|||||||||||||| US005 16406A United States Patent (19) 11) Patent Number: 5,116,406 Hyeon (45) Date of Patent: May 26, 1992

(54) PLANT GROWTH REGULATING 4.799,950 l/1989 Suzuki et al...... 71/89 COMPOSITION FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS 75 Inventor: Suong B. Hyeon, Urawa, Japan 61-215305(A) 3/1985 Japan. (73) Assignee: Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, 60-72802(A) 4/1985 Japan. Inc., Tokyo, Japan 61-212502(A) 9/1986 Japan. 62-190102(A) 8/1987 Japan . (21) Appl. No.: 540,062 2059412A 8/1980 United Kingdom . 22 Filed: Jun. 19, 1990 Primary Examiner-Glennon H. Hollrah Assistant Examiner-John D. Pak (30) Foreign Application Priority Data Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Armstrong, Nikaido, Jun. 20, 1989 (JP) Japan ...... - 155629 Marmelstein, Kubovcik & Murray 5) Int. C...... A01N 41/04; AOlN 33/12 (57) ABSTRACT 52 U.S. Cl...... 71/103; 71/77; Disclosed is a plant growth regulating composition, 71/92; 71/121; 71/123 which comprises containing at least one of choline salts 58) Field of Search ...... 71/121, 123, 77,92, and compounds having vitamin K3 activity as active 71/103 ingredients and a plant growth regulating composition, (56) References Cited and comprises containing at least one of choline salt, U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS compounds having vitamin K3 activity and compounds 4.309.205 l/1982 Kessler ...... 7 1/21 having vitamin B activity as active ingredients. 4.337.077 1/1982 Rutherford ...... 71/9 4,764.20 8/1988 lino et al...... 7/77 3 Claims, No Drawings 5,116,406 1 2 menadiol dibutyrate. The above salts are preferably PLANT GROWTH REGULATING COMPOSITION sodium salts and potassium salts. Among them, most preferred is menadione sodium BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION hydrogensulfite which is high in water-solubility. The present invention relates to a plant growth regu 5 In the present invention, when vitamins B1 are addi lating composition. tionally used together with the choline salts and vita More particularly, it relates to a plant growth regulat mins K3, the plant growth regulating activity further ing composition for regulating growth of cultivation increases. plants such as cereal crops, vegetables, fruits, flowers, Vitamins B include thiamine hydrochloride salt, and the like to increase yield of crops and improve 10 thiamine nitrate salt, thiamine phosphate ester, and the quality of the plants. like. Among them, hydrochloride or nitrate of thiamine Hitherto, various studies have been made in attempts are preferred. to regulate growth of cultivation plants or increase The molar ratio of choline salt and vitamins K3 is yield and improve quality, but few of them have been 1000:1 to 1000:200, preferably 1000:5 to 1000:100. put to practical use. 5 When vitamins B are added, molar ratio of choline The inventors and others have found that cholines salt, vitamins K3 and vitamins B is 1000:1-200:0.1-50, have crop yield increasing effects on sweet potato, on preferably 1000:5-100:0.5-20. ion, Welsh onion, garlic and peach, etc. However, these The composition of the present invention is formu do not have sufficient crop yield increasing effects to lated in the form of wettable powder, liquid, emulsifi apply practically. 20 able concentrate, dust, and granules in the same manner Vitamin K3 is considered to be necessary for biosyn as for conventional plant growth regulating composi thesis of prothrombin which acts on the process of tions. Furthermore, the composition of the present in blood coagulation in animals and is known to exist in vention can also be used as a mixture with stabilizer and chloroplast-containing cells of plants. However, with agricultural agents such as fertilizer components, fungi reference to physiological action on plants, very re- 25 cides, insecticides and the like. cently it has been found that it has growth promoting This mixing can be effected either at formulation or at effects (for example, in Japanese Patent Kokai (Laid use. The composition of the present invention formu open) Nos. 60-72802 and 61-212502), but these effects lated into wettable powder, liquid and emulsifiable con are not so high as can be practically applied. centrate is diluted with diluents such as water and then The effect of vitamin B1 on plants has not yet been 30 is used. Dust and granules are used as they are. known. With