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Title: Wetting agent and use thereof in agriculture
Claims: What is claimed is: 1. In an aqueous composition for stimulating root development of plants, which composition comprises a surface-tension lowering surfactant, a water-compatible organic liquid solvent compatible with said surfactant, a polysiloxane foam-suppressing agent, and one root-development stimulating low equivalent weight solid acrylate copolymer, comprising monomeric units derived from acrylic acid, .alpha.-lower alkyl acrylic acid or mixtures thereof, and an allyl saccharide, said monomeric units derived from said acid or acids being in the acrylate salt form; said acrylate copolymer having a molecular weight in excess of 50,000 and a carboxylic acid equivalent weight greater than 72 but less than about 90, the improvement which comprises improving the essentially non-clogging sprayability characteristics of said aqueous composition by means of an essentially non-clogging additive, said essentially non-clogging additive comprising: a root-development stimulating, second acrylate copolymer uniformly distributed through said aqueous composition, said second acrylate copolymer being a solid, relatively higher equivalent weight acrylic acid copolymer, comprising monomeric units derived from acrylic acid or .alpha.-lower alkyl acrylic acid or mixtures thereof, and a lower alkyl acrylate or lower alkyl .alpha.-lower alkyl acrylate or mixtures thereof, said relatively higher equivalent weight acrylic acid copolymer having a carboxylic acid equivalent weight greater than 90 and a pH in 1 weight-% aqueous solution of less than about 4; the ratio, by weight, of said second acrylate copolymer to said low equivalent weight acrylate copolymer ranging from about 90:10 to about 10:90. 2. A composition according to claim 1 wherein said second acrylate copolymer is an alkali metal acrylate copolymer formed in situ in said composition by adjustment of the pH of said relatively higher equivalent weight acrylic acid copolymer to greater than 6 but less than about 9 with an alkali metal hydroxide. 3. A composition according to claim 2 wherein said relatively higher equivalent weight acrylic acid copolymer is added to said composition prior to said adjustment of the pH in the form of a stable aqueous emulsion having a pH of 2.7-3.5 and a solids content of at least 5% by weight. 4. A composition according to claim 1 wherein said ratio of said second acrylate copolymer to said low equivalent weight solid acrylate copolymer is at least about 1:1. 5. A composition according to claim 1 having a pH of about 7 to 8 at 23.degree. C. and comprising: (a) 10-35% by weight of surface-tension lowering poly(lower alkoxylate) of a higher alkyl-containing alcohol; (b) 1-20% by weight of a water-miscible, mono- or polyfunctional lower alcohol; (c) 1-20% by weight of de-foaming polysiloxane emulsion having a solids content of at least 5% by weight; and (d) 0.05-5% by weight of the alkali metal salts of a mixture of acrylate copolymers, said mixture consisting essentially of: 1. an acrylate copolymer containing 90-99% by weight repeating acrylate units and at least about 1% by weight of an allyl saccharide comonomer, having a carboxylic acid equivalent weight ranging from 72 to 80, and having a molecular weight above about 200,000; 2. a second acrylate copolymer having a carboxylic acid equivalent weight in the range of 100-150; essentially the balance of said composition being water. 6. A composition according to claim 5 consisting essentially of: (a) 20-25% by weight of an ethoxylated secondary alkanol; (b) 5-15% by weight of propylene glycol; (c) 1-10% by weight of a dimethyl polysiloxane emulsion containing 5-40% solids by weight; (d) 0.1-1% by weight of the sodium salts of said acrylate copolymers; and (e) about 50 to 74% by weight of water. 7. A method for improving the development of a plant or plant seed by applying the composition of claim 1 to said plant or plant seed, said applying step being carried out by spraying said composition into the nutrient medium in which said plant or plant seed is planted. 8. A composition according to claim 1, wherein said ratio is at least about 1:1. 9. A composition according to claim 1, wherein said ratio is at least about 2:1. 10. A composition according to claim 1, wherein said ratio ranges from about 2:1 to about 6:1. 11. A method for reducing the clogging of a screen element of a spraying means during the spraying, with said means, of a plant-growth stimulating composition, wherein said plant growth stimulating composition comprises a root-development stimulating low equivalent weight solid acrylate copolymer comprised of acrylic acid, .alpha.-lower alkyl acrylic acid or mixtures thereof in the form of a neutralized acrylate salt copolymerized with an allyl saccharide, said monomeric units derived from said acid or acids being in the acrylate salt form; said acrylate copolymer having a molecular weight in excess of 50,000 and a carboxylic acid equivalent weight greater than 72 but less than about 90 distributed through an aqueous medium, said method comprising: reducing said clogging by including in said composition a root-development stimulating, second acrylate copolymer uniformly distributed through said composition, said second acrylate copolymer being a solid, relatively higher equivalent weight acrylic acid copolymer, comprising monomeric units derived from acrylic acid or .alpha.-lower alkyl acrylic acid or mixtures thereof, and a lower alkyl acrylate or lower alkyl .alpha.-lower alkyl acrylate or mixtures thereof, said relatively higher equivalent weight acrylic acid copolymer having a carboxylic acid equivalent weight greater than 90 and a pH in 1 weight-% aqueous solution of less than about 4; the ratio, by weight, of said second acrylate copolymer to said low equivalent weight acrylate copolymer ranging from about 90:10 to about 10:90. 12. A method according to claim 11 wherein said second acrylate copolymer is an alkali metal acrylate copolymer formed in situ in said composition by adjustment of the pH of said relatively higher equivalent weight acrylic acid copolymer to greater than 6 but less than about 9 with an alkali metal hydroxide. 13. A method according to claim 12 wherein said relatively higher equivalent weight acrylic acid copolymer is added to said composition prior to said adjustment of the pH in the form of a stable aqueous emulsion having a pH of 2.7-3.5 and a solids content of at least 5% by weight. 14. A method according to claim 12 wherein the said composition, including said second acrylate copolymer after said adjustment of the pH, comprises: (a) 10-35% by weight of surface-tension lowering poly(lower alkoxylate) of a higher alkyl-containing alcohol; (b) 1-20% by weight of a water-miscible, mono- or polyfunctional lower alcohol; (c) 1-20% by weight of de-foaming polysiloxane emulsion having a solids content of at least 5% by weight; and (d) 0.05-5% by weight of the mixture comprising the alkali metal salts of said low equivalent weight acrylate and the alkali metal salts of said second acrylate, said mixture consisting essentially of: 1. an acrylate copolymer containing 90-99% by weight repeating acrylate units and at least about 1% by weight of an allyl saccharide comonomer, having a carboxylic acid equivalent weight ranging from 72 to 80, and having a molecular weight above about 200,000; 2. a second acrylate copolymer having a carboxylic acid equivalent weight in the range of 100-150; essentially the balance of said composition being water. 15. A method according to claim 11, wherein said ratio is at least about 1:1. Other info: Inventors: Leonard, James D. (Chaska, MN, US) Lewis, Michael J. (Prior Lake, MN, US) Application Number: 950067 Filing Date: 1978-10-10 Publication_date: 1980-10-14 Assignee: Conklin Company, Inc. (Minneapolis, MN) Primary Class(es): 504/361 Other Classes: US Patent Ref:
Other Refs: Primary Examiner: Mills, Catherine L. Assistant Examiner: Attorney: Merchant, Gould, Smith, Edell, Welter & Schmidt |
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