Monsanto Company

Alain J Lemercier

Ronald Joseph Brinker

Olivier Soula

Jane L Gillespie

Remi Meyrueix

Anthony J Ward

Nathan J Bryson

Gerard G Soula

A plant treatment composition for application of an anionic exogenous chemical substance such as glyphosate herbicide to foliage of a plant is provided. The composition is a colloidal dispersion having supramolecular aggregates dispersed in an aqueous application medium. The supramolecular aggregates comprise one or more amphiphilic salt(s) having anions of the exogenous chemical substance and cations derived by protonation of one or more polyamine(s) or polyamine derivative(s) each having (a) at least two nitrogen-containing groups, of which a number n not less than 1 are amino groups that can be protonated to form cationic primary, secondary or tertiary ammonium groups, and (b) at least one hydrocarbyl or acyl group having about 6 to about 30 carbon atoms. The composition contains (i) a molar amount X in total of the exogenous chemical substance, in all salt and acid forms thereof present, sufficient to elicit a biological response when the composition is applied to the foliage of the plant at a rate of about 10 to about 1000 l/ha, (ii) a molar amount A in total of said polyamine(s) and derivative(s) thereof and cations derived therefrom, and (iii) a zero or molar amount B in total of one or more monovalent base(s) and cations derived therefrom, said base(s) being other than a polyamine or derivative thereof, such that nA/(nA+B) is about 0.01 to 1, and (nA+B)/X is about 0.5 to about 10. Also provided are a liquid concentrate composition which, upon dilution with water, forms a plant treatment composition as described above, and a process for making such a liquid concentrate composition. Plant treatment compositions of the invention are useful for eliciting a biological activity, for example herbicidal activity, in a plant when applied to foliage thereof.

Process and compositions promoting biological effectiveness of exogenous

Growing community of inventors

St Bonnet de Mure, France

Alain J Lemercier