reference to concentrations of respective com SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION ponents of the composition of the present invention in The inventors have made pot tests and field tests use, that of choline salt is 1-1500 ppm, preferably using at least one of choline salts and at least one of 35 10-1000 ppm in terms of concentration of choline chlo compounds having vitamin K3 activity in combination ride, that of vitamins K3 is 0.1-100 ppm, preferably in an attempt to develop practically safe and effective 0.5-50 ppm in terms of menadione, and that of vitamins plant growth regulating compositions and as a result, B is 0-50 ppm, preferably 0.05-30 ppm in terms of have found that use of choline salts and vitamins K3 in thiamine hydrochloride salt. combination show's much higher regulating activity 40 Method for application of the composition varies than that exhibited by the use of them singly. depending on kind of plants, but usually any methods of The inventors have accomplished the present inven seed immersion, seedling immersion, soil injection, tion based on this finding. spraying, onto leaves, and the like are effective. That is, the present invention provides a plant growth Dosage of the composition varies depending on kind regulating composition, which comprises containing at of plant, concentration and manner of application and least one of choline salts and at least one of compounds cannot be generically specified, but in case of the above having vitamin Ks activity (hereinafter, is called as mentioned range of concentration, it is usually vitamins K3) as active ingredients. 1,000-10,000 l/10a for soil injection and 50-300 l/10a Furthermore, the present invention provides a plant for spraying onto leaves. growth regulating composition, which comprises at 50 The composition of the present invention can be used least one of choline salts, vitamins K3 and at least one of as a plant growth regulating composition for cereal compounds having vitamin B activity (hereinafter re crops, vegetables and flowers. ferred to as vitamins B) as active ingredients. EXAMPLES DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THE 55 The present invention will be explained in more detail INVENTION by the following examples. In the present invention, choline salts have no special limitation, but typical examples are salts of inorganic EXAMPLE 1. acids such as hydrochloride, nitrate, and phosphate of Formulation examples when the composition of the choline and salts of organic acids such as acetate and 60 present invention is used as wettable powder or liquid succinate of choline and practically, hydrochloride of are shown below. choline (choline chloride) and phosphate of choline are most preferred. In the present invention, compounds having vitamin A. Wettable powder parts by weight Choline phosphate salt O K3 activity include menadione and/or menadione so- 65 Menadione dium hydrogensulfite, menadione dimethylpyrimidinol Thiamine hydrochloride salt 0.3 hydrogensulfite salt, menadoxime, menadiol disulfate Sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate 2 salt, menadiol diphosphate salt, menadiol diacetate, and Polyoxyethylenealkylaryl ether 5,116,406 3 4. -continued TABLE 1-continued A. Wettable powder parts by weight Liquid composition Ratio to non Tac 67 Choline Weight of sweet treated sweet Bentonite 23 chioride WKs VB potato potato No. ppm ppm ppm Kg/3.3 m c. 21 O O 8.64 S The above materials were uniformly mixed and 7 5 O 0.3 6.70 16 ground to obtain a wettable powder. 8 2 O 0.5 6.65 ls 9 s 0.9 O 8.15 4. O O 2 0.9 O 7.68 133 B. Liquid parts by weight 5 0.9 0.3 7.2 150 s 0.9 0.5 8.96 SS 75 wt aqueous choline chloride solution 20 Menadione sodium hydrogensulfite 7 Thiamine nitrate salt 0.3 Polyoxyethylenealkyl ether EXAMPLE 3 Water 77 15 Seeds of maize (Delicious) were immersed in each of aqueous solutions of control compositions and the com The above materials were uniformly mixed and dis positions of the present invention which had the liquid solved to obtain a liquid formulation. composition as shown in Table 2 at 15° C. for 48 hours The wettable powder and liquid are diluted with 2O and washed with water and then dried in the air until water to a given concentration and is used. the seed surfaces became dry. These seeds and seeds immersed in water were sown EXAMPLE 2 in field soil packed in a plastic