US 5,116,414 A · Long-term control of root growth

Abstract

A method and system for long-term control of root growth without killing the plants bearing those roots involves incorporating a 2,6-dinitroaniline in a polymer and disposing the polymer in an area in which root control is desired. This results in controlled release of the substituted aniline herbicide over a period of many years. Herbicides of this class have the property of preventing root elongation without translocating into other parts of the plant. The herbicide may be encapsulated in the polymer or mixed with it. The polymer-herbicide mixture may be formed into pellets, sheets, pipe gaskets, pipes for carrying water, or various other forms. The invention may be applied to other protection of buried hazardous wastes, protection of underground pipes, prevention of root intrusion beneath slabs, the dwarfing of trees or shrubs and other applications. The preferred herbicide is 4-difluoromethyl-N,N-dipropyl-2,6-dinitro-aniline, commonly known as trifluralin.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A method for preventing roots of plants from intruding into a zone of soil below the surface of said soil, without killing said plants, said method comprising the following steps:

(a) incorporating a herbicidal 2,6-dinitroaniline into a polymer to form a controlled release device, the release rate and the amount of said 2,6-dinitroaniline being sufficiently large to maintain for an extended period of time said zone at a concentration of said 2,6-dinitroaniline sufficiently high to prevent roots of said plants from intruding into said zone of soil but sufficiently low to prevent killing of the plants;
(b) inserting at least one controlled release device into said zone of soil;
(c) allowing said 2,6-dinitroaniline to release into the zone to maintain for an extended period of time the concentration of said 2,6-dinitroaniline in said zone sufficiently high to prevent roots of plants from intruding into said zone of soil, but sufficiently low to prevent killing the plants whose roots are prevented from intruding into said zone of soil.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Long-term control of root growth

Life of this patent

Long-term control of root growth

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims25