues can make up up to 40% by weight and preferably 3 to 30% by weight in the multi-substance mixture.

When applying or adding the chitin and / or chitosan-based multicomponent mixtures, different principles can be used which have an indirect influence on the amounts of the multicomponent mixtures to be entered in the respective work step. Thus, in a first embodiment, it is possible to carry out the simultaneous and / or delayed entry of the components or component mixtures defined according to the invention only once in the plant growth period concerned in each case. The possibility provided by the invention for working with water-soluble and / or water-emulsifiable mixtures of valuable substances, however, also opens the way for the valuable substances or mixtures of valuable substances to be applied or applied to the soil and / or the above-ground part of the plant several times at shorter or larger intervals. Thus, it may be expedient to repeatedly apply comparatively small amounts of the recyclable materials according to the invention at intervals of at least 2 to 3 weeks, for example at intervals of 1 to 2 months. In this way, an optimized high effectiveness can be guaranteed even when only very low concentrations of the valuable substances or mixtures of valuable substances are introduced into the soil and / or the plant. Accordingly, preferred amounts for the application or introduction of the mixtures of recyclable materials according to the invention are at lower limits of at least 0.1 to 0.2 g / m ² and preferably at amounts of at least about 1 g / m ² . Upper limits for this entry can be in the range from 40 to 60 g / m ² , all of these numerical values in turn refer to the practically anhydrous components in a mixture or in the delayed entry. Especially for them The aforementioned possibility of multiple entries of comparatively low concentrations of valuable substances or mixtures of suitable substances is suitable in appropriate quantitative ranges from approximately 0.5 to 10 g / m ² and in particular in the quantitative range from approximately 1 to 5 g / m ² .

In an important embodiment, the teaching according to the invention provides for the use of the previously described valuable substances and mixtures of valuable substances in addition to the usual entry of crop protection agents in plant breeding. Usual auxiliaries from the areas of fungal diseases, bacterioses and / or viroses but also sucking pests on roots and / or above-ground parts of plants come into consideration here. Here, reference can be made in detail to the specialist knowledge of the auxiliaries used according to current practice, reference is made, for example, to the publication K.-U. Heyland, agricultural textbook "General crop production", publisher Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart, 1996, there in particular sub-chapter 8 "Pests and crop protection", op. Cit. Pages 251 to 356 and H. Börner "Plant diseases and plant protection", 5th edition, Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart, 1983, pages 136 to 154 and the literature cited there.

If such a combination of the teaching according to the invention is used with conventional aids against the pests mentioned, then the amount of these conventional aids can be reduced substantially without fear of serious loss of effectiveness. In this way, savings of at least 30%, preferably at least 50 to 75%, of the active substances of the prior art which usually go back to synthetic chemistry can be made without having to fear losses in growth and / or yield. However, as stated above, this combined use of the teaching according to the invention with the relevant previously known technical knowledge is only one possible embodiment within the meaning of the teaching according to the invention. According to the invention, preference is given to completely or practically completely dispensing with auxiliaries of those described in the prior art and in current practice used to a large extent.

Finally, the teaching according to the invention comprises, in a further embodiment, a modification of the technical teaching shown such that the use of the chitin and / or chitosan-based components with oligomer and / or polymer structure in accordance with. (a) is dispensed with, but now the use of the component to (d) - compounds of P and / or N containing at least some lipophilic residues - mandatory with the use of APG compounds of the O / W type - compounds to (b ) - and the components of (c), ie both aerobic and ana- erob degradable organic compounds with lipophilic hydrocarbon residues with a fat structure.

The design of the technical teaching mentioned last relates to the disclosure of the earlier German patent application DE 198 30 889 (H 3571) by the applicant, which describes the use of aqueous preparations of

Fatty alcohols and / or partial esters of fatty acids with lower polyfunctional alcohols mixed with ecologically compatible surfactant compounds from the class of alkyl (poly) glycosides of the O / W type (APG compounds)

as a mixture of valuable substances with plant-strengthening and / or plant-sanitizing action against their infestation by phytopatogenic fungi and / or soil-borne pests. The disclosure of the earlier application mentioned above is hereby expressly made the subject of the disclosure of the present application, in particular in connection with the last-mentioned embodiment. The decisive modification now disclosed lies in the use of the components to (d), together with the APG compounds and in particular fatty alcohols and / or partial esters of fatty acids with lower polyfunctional alcohols, but also other oxygen-functionalized components with fatty residues and in the sense of in Compounds described in the present description of the invention as component (c). The quantity information given here for both the individual components in the multicomponent mixtures in relation to one another and for the application of the multicomponent mixtures to the soil and / or the above-ground part of the plant - as they were previously made for the mixtures of substances according to the invention to (a) to (d), are retained their validity.

B e i s p i e l e

In the following formulations I and II, water-containing, flowable and water-thinnable concentrates for chitosan-containing components of value according to the invention are described, which can be diluted with further water and can be used in this form without problems for crop protection in the sense of the teaching according to the invention.

The following applies to the components in these tables relating to I and II identified by trade names:

Glucopon 215 CS UP O / W wetting agent based on APG

HD Ocenol or HD Ocenol 80/85 C _16/18 fatty alcohol, iodine number 80-85

Edenor GMO glycerol monooleate

Lipotin NE Enzymatically hydrolyzed soy lecithin

A water-soluble chitosan polymer was used as the aqueous chitosan solution, which had been prepared by adding 1 g of chitosan polymer with 5 ml of 1 molar HCl to 100 ml of water with stirring at room temperature until the chitosan was dissolved.

