Foam-Forming Herbicidal Composition and Method of Application

Europaisches Patentamt 19 European Patent Office

Office europeen des brevets (fi) Publication number : 0 488 668 A1

@ Date of filing : 27.11.91

(30) Priority : 28.11.90 JP 322601/90 (72) Inventor : Sakamoto, Naoki 01.11.91 JP 313116/91 2-11-9, Umebara, Ohno-cho Saeki-gun, Hiroshima-ken (JP) Inventor : Sudo, Osamu (43) Date of publication of application : 2-9-33, Sumiyoshi 03.06.92 Bulletin 92/23 Hatsukaichi-shi, Hiroshima-ken (JP) Inventor : Shomura, Tomoko 203, Komaoka-cho, Tsurumi-ku © Designated Contracting States : Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa-ken (JP) DE FR GB IT NL Inventor : Inoue, Youko 256-8, Karasawa @ Applicant : FUMAKILLA LIMITED Fujisawa-shi, Kanagawa-ken (JP) 11, Kandamikuracho Chiyoda-ku Tokyo (JP) (74) Representative : Gaunt, Robert John et al MEIJI SEIKA KAISHA LTD. (7j) Applicant : Stevens, Hewlett & Perkins 1 Serjeants' Inn 4-16 Kyobashi 2-chome Fleet Street Chuo-ku Tokyo (JP) London EC4Y 1LL (GB)

(54) Foam-forming herbicidal composition and method of application.

(57) Disclosed is a herbicidal liquid composition which comprises a herbicide-containing liquid and a specific amount of a surfactant. Such compositions can be formed into foam in use. The application of the liquid composition can be visually confirmed. Other advantages of the compositions are easy- handling, high efficiency and formation of a stable foam. Such compositions comprises at least one herbicide selected from water-soluble herbicides such as Bialaphos, oil-soluble herbicides such as Napropamide and insoluble herbicides such as Simazine in an amount of preferably 0.05 to 20% by weight of the composition ; one or more optional agents selected from stabilizing agents, spreading agents, pastes, coloring agents, insecticides, germicides, fragrant agents and fertilizers ; 0.1 to 20% by weight of a surfactant; and preferably 1.0 to 20 % by weight of at least one low-boiling solvent. Such compositions can be formed into a foam with a pressurizing apparatus such as an aerosol-forming apparatus, a trigger sprayer, a hand pump and an electrical pump, Excell and Enviro Systems.

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LU Jouve, 18, rue Saint-Denis, 75001 PARIS EP 0 488 668 A1

