HHHHHIIIUS005661 03A United States Patent 19 11 Patent Number: 5,661,103 Harms Et Al
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HHHHHIIIUS005661 03A United States Patent 19 11 Patent Number: 5,661,103 Harms et al. 45 Date of Patent: “Aug. 26, 1997 54 SEED TREATMENT COMPOSITION AND 4,799,953 1/1989 Danzig et al. .............................. 71/98 METHOD 4,813,997 3/1989 Kinnersley et al. ... 71/66 4,839,461 6/1989 Bochmke ............ ..., 528/363 4,863,506 9/1989 Young ....................................... 71/13 75) Inventors: David J. Harms, Naperville; Robert J. Ross, Elmhurst, both of Ill.; Alan M. 4,863,898 9/1989 Ashmead et al. ... 54/6 Kinnersley, East Lansing, Mich. 5,059,241 10/1991 Young ....................................... 71/106 OTHER PUBLICATIONS 73) Assignee: Donlar Corporation, Bedford Park, Ill. Kinnersley et al., Plant Growth Regulation 9:137-146 (*) Notice: The portion of the term of this patent (1990). subsequent to Sep. 27, 2014, has been Byrnes, Fertilizer Research 26:209-215(1990). disclaimed. Farm Chemicals Handbook, 1987, Meister Pub. Co., Wil loughby, Ohio, p. B10. 21 Appl. No.: 447,784 Primary Examiner-S. Mark Clardy 22 Filed: May 23, 1995 Assistant Examiner-Brian G. Bembenick Related U.S. Application Data Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Zarley, McKee, Thomte, Voorhees, & Sease 63) Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 313,436, Sep. 27, 1994, Pat. No. 5,593,947, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 57 ABSTRACT 972,375, Nov. 5, 1992, Pat. No. 5,350,735. Seedling development is enhanced by applying to the seeds, (51 Int. Clam. AON 37/44 for example corn and soybeans, a water-soluble, non 52 U.S. C. ......... ... 504/147; 504/319 aromatic polyamino acid such as polyaspartic acid. Time to (58) Field of Search .................................... 504/319, 147 germination is decreased, and rate of seedling development is increased. The composition may be applied to the seeds 56) References Cited with a liquid or solid carrier or in combination with other seed treatments, such as nutrients and pesticides. U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 4,172,072 10/1979 Ashmead ................................ 260/115 15 Claims, 2 Drawing Sheets U.S. Patent Aug. 26, 1997 Sheet 1 of 2 5,661,103 ?Ê| {No.N?~~~~J2@, U.S. Patent Aug. 26, 1997 Sheet 2 of 2 5,661,103 No.| No.| / UNTREATED SEED ATMENT DA TREATED SEED No.@së ©d. No.!4 5,661,103 1. 2 SEED TREATMENT COMPOSITION AND acids such as polyaspartic acid or salts thereof having a METHOD molecular weight larger than 1500. The composition may be applied to seeds in a suitable carrier such as water or a CROSS REFERENCE TO ARELATED powder that is not harmful to the seeds or the environment. APPLICATION The seeds are then planted in conventional fashion. The This application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. mechanism of action which is not precisely known somehow 08/313,436 filed Sep. 27, 1994 and entitled “Method For allows the polyamino acid to enhance seedling development, More Efficient Uptake Of Plant Growth Nutrients' U.S. Pat. that is, decreases the time for germination, increases the No. (5.593,947), which itself is a continuation-in-part of number of seeds that do germinate, and enhances seedling application Ser. No. 972,375, filed Nov. 5, 1992 and entitled 10 Survivability. In addition, the composition may also be "Composition And Method For Enhanced Fertilizer Uptake combined with nutrients and other seed treatments. By Plants”, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,735. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIG. 1 shows Florida corn trials for the seed treatment of Seed treatment compositions for agricultural crops are 15 this invention of Table 1, graphically illustrated for trial 1 known. Many such treatments, however, are based upon (Nov. 18, 1993). compositions that have certain undesirable attributes, and in FIG. 2 shows Florida soybean trials for the seed treatment modern day farming might be termed as environmentally of this invention of Table 2, graphically illustrated for trial unsatisfactory. For example, treatment compositions that 20 5 (Nov. 04, 1993). contribute to runoff causing environmental problems such as FIG. 3 shows Dixon, Ill., corn trials for the seed treatment eutrophication of groundwater, nitrate pollution, phosphate of this invention as illustrated in Table 3 for trial 1. pollution and the like are unsatisfactory. With the ever increasing public concern for the environmental impact of DETALED DESCRIPTION OF THE materials placed in the soil, or at the point of treatment, there 25 INVENTION is an ever-increasing need for development of effective seed treatments which are environmentally satisfactory, which The present invention is premised upon the fact that it has cause no harm to the plant, and which are effective for a been discovered that certain compounds, namely certain broad spectrum of agricultural plants. This invention relates polymeric organic amino