Recipe

The aqueous active substance mixture specified here contains 65% by weight of valuable substances in the sense of the definition according to the invention in 35% by weight of water. The chitosan content of the active substance mixture is 0.31% by weight, based on the anhydrous mixture of valuable substances. Application rates of the multi-component mixture, which correspond to an application amount of 1 g / m ² when discharged onto the soil, show a clear inhibition of fungal growth in appropriately infected nutrient substrates in laboratory tests.

The same applies to investigations with a mixture of valuable substances in the sense of the invention, which is characterized by the following recipe II.

Recipe II

The material mixture shown in this table contains 70% by weight of active ingredients mixed with 30% by weight of water. The chitosan content of the anhydrous material mixture is 0.19% by weight.

The recipes according to Table I and acc. Table II can be practically diluted with water. In the case of recipe II, too, a clear restriction of fungal growth in correspondingly infected test soils is observed in laboratory tests at an application rate of 1 g / m ² .

Claims

Expectations

1. Use of multi-component mixtures of valuable substances, at least predominantly of organic origin, for the cultivation and care of useful and ornamental plants by activating the plant rhizosphere and / or phyllosphere and thus promoting both plant growth and plant health against pathogens, in particular from the areas of fungal diseases, bacteriosis and / or viroses, but also containing sucking pests on roots and / or above-ground parts of plants

(a) chitin and / or chitosan with oligomer and / or polymer structure,

in combination with and with a simultaneous and / or delayed order from

(b) ecologically compatible surfactant compounds from the class of alkyl (poly) glycosides of the O / W type (APG compounds) and

(c) Lipophilic saturated and / or olefinically unsaturated hydrocarbon residues with fat structure and both aerobic and anaerobically degradable organic compounds.

2. Use according to claim 1, characterized in that additionally - as component (s) (d) - at least partially lipophilic radical-containing compounds of P and / or N and, if desired, further macro- and / or micronutrients for plant growth in the carriers Root area and / or be applied to the aerial part of the plant.

3. Use according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that as component (c) oil-soluble, but biologically compatible organic compounds with aliphatic and / or olefinically unsaturated, preferably at least predominantly straight-chain hydrocarbon radicals with at least 6 carbon atoms and in particular with at least 8 carbon atoms are used.

4. Use according to claims 1 to 3, characterized in that components to (c) are used which are at least partially functionalized with oxygen as a heteroatom, the use of fatty alcohols and / or Fatty acids or their derivatives, such as their esters or partial esters, ethers and / or amides, is preferred.

5. Use according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the components of (c) are at least predominantly natural product-based.

6. Use according to claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the components to (c) at least partially pour points equal to / less than 25 to 30 ° C and in particular equal to / less than 10 to 15 ° C.

7. Use according to claims 1 to 6, characterized in that lecithin, lecithin hydrolyzates and / or chemically modified lecithins are used as components (d), which can also be used in admixture with other N-containing components, but advantageously for the application of the multicomponent mixture to the above-ground part of the plant, in particular the leaf, the use of such additional N components being dispensed with.

8. Use according to claims 1 to 7, characterized in that at least partially water-soluble chitosans or chitosan compounds are used as component (a) and are preferably entered in the form of aqueous preparations in the culture soils or applied to the aerial plant part.

9. Use according to claims 1 to 8, characterized in that chitosans with oligomer and / or polymer structure are used, which have been obtained by at least largely deacetylating chitin and, if desired, lowering the average molecular weight by chain cleavage of the aminosaccharide polymers.

10. Use according to claims 1 to 9, characterized in that chitosan compounds with - preferably also in the neutral to weakly basic pH range - improved water solubility are used, the water solubility in a manner known per se, e.g.

by salt formation with inorganic and / or organic acids, by lowering and regulating the degree of polymerization or oligomerization and / or by derivatizing the chitosans with solubilizers Groups, for example carboxymethyl groups

can be ensured.

1 1. Use according to claims 1 to 10, characterized in that APG compounds are used as component (b), the alkyl radical of which is at least predominantly derived from straight-chain fatty alcohols, which are preferably of natural origin, further preferred HLB- Values of these surfactant components are in the range from 10 to 18.

12. Use according to claims 1 to 1 1, characterized in that as component (b) APG compounds from glucose and natural product-based fatty alcohols with at least 6 carbon atoms, preferably with 8 to 24 carbon atoms and DP values in the range from 1, 2 to 5, are used.

13. Use according to claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the multicomponent mixtures are used in the form of low-foam aqueous preparations which - as at least a proportion of the components to (c) - olefinically unsaturated C _12th ₂₄ fatty alcohols of natural origin, in particular at least predominantly C _16/18 fatty alcohols with a high degree of olefinic double bonds and solidification ranges equal to / less than 20 ° C, preferably equal to / less than 10 to 15 ° C, and / or fatty acid partial esters such as glycerol monooleate, including mixtures such components can be used to (c).

14. Use according to claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the chitin and / or chitosan-based active ingredient components to (a) in the mixture of materials in amounts of at least 0.05 wt .-%, preferably in amounts of at least 0, 1 to 1% by weight, based in each case on the anhydrous material mixtures, are present or used.

15. Use according to claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the chitin and / or chitosan-based multicomponent mixtures - based on the anhydrous mixture - in amounts of at least 0.2 g / m ² , preferably in amounts of 1 to 60 g / m ² and in particular in amounts of 10 to 40 g / m ^{2 are} applied.