The present invention relates to a herbicidal composition which can be applied in the form of an emulsion foam having fine bubbles and fluidity and a method for applying the same. Herbicidal compositions that are applicable as foam are not known. Conventional herbicides may be classified into solid- and liquid-formulations. Each type has both advantages and disadvantages. Granules, pow- 5 ders, plates, sticks are applied in the former style. Water soluble powders, emulsifiable concentrates, wettable powders, concentrated solutions, flowable formulations and AL-agents (already diluted to a concentration suit- able for use) are applied in the latter formulations. Aerosol herbicidal compositions have also been developed. For example, a liquid herbicidal composition comprising a certain organic herbicide and a propellant is described in Japanese Patent Public Disclosure No. 49 - 101539. w As described above, all conventional solid and liquid herbicidal compositions such as granules, powders, plates, sticks, aqueous solutions, emulsions, hydrates, solutions, flowable agents and AL-agents, have both advantages and disadvantages as will be explained below. Solid herbicidal compositions, which can be applied without dilution or other preparation, are easy to use. Dosage, however, is not always clear because of the difficulty in providing exact measurements in small-scale 15 operations such as in domestic use. It is also difficult to scatter a solid herbicide uniformly. Most liquid herbicides have the advantage that they can be sprinkled uniformly with a watering can. they are prepared in concentrated form and must be diluted before use. This dilution sometimes causes the dosage to be unexact and prevents proper application in small-scale operations such as in domestic use. Also, it is necessary to rinse out the apparatus or containers after use. Liquid herbicides used for the treatment of stems 20 and leaves have another disadvantage in that a large portion of the sprinkled solution flows down to the ground resulting in a great waste of the active agent. Aerosols are very convenient and require no dilution or rinsing. A large portion of sprayed aerosol, however, flows down to the ground also resulting in a great waste of the active agent. This fact also causes difficulty in visually determining which areas have been treated. Since sprayed particles are small and easily scattered, 25 valuable plants may be damaged and humans and animals, especially the user may be exposed to harmful inhalation of the active ingredients of the herbicide. Thus a proper form of administration of herbicides has been desired for small-scale operations such as in domestic use. Therefore an object of the present invention is to provide a foam-forming herbicidal composition which over- 30 comes the above-mentioned drawbacks and which has the advantage that already-treated areas can easily be visually distinguished from untreated parts, and to provide a method of application. Another object of the present invention is to provide a foam-forming herbicidal composition which can rea- dily be utilized efficiently and safely, and also to provide a method of application. In accordance with the present invention, a herbicidal composition comprises a herbicide-containing liquid and a surfactant in an amount of 35 from 0.1 to 20% by weight on the basis of the weight of the composition, the composition being capable of being formed into a foam. Compositions of the present inventions exhibit both advantages of solid and liquid preparations due to the hardness or viscosity of foam, and overcome the problems of aerosol preparations. Since the present compositions are capable of being formed into a foam having fine bubbles and fluidity in use, it is easy to determine 40 which areas have been treated. Any herbicides such as water-soluble, oil-soluble, or slightly soluble herbicides can be used in the present invention. Examples are water-soluble herbicides such as Bialaphos, Glufosinate, Glyphosate, 2,4-PA, Sodium MCP, Tetrapion, Sodium TCBA, Triclopyr (triethyl ammonium 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyloxyacetate), Hexazinone, Para- 45 quat, and Diquat; oil-soluble herbicides such as Napropamide, Naproanilide, Pendimethalin, Fluazifop, Verno- late, Thiobencarb, Linuron, Asulam, Karbutilate, DCMU, Thiazafluron, Bensulfuron-methyl, Atrazine, Metribuzin, Dazomet, Pyrazoxyfen, and Amiprofos-methyl; and slightly-soluble herbicides such as Simazine and Terbacil. Herbicides can be divided into herbicides which are sprinkled on to stems and leaves, such as Bialaphos, so Glufosinate, Glyphosate, 2,4-PA, and sodium MCP, and those which are applied on to soil, such as Tetrapion, Napropamide and Pendimethalin. Each of the herbicides mentioned above can be used alone or in combination. The concentration of each herbicide should be within the range of 0.05 - 20 wt.%, preferably 0.1-10 wt.% of the whole composition. Compositions having a concentration lower than 0.05 wt.% exhibit incomplete herbicidal effects as shown in 55 the examples described below, while those having a concentration higher than 20 wt.% adversely affect the formation of foam. Surfactants for foaming are generally classified into cationic, anionic, nonionic and amphoteric surfactants Any of these surfactants has formed a favorable foam in our experiments. Therefore all sort of surfactants such 2 EP 0 488 668 A1

