Glyphosate herbicidal and plant growth regulant compositions and their use

A composition which comprises a solution containing at least a herbicidally or plant growth regulating amount of a composition formed by intimately mixing the following components with water:

• a) at least one agriculturally acceptable salt of glyphosate;
• b) at least one water-soluble 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;
• and
• c) at least one water-soluble quaternary ammonium halide having in the range of about 8 to about 40 carbon atoms in the molecule, and depicted by the formula:
• R.sup.7 R.sup.8 R.sup.9 R.sup.10 N.sup..sym. X.sup..crclbar.
• where R.sup.7 is a saturated or olefinically unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbyl group having in the range of about 6 to about 24 carbon atoms, R.sup.8 is an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, R.sup.9 is a hydroxyalkyl group having from 2 to about 4 carbon atoms, R.sup.10 is, independently, either an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or a hydroxyalkyl group having from 2 to about 4 carbon atoms, and X is a halogen atom.

A composition which comprises a powder or granular mixture containing at least a herbicidally or plant growth regulating amount of a composition formed by intimately mixing together the following components:

• a) at least one agriculturally acceptable salt of glyphosate;
• b) at least one water-soluble 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;
• and
• c) at least one water-soluble quaternary ammonium halide having in the range of about 8 to about 40 carbon atoms in the molecule, and depicted by the formula:
• R.sup.7 R.sup.8 R.sup.9 R.sup.10 N.sup..sym. X.sup..crclbar.
• where R.sup.7 is a saturated or olefinically unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbyl group having in the range of about 6 to about 24 carbon atoms, R.sup.8 is an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, R.sup.9 is a hydroxyalkyl group having from 2 to about 4 carbon atoms, R.sup.10 is, independently, either an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or a hydroxyalkyl group having from 2 to about 4 carbon atoms, and X is a halogen atom.

A method of controlling vegetation which comprises applying to plant foliage a herbicidal or plant growth regulant amount of a polyvalent metal-free and metalloid-free herbicide or plant growth regulant composition formed by intimately mixing together the following ingredients:

• a) at least one agriculturally acceptable salt of glyphosate as the only herbicide or plant growth regulant used in forming said composition;
• b) at least one water-soluble 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;
• c) at least one water-soluble quaternary ammonium halide having in the range of about 8 to about 40 carbon atoms in the molecule, and depicted by the formula:
• R.sup.7 R.sup.8 R.sup.9 R.sup.10 N.sup..sym. X.sup..crclbar.
• where R.sup.7 is a saturated or olefinically unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbyl group having in the range of about 6 to about 24 carbon atoms, R.sup.8 is an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, R.sup.9 is a hydroxyalkyl group having from 2 to about 4 carbon atoms, R.sup.10 is, independently, either an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or a hydroxyalkyl group having from 2 to about 4 carbon atoms, and X is a halogen atom, ingredients b) and c) being the only surfactants used in forming said composition;
• and
• d) optionally, one or more agriculturally acceptable substances none of which is a herbicide, or a plant growth regulant or a surfactant.