acids as set forth in our earlier to such a seed treatment for decreasing germination time, co-pending application and issued U.S. Pat. 5,350,735 can increasing the rate of germination and increasing the per 30 be used in a seed treatment composition and applied directly centage of seedling that develop. but not limited to seeds such as corn, soybean and wheat with the result being that time to germination is decreased, This invention therefore has, as its primary objective, the the number of seeds that germinate is increased, and the fulfillment of the above needs, in particular, development of survivability of the seedlings is enhanced. While not wishing non-toxic and environmentally satisfactory seed treatment 35 for crops such as corn, wheat, soybeans and other crops to be bound by any theory, it is believed that polymeric propagated from seed, that increases the rate of seed ger organic acids may somehow interact with the soil and the mination percent emergence as well as survivability of nutrients in the soil to otherwise enhance the effect of those Seedlings that emerge as plants. nutrients, as they interact with the seed. In general, the polymeric organic acids can be applied An additional objective of the present invention is to 40 directly to the seed as a solution or in combination with other provide a composition accomplishing each of the above commercially available additives. Solutions containing the enumerated objectives and/or advantages which contains a polymeric organic acid can be sprayed or otherwise applied polyamino acid which is of a molecular weight sufficiently to the seed such as in a seed soak. Solids or dry materials large that it will not be taken up by the seed or the emerging containing the polymeric organic acid are also useful to seedling, and at the same time will not cause environmental 45 promote effective seed growth. The solids or dry materials pollution during runoff. can be applied as a powder or dusting composition. Another objective of the presentinvention is to provide an environmentally acceptable non-toxic seed treatment which The polymeric organic acids, to be suitable for the prac can be combined with other seed treatments or coatings such tice of the present invention, must be water-soluble, non 50 aromatic, and must have a molecular weight sufficiently as insecticides and seed and seedling disease treatments and large to preclude absorption into the plant's own system. To seed nutrients. that end, the non-aromatic polymeric organic acid units An even further objective of the present invention is to (residues), or mers, in the linear polymer chain that consti provide a composition which can be, at the user's option, tutes the polymeric acid. Polymeric organic acids having a used as a liquid seed treatment composition or in a dry 55 molecular weight in excess of about 100,000 usually exhibit composition for seed dusting. poor solubility in water for the present purposes, thus for Yet another objective of the present invention is to pro present purposes a polymeric organic acid molecular weight vide a seed treatment composition which can be used with not larger than about 100,000 is preferred. Particularly monocotyledons such as corn and dicotyledons such as preferred molecular weight is in the range of about 1,500 to soybeans. 60 about 40,000. The method of accomplishing each of the above objec Illustrative are polymeric organic acids, with or without tives of the invention as well as others will become apparent carboxylic acid, thiocarboxylic acid, imidocarboxy, and/or from the detailed description which follows hereinafter. amino side chains, such as, for example, polyacrylic acid, SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION polymaleic acid, polylysine, polyglutamic acid, polyaspartic 65 acid, polyglycine, polycysteine, polycysteine/glutamic acid, Seed treatment compositions of the present invention mixtures of the foregoing, and the like. Block or random comprise environmentally acceptable non-toxic polyamino copolymers or terpolymers of several organic acids are also 5,661,103 3 4 within the purview of the present invention as the polymeric promotion. In such instances the more active form is, of acid component thereof. For example, the utilized polymeric course, the preferred form. acid component can be a block copolymer of aspartic acid Particularly well suited for the practice of the present residues and L-lactic acid residues, a random copolymer of invention are the non-chelating polyorganic acids such as aspartic acid residues and glycolic acid residues, a conju 5 polyacrylic acid and the like, as well as the polyamino acids gated protein constituted by amino acid residue chains such as polyaspartic acid having a molecular weight in the interconnected by one or more polycarboxylic acid residues, range of about 1,500 to about 40,000, polyglutamic acid a copolymer of acrylic acid and acrylamide, and the like. having a molecular weight in the range of about 4,000 to Polymers of organic acids are commercially available.