as nonionic, anionic, cationicand amphoteric surfactants, and fatty acid sugar esters can be used in the present invention. Examples are anionic surfactants such as sodiumpolyoxyethylenealkylsulfate, calcium-dodecylben- zenesulfonate, alkylbenzenesulfonate alkaline earth metal salts, fatty acid alkaline earth metal salts, 5 triethanolamine alkylsulfate, polyoxyethylene alkylphenyl ether sulfate, and sodium-alkyldiphenyletherdisul- fate; cationic surfactants such as dodecylamineacetate, alkyltrimethylammonium halides, and polyoxyethylene fatty-acid amine salt; nonionic surfactants such as polyoxyethylene alkyl ether, sorbitan monooleate, sorbitan laurate, polyethylene glycol fatty acid ester, polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester, and polyoxyethylene alkylphenyl ether; amphoteric surfactants such as glycine-alkylpolyaminoethyl hydrochloride; fatty acid mono- w sugar esters such as lauric acid monosugar ester, oleic acid monosugar ester, and stearic acid monosugar ester. Any other surfactants that can be dissolved in herbicidal compositions to form foam can also be used. The concentration of surfactants should be in the range of 0.1 - 20 wt.%, preferably 1-10 wt.%. Compositions having a surfactant concentration lower than 0.1 wt.% do not easily form foam as shown in the examples described below, while compositions having a surfactant concentration higher than 20 wt.% remain in soil and 15 adversely affect the valuable plants which are to be cultivated after use. Diluents to dissolve or suspend said herbicides and surfactants such as water, alcohols, kerosenes, ethylene glycol and glycol ethers such as ethyl cellosolve, butyl carbitol and 3-methyl-3-methoxybutanol can be used. A method which takes advantage of aerosol application and a method in which a sprayer apparatus is 20 utilized are exemplified for foaming. In the case of using an aerosol, a herbicidal solution comprising said herbicides, surfactants and diluent is enclosed in an aerosol container having a spraying device together with a propellant. The solution can easily be applied by pushing the button of the spraying apparatus. Examples of propellants are water-soluble dimethyl ether, oil-soluble liquefied petroleum gas, liquefied gases such as freons, compressed gases such as carbon 25 dioxide, nitrogen gas, nitrous oxide gas and air. As far as foam is formed, other materials or mixtures of the above-mentioned agents can be utilized. If the aerosol solution has a large polarity like water, a nonpolar propellant gas such as liquefied petroleum gas can advantageously used, and if it has a small polarity, a polar gas such as diethyl ether can advantageously be used. Such formulations are called post-foaming since they produce stable foam after it clings to the target. The desirable concentration of propellant is no more than 50 wt.%, 30 preferably 5-15 wt.% of the whole composition in case of liquefied petroleum gas; and no more than 2 wt.%, preferably 1-2 wt.% in case of compressed gases. A spraying apparatus can be used to generate foam. In this case, a herbicidal solution is placed in a container equipped with a pressurizer such as a trigger-type sprayer, a manual pump and an electric pump, and is applied. The advantage using a spraying apparatus is that the extent of mixing air with a herbicide solution 35 can be adjusted to a desired level by handling the spraying mechanism to make a favorable foam easily. As far as foam is built up, any pressurizer can be used, for example a manual pump, an electric pump, a spraying device using compressed gases, a container with a device which can generate foam, etc. Herbicidal compositions according to the present invention can also be applied by either Excell and Enviro systems. The Excell system takes advantage of a contracting property of an elastic material explained as fol- 40 lows: Flexible bags set inside a tubular material which can expand substantially in the radius direction, are pressure-packed with a flowing product to make the tubular material expand. When contraction of the tubular material occurs, the inside flowing product is forced out. For details, see Japanese Patent Public disclosure No. 61-118163, Japanese Patent Publication No. 01-25626 (International Publication WO82/00780), and Japanese Patent Publication No. 02-60586 (International Publication WO82/02034). 45 The Enviro system utilizes gas generation through a chemical reaction. Expandable pressure bags containing chemical reagents which generate gases in reactions, are placed in a container, which is divided into a product-involving area packed with a flowing product and a gas-generating area having several compart- ments. Chemicals such as an aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate and citric acid solution placed in each compartment, start to react and generate gas (carbon dioxide gas in the above-mentioned case)in turn to make so the flowing product gush out by the pressure of the generated gas. Details are seen in Japanese Patent Public disclosure No. 64-84878, Japanese Patent Publication No. 01-111468 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 02-8780. Herbicidal compositions of the present invention can be applied in the form of foam by the Excell or Enviro system. These systems, however, can merely spray a flowing product and have no foaming ability. Therefore it is 55 necessary to add a low-boiling solvent having a boiling point of no higher than 20°C, such as n-pentane, n-bu- tane, iso-pentane, Freon 113, isoprene, cyclopentane, and 2,2-dimethylpropane to the herbicidal composition by 1 .0 - 20 wt.%, preferably 5-10 wt.% of the whole composition. Compositions having a concentration of low- boiling solvent lower than 1.0 wt.% can not be sprayed to make a foam as shown in Tables 11-13 below, while 3 EP 0 488 668 A1 those of a concentration higher than 20 wt.% prevent the formation of a favored foam. Therefore when the Excell or Enviro system is utilized, it is preferred that surfactants in an amount of 0.1 -20 wt.% and a low-boiling solvent in an amount of 1 .0 - 20 wt.% on the basis of the weight of the whole composition are added to the herbicide- containing solution. Addition of the above-mentioned low-boiling solvents shows good foaming even in preparations other than the Excell- and Enviro system. The concentration of the solvent added can be no higher than 1.0 wt.% in this case. Herbicidal compositions according to the present invention can include a suspending agent such as car- boxymethyl cellulose and ethylene glycol; an antifreezing agent such as ethylene glycol, ethyl cellosolve, butyl carbitol and 3-methyl-3-methoxybutanol; and antiseptic agents such as p-hydroxy butylbenzoate to stabilize the active ingredients, and a rust preventive such as amino alcohol and morpholine to prevent the container from corroding. The addition of anionic surfactants such as monoglyceride and natural saponin exhibits good results on foaming. To stabilize the form and maintain the excellent conditions of the texture, fatty acid amides, sulfate of Group VIII metals, sugars such as solbitol and glucose, polyethylene glycols, animal or vegetable oils such as oleic acid, soy bean oil and beef tallow, and kerosene can be added to the herbicidal composition. Addition of these stabilizers enables the formation of foam of an appropriate hardness (viscosity). Herbicidal compositions according to the present invention can include a spreader such as surfactants, glycol ethers, sugars, casein, lime, paraffin and vegetable fibers to enable the herbicide stick to weeds and can also include colors or flavors to clearly make a visual discrimination of already-treated parts from untreated parts.

