Texaco Trinidad, Inc.

John D Downer

Clarence A Phillips

Dulcie Ragoonanan

Disclosed are hydrolytically stable spray oil containing plant assimilating boron compounds for improving plant growth. Suitable boron compounds include the esters of boric, boronic and borinic acids including the cyclic esters, the alkanolamine esters, the non-alpha hydrogen and branched alkyl esters and amine-borate adducts. The spray oils are formulated to contain from 0.01 to 2.0 weight/volume percent of boron.

Boron-containing spray oil composition for foliar application

The phytotoxicity of petroleum spray oils can be eliminated or reduced by the addition thereto of from 0.01 to 8% weight percent of an antioxidant of the inhibitor or peroxide decomposing type, which is non-phytotoxic, non-carcinogenic and substantially unaffected in its antioxidant properties by sunlight. These inhibitors prevent the auto-oxidation of the oils.

Agricultural spray oil containing oxidation inhibitors

A micronutrient composition intended for application to the foliage or branches of plants is described as containing oil-soluble overbased copper, molybdenum, zinc, manganese or iron naphthenates in a horticultural non-phytotoxic spray oil. The composition is made metathetically by mixing a solution of naphthenic acids, having an acid value ranging from about 90 to 280 mg.KOH/g., in a light aromatic solvent, with a methanolic sodium hydroxide solution and a methanolic solution of the desired metal salt of an inorganic acid; distilling off the methanol, the water and some of the aromatic solvent, adding the spray oil and removing the rest of the aromatic solvent. The ratio of equivalents of metal to naphthenate in these salts ranges from 1.1 to 20. The naphthenates are in the form of micelles with each micelle having an empirical formula represented by MR.sub.2.xM(OH).sub.2.yMO, wherein R is the naphthenate radical, M is the divalent micronutrient metal and (x + y) is the overbasicity ranging from 0.1 to 19. It is believed the micelles consist of a core containing the excess basicity enclosed in an outer layer of neutral metal naphthenates.

Non-phytotoxic micronutrient compositions

Disclosed is a foliar feeding spray composition for supplying trace metals to plants comprising a thermally-treated trace metal chelate dissolved in a hydrocarbon mineral oil carrier having a minimum gravity API of 27, a viscosity at 100.degree. F. of between 55 and 100 Saybolt Universal Seconds, a boiling point range of between about 600.degree. F. and 775.degree. F. and a minimum unsulphonated residue content of 85%, the thermally-treated chelates being present in an amount ranging from 0.05 to 12.0 percent basis oil.

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Pointe-a-Pierre, Trinidad and Tobago

John D Downer