Plant growth inhibiting and antifungal extract prepared from the vegetative parts of plants of the genera vaccinium and myrica

A method for preparing a plant growth inhibiting extract from the leaves and/or vines of plants of the genera Vaccinium and Myrica comprising the steps of (1) admixing said leaves and/or vines of said plants with a 20% by volume water, 80% by volume acetone solution, (2) separating said aqueous-acetone extract from said leaf and/or vine solids, (3) evaporating the acetone to reduce the volume of the aqueous-acetone extract to 15 to 25% of its initial volume, (4) adjusting the pH of the resulting extract a pH value between 1 and 2 by the addition thereto of concentrated sulfuric acid, (5) treating the acidified extract with ethyl acetate and washing the acidified ethyl acetate mixture with an aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate, (6) separating the aqueous mixture from the ethyl acetate mixture and adjusting the pH of said aqueous mixture to a pH value between 1 and 2 with concentrated sulfuric acid (7) admixing ethyl acetate with the acidified aqueous mixture and separating the ethyl acetate mixture from said aqueous mixture, (8) evaporating the ethyl acetate from said ethyl acetate mixture and dissolving the remaining residue in water and or a lower C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl alcohol, whereby the plant growth regulating extract is obtained.

A method for inhibiting the germination of seeds comprising, applying to said seeds an effective amount of an extract of live dormant leaves of Cranberry plants prepared by the process of admixing live dormant cranberry leaves with an aqueous-acetone mixture, whereby acetone soluble and water soluble chemicals are extracted from said leaves, separating the aqueous-acetone extract from the leaf solids, evaporating the acetone from said aqueous-acetone extract to reduce the volume thereof to approximately 15 to 25 percent of its initial volume, adjusting the pH of the resulting extract to a pH value between 1 and 2 by addition thereto of concentrated sulfuric acid, treating the acidified extract with ethyl acetate and washing the acidified ethyl acetate mixture with an aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate, separating the aqueous mixture from the organic mixture and adjusting the pH of said aqueous mixture to a pH value of from 1 to 2 with concentrated sulfuric acid, admixing ethyl acetate with said acidified aqueous mixture, separating the ethyl acetate extract from the aqueous mixture, evaporating the ethyl acetate from said extract and dissolving the resulting residue in water to obtain the desired extract.

A method for protecting agronomic crops from attack by pathogenic fungi comprising, applying to the foliage of said crops a fungicidally effective amount of an extract of live dormant leaves of cranberry plants prepared by the process of admixing said live dormant cranberry leaves with an aqueous-acetone mixture, whereby acetone soluble and water soluble chemicals are extracted from said leaves, separating the aqueous-acetone extract from the leaf solids, evaporating the acetone from said aqueous-acetone extract to reduce the volume thereof to approximately 15 to 25 percent of its initial volume, adjusting the pH of the resulting extract to a pH value between 1 and 2 by addition thereto of concentrated sulfuric acid, treating the acidified extract with ethyl acetate and washing the acidified ethyl acetate mixture with an aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate, separating the aqueous mixture from the organic mixture and adjusting the pH of said aqueous mixture to a pH value of from 1 to 2 with concentrated sulfuric acid, admixing ethyl acetate with said acidified aqueous mixture, separating the ethyl acetate extract from the aqueous mixture, evaporating the ethyl acetate from said extract and dissolving the resulting residue in water to obtain the desired extract.