Examples:

The following examples will illustrate the present invention. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these examples. The chemical names of compounds used in the examples and Tables are as follows: EP 0 488 668 A1

CHEMICAL NAME Bialaphos : L-2-amino-4- [ (hydroxy) (methyl) - 5 phosphinol}-butyryl-L-alanyl-L-alanin sodium salt. Glufosinate : ammonium-DL-homoalanin-4-yl (methyl ) phosphinate . Glyphosate : isopropylamine salt of N-

(phosphonomethyl) -glicine . 2,4-PA sodium salt: 2 , 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. 75 Sodium MCP: 4- chloro-o- tolyloxyacetic acid sodium salt . Thiobencarb : 5- p-chlorobenzyl diethyl- thiocarbamate . 20 sodium TCBA : sodium 2 , 3 , 6 , trichlorobenzoate . Pendimethalin : N- ( 1-ethylpropyl )-2,6-dinitro-3,4- xylidine . 25 Tetrapion: sodium 2,2,3, 3-tetraf luoropropionate . Triclopyr : triethyl ammonium 3 , 5 , 6-tr ichloro-2- pyr idyloxyacetate . Naproanilide : 2- (j8-naphthyloxy ) propionanilide 30 . Fluazif op : butyl (RS) -2- [4- ( 5-trif luoromethyl^- pyr idyloxy ) phenoxy ]propionate . Ammonium Sulfamate 35 Napropamide: 2- (a-naphthyloxy ) -N,N- diethylpropionamide . Simazine : 2- chloro-4 , 6-bi s ( ethylamino) -1 ,3.5- 40 triazine . Linuron : 3- ( 3 , 4-dichlorophenyl ) -1-methoxy-l- methylurea . Atrazine : 2- chloro-4-ethylamino-6- 45 isopropylamino-1 , 3 , 5-triazine . Karbutilate : 3- (3 , 3 -dime thy lure i do) phenyl -tert- butyl carbamate. Terbacil: 50 3-tert-butyl-5-chloro-6-methyluracil . Asulam : methyl sulf anilylcarbamate . Diquat : 6 , 7-dihydrodipyrido[l , 2-a:2' ,l*-c]- pyrazinediium dibromide. EP 0 488 668 A1

