Surfactant composition for use with glyphosate comprising dimethyl amine oxide, polyethoxylated alcohol, and pyridinium halide

A composition which comprises a powder or granular mixture containing at least a herbicidally or plant growth regulating amount of a composition formed from a combination of the following ingredients brought together concurrently and/or in any sequence and/or in any preformed combination and/or subcombination thereof:

• a) at least one agriculturally acceptable salt of glyphosate, or a solution or suspension thereof;
• b) at least one water-soluble or water-dispersible long chain aliphatic hydrocarbyl dimethyl amine oxide in which the hydrocarbyl group is a linear or substantially linear saturated or olefinically unsaturated aliphatic group having in the range of about 8 to about 22 carbon atoms, or a solution or suspension thereof;
• c) at least one water-soluble or water-dispersible polyethoxylated monohydric saturated or olefinically-unsaturated alcohol of the formula:
• RO--›CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O!.sub.n H
• in which R has at least about 8 carbon atoms and is a straight or branched chain saturated aliphatic hydrocarbyl group or a straight or branched chain monoolefinically or a poly-olefinically unsaturated hydrocarbyl group having from 1 to 3 olefinic double bonds, and in which n is in the range of about 2 to about 50, or a solution or suspension thereof;
• and
• d) at least one water-soluble or water-dispersible N-hydrocarbyl pyridinium halide having up to about 24 carbon atoms in the molecule, and wherein (i) the hydrocarbyl group attached to the nitrogen atom of the heterocyclic aromatic ring of the pyridinium nucleus is a saturated or olefinically unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbyl group having in the range of about 4 to about 18 carbon atoms, and (ii) the ring carbon atoms of the pyridinium nucleus itself are either unsubstituted or one or more of such ring carbon atoms are substituted with a short chain alkyl group of up to about 4 carbon atoms, or a solution or suspension thereof.

A surfactant composition which comprises a composition formed from the following active ingredients:

• 1) at least one water-soluble or water-dispersible long chain aliphatic hydrocarbyl dimethyl amine oxide in which the hydrocarbyl group is a linear or substantially linear saturated or olefinically unsaturated aliphatic group having in the range of about 8 to about 22 carbon atoms, or a solution or suspension thereof;
• 2) at least one water-soluble or water-dispersible polyethoxylated monohydric saturated or olefinically-unsaturated alcohol of the formula:
• RO--›CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O!.sub.n H
• in which R has at least about 8 carbon atoms and is a straight or branched chain saturated aliphatic hydrocarbyl group or a straight or branched chain monoolefinically or a poly-olefinically unsaturated hydrocarbyl group having from 1 to 3 olefinic double bonds, and in which n is in the range of about 2 to about 50, or a solution or suspension thereof;
• and
• 3) at least one water-soluble or water-dispersible N-hydrocarbyl pyridinium halide having up to about 24 carbon atoms in the molecule, and wherein (i) the hydrocarbyl group attached to the nitrogen atom of the heterocyclic aromatic ring of the pyridinium nucleus is a saturated or olefinically unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbyl group having in the range of about 4 to about 18 carbon atoms, and (ii) the ring carbon atoms of the pyridinium nucleus itself are either unsubstituted or one or more of such ring carbon atoms are substituted with a short chain alkyl group of up to about 4 carbon atoms, or a solution or suspension thereof;
• and wherein on an active ingredient basis the weight ratio of ingredients 1), 2) and 3) used in forming said composition is such that for each part by weight of 3) there are in the range of about 0.3 to about 3 parts by weight of 1), and in the range of about 0.3 to about 3 parts by weight of 2).

A method of controlling vegetation Which comprises applying to plant foliage a herbicidal or growth regulant amount of a composition formed by mixing the following ingredients with water concurrently and/or in any sequence and/or in any preformed combination and/or subcombination thereof:

• a) at least one agriculturally acceptable salt of glyphosate, or a solution or suspension thereof;
• b) at least one water-soluble or water-dispersible long chain aliphatic hydrocarbyl dimethyl amine oxide in which the hydrocarbyl group is a linear or substantially linear saturated or olefinically unsaturated aliphatic group having in the range of about 8 to about 22 carbon atoms, or a solution or suspension thereof;
• c) at least one water-soluble or water-dispersible polyethoxylated monohydric saturated or olefinically-unsaturated alcohol of the formula:
• RO--›CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O!.sub.n H
• in which R has at least about 8 carbon atoms and is a straight or branched chain saturated aliphatic hydrocarbyl group or a straight or branched chain monoolefinically or a poly-olefinically unsaturated hydrocarbyl group having from 1 to 3 olefinic double bonds, and in which n is in the range of about 2 to about 50, or a solution or suspension thereof;
• and
• d) at least one water-soluble or water-dispersible N-hydrocarbyl pyridinium halide having up to about 24 carbon atoms in the molecule, and wherein (i) the hydrocarbyl group attached to the nitrogen atom of the heterocyclic aromatic ring of the pyridinium nucleus is a saturated or olefinically unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbyl group having the range of about 4 to about 18 carbon atoms, and (ii) the ring carbon atoms of the pyridinium nucleus itself are either unsubstituted or one or more of such ring carbon atoms are substituted with a short chain alkyl group of up to about 4 carbon atoms, or a solution or suspension thereof.

A method of controlling vegetation which comprises applying to plant foliage a herbicidal or plant growth regulant amount of a herbicide or plant growth regulant composition containing only the elements C, H, O, N, P, and Cl or Br, and optionally S, and formed from the following ingredients:

• a) at least one agriculturally acceptable salt of glyphosate, or a solution or suspension thereof;
• b) at least one water-soluble or water-dispersible long chain aliphatic hydrocarbyl dimethyl amine oxide in which the hydrocarbyl group is a linear or substantially linear saturated or olefinically unsaturated aliphatic group having in the range of about 8 to about 22 carbon atoms, or a solution or suspension thereof;
• c) at least one water-soluble or water-dispersible polyethoxylated monohydric saturated or olefinically-unsaturated alcohol of the formula:
• RO--›CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O!.sub.n H
• in which R has at least about 8 carbon atoms and is a straight or branched chain saturated aliphatic hydrocarbyl group or a straight or branched chain monoolefinically or a poly-olefinically unsaturated hydrocarbyl group having from 1 to 3 olefinic double bonds, and in which n is in the range of about 2 to about 50, or a solution or suspension thereof;
• and
• d) at least one water-soluble or water-dispersible N-hydrocarbyl pyridinium halide having up to about 24 carbon atoms in the molecule, and wherein (i) the hydrocarbyl group attached to the nitrogen atom of the heterocyclic aromatic ring of the pyridinium nucleus is a saturated or olefinically unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbyl group having in the range of about 4 to about 18 carbon atoms, and (ii) the ring carbon atoms of the pyridinium nucleus itself are either unsubstituted or one or more of such ring carbon atoms are substituted with a short chain alkyl group of up to about 4 carbon atoms, or a solution or suspension thereof;
• ingredient a) being the only herbicide or plant growth regulant used in forming said composition, and ingredients b), c) and d) being the only surfactants used in forming said composition;
• and
• e) optionally, one or more agriculturally acceptable substances none of which is a herbicide, or a plant growth regulant or a surfactant.