Use of derivatives of 2-oxopyrrole as crop protection agents and novel 2-oxopyrroles

A method of protecting crop plants from harm caused by unwanted plants or animal pests which comprises treating the crop plants, the unwanted plants or animal pests, or their environment with an amount of from 0.001 to 3 kg/ha of a compound of formula I

• or an agriculturally useful salt thereof, wherein
• R1 is an aryl ring which is unsubstituted or carries from one to five substituents, and which ring is optionally fused with a cyclic radical selected from the group of:
• phenyl, C3-C6-carbocycles and 5- and 6-membered heterocycles, to form a bicyclic system, wherein the fused-on cyclic radical optionally carries from one to three substituents;
• R2 is C1-C6-alkyl, C3-C7-cycloalkyl or C1-C6-alkylaryl;
• or is an aryl or heteroaryl ring which is unsubstituted or carries from one to three substituents;
• A is COOR3 or CONR3R4, where R3 and R4 independently of one another are hydrogen, C1-C6-alkyl, C2-C6-alkenyl, C3-C7-cycloalkyl or C1-C6-alkyl-aryl, which may be partially or fully halogenated or may carry one to three radicals selected from the group consisting of C1-C4-alkoxy, C1-C4-haloalkoxy, C1-C4-alkylthio, C3-C7-cycloalkyl and C5-C7-cycloalkenyl;
• and
• wherein the substituents referred to in the definition of R1 and R2 are independently selected from the group consisting of:
• halogen, cyano, nitro, hydroxyl, mercapto, thiocyanato, carboxyl, amino, C1-C6-alkyl, C1-C6-cyanoalkyl, C2-C6-alkenyl, C1-C6-alkoxy-C2-C6-alkenyl, C3-C6-alkynyl, C1-C6-alkoxy-C3-C6-alkynyl, C3-C6-alkynyl-C1-C6-alkoxy, C3-C7-cycloalkyl, C1-C6-alkyl-C3-C7-cycloalkyl, C1-C6-alkoxy-C3-C7-cycloalkyl, C3-C7-cycloalkyloxy, C3-C7-cyanocycloalkyloxy, C1-C6-alkyl-C3-C7-cycloalkyloxy, C3-C7-halocycloalkyl, C3-C7-cyanocycloalkyl, C3-C7-halocycloalkyloxy, C5-C7-cycloalkenyl, C1-C6-alkyl-C5-C7-cycloalkenyl, C1-C6-alkoxy-C5-C7-cycloalkenyl, C5-C7-cyanocycloalkenyl, C5-C7-halocycloalkenyl, C1-C6-alkoxy-C1-C6-alkyl, C1-C6-haloalkyl, C2-C6-haloalkenyl, C3-C6-haloalkynyl, C2-C6-cyanoalkenyl, C3-C6-cyanoalkynyl, C1-C6-alkoxy, C1-C6-cyanoalkoxy, C1-C6-haloalkoxy, C2-C6-alkenyloxy, C2-C6-cyanoalkenyloxy, C2-C6-haloalkenyloxy, C2-C6-alkynyloxy, C1-C6-alkylthio, C1-C6-cyanoalkylthio, C1-C6-haloalkylthio, C1-C6-alkoxy-C1-C6-alkylthio, C1-C6-alkoxycarbonyl, C1-C6-alkylcarbonyl, C1-C6-alkylcarboxy-C1-C6-alkyl, C1-C6-alkylcarbonyl-C1-C6-alkyl, C1-C6-alkylcarbonylamino, arylcarbonylamino, arylsulfinyl, arylsulfonyl, heteroarylsulfinyl, heteroarylsulfonyl, aryl-C1-C6-alkyl, aryl-C2-C6-alkenyl, aryl-C3-C6-alkynyl, heteroaryl-C1-C6-alkyl, heteroaryl-C2-C6-alkenyl, heteroaryl-C3-C6-alkynyl, aryl-C1-C6-alkoxy, aryl-C2-C6-alkenyloxy, aryl-C3-C6-alkynyloxy, heteroaryl-C1-C6-alkoxy, heteroaryl-C2-C6-alkenyloxy, heteroaryl-C3-C6-alkynyloxy, C1-C6-alkylsulfinyl, C1-C6-alkylsulfonyl, C2-C6-alkenylsulfinyl, C2-C6-alkenylsulfonyl, C1-C6-alkylamino, di-C1-C6-alkylamino, HC═NOH, C1-C6-alkyl-C═NOH, HC═N—O—C1-C6-alkyl, HC═N—O—C1-C6-alkylaryl, C1-C6-alkyl-C═N—O—C1-C6-alkyl, HC═N—O—C2-C6-alkenyl, C1-C6-alkyl-C═N—O—C2-C6-alkenyl, HC═N—O-aryl, C1-C6-alkyl-C═N—O-aryl, aryl, aryloxy, heteroaryl, heteroaryloxy, arylthio and heteroarylthio, where the cyclic substituents for their part optionally carry one to five radicals selected from the group consisting of:
• halogen, cyano, nitro, hydroxyl, mercapto, thiocyanato, carboxyl, amino, C1-C6-alkyl, C1-C6-cyanoalkyl, C2-C6-alkenyl, C1-C6-alkoxy-C2-C6-alkenyl, C3-C6-alkynyl, C1-C6-alkoxy-C3-C6-alkynyl, C3-C6-alkynyl-C1-C6-alkoxy, C3-C7-cycloalkyl, C1-C6-alkyl-C3-C7-cycloalkyl, C1-C6-alkoxy-C3-C7-cycloalkyl, C3-C7-cycloalkyloxy, C3-C7-cyanocycloalkyloxy, C1-C6-alkyl-C3-C7-cycloalkyloxy, C3-C-7-halocycloalkyl, C3-C7-cyanocycloalkyl, C3-C7-halocycloalkyloxy, C5-C7-cycloalkenyl, C1-C6-alkyl-C5-C7-cycloalkenyl, C1-C6-alkoxy-C5-C7-cycloalkenyl, C5-C7-cyanocycloalkenyl, C5-C7-halocycloalkenyl, C1-C6-alkoxy-C1-C6-alkyl, C1-C6-haloalkyl, C2-C6-haloalkenyl, C3-C6-haloalkynyl, C2-C6-cyanoalkenyl, C3-C6-cyanoalkynyl, C1-C6-alkoxy, C1-C6-cyanoalkoxy, C1-C6-haloalkoxy, C2-C6-alkenyloxy, C2-C6-cyanoalkenyloxy, C2-C6-haloalkenyloxy, C2-C6-alkynyloxy, C1-C6-alkylthio, C1-C6-cyanoalkylthio, C1-C6-haloalkylthio, C1-C6-alkoxy-C1-C6-alkylthio, C1-C6-alkoxycarbonyl, C1-C6-alkylcarbonyl, C1-C6-alkylcarboxy-C1-C6-alkyl, C1-C6-alkylcarbonyl-C1-C6-alkyl, C1-C6-alkylcarbonylamino, arylcarbonylamino, arylsulfinyl, arylsulfonyl, heteroarylsulfinyl, heteroarylsulfonyl, aryl-C1-C6-alkyl, aryl-C2-C6-alkenyl, aryl-C3-C6-alkynyl, heteroaryl-C1-C6-alkyl, heteroaryl-C2-C6-alkenyl, heteroaryl-C3-C6-alkynyl, aryl-C1-6-alkoxy, aryl-C2-C6-alkenyloxy, aryl-C3-C6-alkynyloxy, heteroaryl-C1-C6-alkoxy, heteroaryl-C2-C6-alkenyloxy, heteroaryl-C3-C6-alkynyloxy, C1-C6-alkylsulfinyl, C1-C6-alkylsulfonyl, C2-C6-alkenylsulfinyl, C2-C6-alkenylsulfonyl, C1-C6-alkylamino, di-C1-C6-alkylamino, HC═NOH, C1-C6-alkyl-C═NOH, HC═N—O—C1-C6-alkyl, HC═N—O—C1-C6-alkyl-aryl, C1-C6-alkyl-C═N—O—C1-C6-alkyl, HC═N—O—C2-C6-alkenyl, C1-C6-alkyl-C═N—C2-C6-alkenyl, HC═N—O-aryl, C1-C6-alkyl-C═N—O-aryl, aryl, aryloxy, heteroaryl, heteroaryloxy, arylthio and heteroarylthio.