COMMON NAME CHEMICAL NAME ' Paraquat : 1,1' -dime thy 1-4 , 4 -bipyridirium dichrol ide . Hexazinone : 3-cyclohexyl-6-dimethylamino-l- methyl-l,3,5-triazin-2,4(lH,3H)- dione . Tebuthiuron: l- ( 5-tert-butyl-l , 3 , 4- thiaziazol-2- yl ) -1 , 3-dimethylurea . Ethidimuron: 1- ( 5-ethylsulf onyl-1 , 3 , 4- thiaziazol- 2-yl ) -1 , 3-dimethylurea .

Examples 1-175

The Examples are preparations of herbicidal compositions applied by an aerosol container. Various herbicides, surfactants and propellants were compounded according to the chemical compositions shown in Tables 1 - 7. A herbicide and a surfactant were mixed to give a homogeneous solution or a suspension followed by adding of other components such as an antifreeze and a stabilizer. The mixture became a uniform liquid or a suspension. A diluent (water) was added thereto to obtain a uniform emulsion or a suspension. The resultant mixture was pressure-packed in an aerosol can together with a propellant to prepare a foam-forming aerosol herbicidal composition. Each aerosol herbicide prepared through the same procedure as described above was examined to determine its foaming condition and herbicidal effect. The foam was judged by the retention times of foam structures after spraying onto a floor having a size of 1 x 1 m for five seconds (equivalent to about 20 g). The results were scored as follows:

Herbicidal effects were judged by the vegetation rates (fraction of covered ground with weeds) at the fourth week after the herbicidal formulations were applied onto the ground having a size of 1 x 1 m for five seconds (equivalent to about 20 g). The results were scored as follows:

The results are shown in Tables 1-7. (A) Examples 1 - 25 in Table 1 show results of the preparations with Bialaphos. Examples 1-6 shows effects of surfactant concentration and Examples 7-25 show effects of various kinds of surfactants. It is found that the use of surfactants having a concentration of 0.1 - 20 wt.% improves both the foam conditions and the herbicidal effects. It is also found that any kind of surfactant, that is, anionic-, cationic-, nonionic- and amphoteric surfactants, can be used (B) Examples 26 - 50 in Table 2 shows the results of the preparations with a herbicide, Glufosinate. The effects of surfactant concentration were examined in Examples 26 - 31 and effects of variable kind of surfactants were examined in Examples 32 - 50. The results implies that surfactants having a concentration of 0.1 - 20 wt.% improve both the foam condition and the herbicidal effects and that any kind of surfactants can be advan- 6 EP 0 488 668 A1

tageously used. (C) The effects of herbicides and their concentration were examined in Examples 51 - 125 in Tables 3, 4 and 5. Examples 51 - 60, Examples 61 - 70 and Examples 71 - 75 in Table 3 exhibit the effect of Glyphosate concentration, of Glufosinate concentration and of 2,4-PA concentration, respectively. Examples 76 - 85, Exam- 5 pies 86 - 95 and Examples 96- 100 in Table 4 exhibit the effect of Tetrapion concentration, of Bialaphos concentration and of MCP concentration, respectively. Examples 101 - 110, Examples 111-117 and Examples 118 - 125 in Table 5 show the effects of herbicides, of the combined use of herbicides and of a propellant dimethylether, respectively. As shown in Tables 3 and 4, an insufficient amount of herbicide compound exhibited poor herbicide actions w in Examples 51, 61, 76, 86, 96, and 97. Generally, when the herbicide has a concentration of 0.05 wt.% or higher, sufficient herbicidal effects can be observed. If a weak herbicide such as MCP sodium salt is used, it is preferable to increase the amount of the herbicide. Examples 58, 68, 83 and 93 show no foaming because the herbicide concentrations were large in com- parison to those of surfactants. The addition of extra surfactant as shown in Examples 60, 70, 85 and 95 pro- is vided a satisfactory foam. (D) Examples 126 - 150 in Table 6 shows effects of various additives. The results are shown in Examples 126 - 137. The effects of propellants and their concentrations are shown in Examples 138 - 150. Good foaming was not obtained in Examples 142 and 145 since the pressure of propellants was insufficient. (E) Examples 151 - 175 in Table 7 shows effects of stabilizers included in herbicide preparations. Mixing 20 a stabilizer enables the formation of good foam.