pot of 1 liter and raised Base portion of 2-3 cm in length of seedling of sweet for 7 days in a greenhouse. Then, the maize seedling potato (var. Kokei No. 14) was immersed in each of was taken out from the pot and roots were washed with aqueous solutions of control compositions and the con water with care not to cut fine roots. Then, the maize positions of the present invention having the liquid was put between filter papers to absorb water into the composition as shown in Table 1 for 24 hours. filter papers and fresh weight was measured. The thus immersed seedling was cultivated in the The results are shown in Table 2. field and fresh weight of sweet potato roots after a lapse Menadione sodium hydrogensulfite was used as vita of 120 days from planting of the seedling was measured mins K3, thiamine nitrate salt was used as vitamins Bl and the results are shown in Table l. and choline phosphate salt was used as choline salt. One test plot had an area of 3.3 m and the test was Concentration of menadione sodium hydrogen-sulfite repeated four times. Menadione sodium hydrogen-sul was shown in terms of menadione in the table. TABLE 2 Weight of portion over Weight of roots/ the surface of Weight of weight of portion the earth OS over the surface No. liquid composition (g/one maize) (g/one maize) of the earth Non-treated (innersion in 0.61 0,4 0.23 water) 2 VRs 1 ppm 0.63 0.17 0.27 3 VB 0.5 ppm 0.62 0.6 0.26 4 VK 1 ppm -- VB 0.5 ppm 0.64 O.S 0.23 5 Choline phosphate salt 30 ppm 0.74 0.20 0.27 6 Choline phosphate salt 50 ppm 0.75 0.2 O.28 7 Choline phosphate salt 30 ppm -- O 0.30 0.30 VK 1 ppm 8 Choline phosphate salt 50 ppm -- 03 0.30 0.29 VK ppm 9 Choline phosphate salt 30 ppm -- 06 0.31 0.29 VK3 ppm - VB 0.5 ppm 10 Choline phosphate salt 50 ppm -- 13 0.33 0.29 VK3 ppm + VB 0.5 ppm fite was used as vitamins K3 and thiamine hydrochloride salt was used as vitamins B. EXAMPLE 4 Concentration of menadione sodium hydrogen-sulfite Each of aqueous solutions of control compositions was shown in terms of menadione. and the compositions of the present invention which The results are shown in Table 1. had the liquid composition as shown in Table 3 was TABLE 60 sprayed all over peach trees (var. Hakuho, age of tree: Liquid composition Ratio to non 8 years old) 30 days before harvest at a rate of 300 l/10a. Choline Weight of sweet treated sweet Menadione dimethylpyrimidinol hydrogensulfite was chioride VK VB potato potato used as vitamins K3 and thiamine nitrate salt was used as No. ppm ppm ppm. Kg/3.3 m % vitamins B1. Non-treated 5.78 00 65 After harvest, weight of fruit and sugar content were 2 O 0.9 O 5.89 O2 3 O O 0.5 5.84 10 examined and the results are shown in Table 3. Results 4. O 0.9 0.5 5,90 O2 in the Table were shown by average value of fifty peach s 5 O O 6.60 4 fruits of good quality grown in sunny place. 5,116,406 5 6 Concentration of menadione dimethylpyrimidinol amounts of the respective components can be reduced. hydrogen sulfite was shown in terms of menadione. but also a remarkable growth promoting effect, a germi TABLE 3 nation accelerating effect, a rooting promoting effect, Average weight Sugar and the like which are not seen by single use of these of fruits content components are exhibited. No Liquid composition (g) (Brix) ( ) I claim: Non-treated 28.5 0.6 1. A plant growth promoting composition, which 2 Choline chloride 500 ppm 2300 10.9 comprises plant growth promoting effective amounts of 3 VK 10 ppm 29.5 0.5 choline chloride, and at least one of vitamin K3 com 4 VB 1 ppm 29.0 0.6 O 5 WK3 10 ppm - VB 1 ppm 228.2 0.8 pounds selected from the group consisting of menadi 6 Choline chloride 500 ppm -- 275.3 2.6 one sodium hydrogen sulfite, menadione dimethyl VK is 10 ppm pyrimidino hydrogen sulfite, and salts thereof. 7 Choline chloride 500 ppm -- 282.3 7 2. A plant growth promoting composition according VK is 10 ppm + VB 1 ppm to claim 1, wherein the vitamin K3 compound is menadi 5 one sodium hydrogensulfite. According to the activity of the composition of the 3. A plant growth promoting composition according present invention, various effects found in choline are to claim 1, wherein the molar ratio of choline chloride synergistically amplified by using vitamins K3 and vita and the vitamin K3 compound is 1000:1 to 1000:200. mins B in combination with choline and not only k k k k 20

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