Examples 1 76 - 1 90

The Examples are preparations of herbicidal compositions applied by a spraying apparatus. 25 According to the compositions having ingredients as shown in Table 8, a herbicide and a surfactant were mixed to give a homogeneous solution or a suspension followed by adding of other components such as water-soluble polymers and an anti-freeze. The mixture became a uniform liquid or a suspension. A diluent was added thereto to obtain a uniform emulsion or a suspension. The resultant mixture was put into a KADAN spraying container (a trigger-type sprayer of 500 ml manufactured by Yoshino Kogyo ). Each herbicide solution was 30 examined to determine its foaming condition and herbicidal effects. The results are shown in Table 8. A spraying apparatus can also provide a satisfactory foam and herbicidal effects.

Examples 191 -200

35 Aerosol herbicidal compositions were prepared by the same procedure as shown in Examples 1-175. Then, as shown in Examples 191 - 200 in Table 9, both of the herbicide preparations which produced foam and those which could not produce foam were examined for their clinging properties. The examination procedure was as follows: An aerosol container was equipped onto an automatic aerosol sprayer(manufactured by Yamada Seiki 40 Seisakusho). The herbicidal composition was sprayed downward from the apparatus toward a 50 x 50 cm test paper fixed with four-corner-tacks on a 50 x 50 cm wood frame laid on the floor. The distance between the sprayer and the target was vertically 20 cm. The spraying duration was 1 sec. The difference between the initial and the final weight of the container was determined and was taken in the calculation of the theoretical deposited amount (sprayed amount x active agent concentration). Then the deposit rate (observed value/theoretical value 45 x 100) was computed out. The calculated values are shown in Table 9. As shown in Table 9, The depositing property of a foaming preparation was superior to that of a non-foaming preparation because particles of preparations without forming a foam structure were scattered and lost. Foam conditions of Examples 191 and 192 were not good due to the insufficient amount of surfactants. In Examples 198-200, the combination of a water-soluble herbicide and water-soluble propellant prevented post- so foaming, and thereby resulted in an unsatisfactory foam.

Examples 201 - 220

Aerosol herbicides were prepared according to the compositions shown in Table 1 0 by the same procedure 55 as shown in Examples 1-175. The obtained aerosol herbicides were examined for their herbicidal effects and foaming capabilities. As shown in Examples 204 - 215 and 217 - 220, the increased amounts of low-boiling solvent decreased the amount of propellant. This means that packing efficiency can be raised. These Examples generally provided a good foam and herbicidal effects. 7 EP 0 488 668 A1

Examples 221 - 280

Herbicidal compositions were prepared according to the composition shown in Tables 11-13. The resultant compositions were applied by an Excell system (70z Power Assembly [200 ml Excell container]; manufactured 5 by Takasago Koryo) and by an Enviro system (Glowpack Pouch) and examined for their herbicide effects and foaming properties. Examples 221 - 240 and 261 - 267 are the results of the experiments by use of the Enviro system. In Exam- ples 221 - 228, effects of the amounts of low-boiling solvents were examined. The foam of Examples 221 - 223 were not good due to the low concentrations of the solvent. The appropriate concentration of low-boiling solvent w thus appears to be 1 - 20%. In Examples 229 - 231, effects of low-boiling solvents were examined. The use of each low-boiling solvent provided a satisfactory foam and herbicidal effect. In Examples 232 - 234, effects of the combined use of various herbicides and low-boiling solvents were examined. Each composition provided a satisfactory foam and herbicidal effects. In Examples 235 - 237, effects of the combined use of herbicides and various surfactants were 15 examined. Each composition provided a satisfactory foam and herbicidal effects. In Examples 238 - 240, effects of the combined use of various herbicides, surfactants and low-boiling solvents were examined. Each composition provided a satisfactory foam and herbicidal effects. In Examples 261 - 267, effects of the amount of compounded surfactants were examined. Example 261 provided a poor foam because the concentration of surfactant was too low to provide a good foam structure. 20 Too high a concentration of surfactant made the foam hard and spraying condition unsatisfactory. Therefore the appropriate concentration of surfactant seems to be 0.1 - 20%. Examples 241 - 260 and 268 - 280 are the results of the experiments by use of an Excell system. In Exam- ples 241 - 248, effects of the amount of low-boiling solvent mixed were examined. The foams of Examples 241 - 243 were not good due to the low concentrations of the solvent. The appropriate concentration of low-boiling 25 solvent seems to be 1 - 20%. In Examples 249 - 251, effects of low-boiling solvents were examined. The use of each low-boiling solvent resulted in a satisfactory foam and herbicidal effects. In Examples 252 - 254, effects of the combined use of various herbicides and low-boiling solvents were examined. Each composition provided a satisfactory foam and herbicidal effects. In Examples 255 - 257, effects of the combined use of herbicides and various surfactants 30 were examined. Each composition provided a satisfactory foam and herbicidal effects. In Examples 258 - 260, effects of the combined use of various herbicides, surfactants and low-boiling solvents were examined. Each composition provided a satisfactory foam and herbicidal effects. In Examples 268 - 280, effects of the amount of compounded surfactants were examined. Examples 268 and 275 provided an unsatisfactory foam because the concentration of surfactants was too low to form a good foam structure. 35 Too high a concentration of surfactant made the foam hard and spraying condition unsatisfactory. Therefore the appropriate concentration of surfactant seems to be 0.1 - 20%.

Advantages of the Invention

40 As stated above, herbicidal compositions in accordance with the present invention can be formed into foam possessing the merits of solid and liquid agents. The present invention therefore provides the following advantages: (a) In the case of using herbicides for stems and leaves, compositions of the present invention easily deposit on weeds thus increasing the herbicidal action. (b) In the case of using herbicides for stems and leaves and those for soil, the application of a herbicidal 45 composition can be visually confirmed, thus preventing excess application. (c) In the case of using herbicides for stems and leaves, foam gradually decends along the surface of leaves to which a herbicidal composition has been applied, thereby enabling uniform application of the agent over the weed. (d) Compositions of the present invention are safer to use due to reduced scattering or drifting. so (e) The present invention does not result in an unsightly appearance since the foam gradually disappear. (f) Compositions of the present invention can be formed into an aerozol formulation and easily used with a spraying apparatus. (g) Addition of a low-boiling solvent to herbicidal compositions in accordance with the present invention provides a composition of a herbicidal formulation that is capable of being formed, with Enviro System or 55 Excell System, into a stable foam. (h) Additional agents such as fragrances, insecticides, germicides and agents for controlling the growth of plants can be incorporated into herbicidal compositions in accordance with the present invention, thereby the action of these additional agents can be utilized. 8

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EP 0 488 668 A1

ims

A herbicidal composition which comprises a herbicide-containing liquid and a surfactant in an amount of from 0.1 to 20% by weight on the basis of the weight of the composition, the composition being capable of being formed into a foam.

The composition of claim 1 wherein said herbicide is at least one member selected from the group con- sisting of water-soluble herbicides such as Bialaphos, Glufosinate, Glyphosate, 2,4-PA, sodium MCP, Tet- rapion, Sodium TCBA, Triclopyr (triethylammonium 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyloxyacetate), Hexazinone, Paraquat and Diquat; oil-soluble herbicides such as Napropamide, Naproanilide, Pendimethalin, Fluazi- fop, Vernolate, Thiobencarb, Linuron, Asulam, Karbutilate, DCMU, Thiazafluron, Bensulfuron-methyl, Atrazine, Metribuzin, Dazomet, Pyrazoxyfen and Amiprofosmethyl; and insoluble herbicides such as Simazine and Terbacil, and the amount of the herbicide added is in the range of 0.05 to 20% by weight on the basis of the weight of the composition.