United States Patent
`
`[11. 3,852,057
`Findley et al.
`[451' Dec. 3, 1974 "
`
`[19]
`
`[54]
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`[75]
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`,[731
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`[221
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`[211
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`[521
`[511
`[581
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`[56]
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`METHOD FOR CONTROLLING AXlLLARY .
`SHOOTS 0F TOBACCO PLANTS
`
`3,340,040
`3,713,804
`
`Tso ......................................... 71/78
`'9/1967
`
`l/l973 Moccia ..................... 7l/DlG.l
`
`Inventors: Thomas W. Findley, La Grange;
`John F. Benner, Chicago, both of 111.
`
`Assignee: Swift & Company, Chicago, 111.
`
`May 3, 1965
`Filed:
`Appl. No.: 452,881
`
`US. Cl. ......................................... 71/78, 71/76
`Int.Cl .............. A01n
`Field of Search .................. 71/78, 76, 122, 124
`
`References Cited
`
`Primary Examiner—James 0. Thomas, Jr.
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Edward T. McCabe;
`Charles E. Benton; 1. C. Langston
`
`[5 7]
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`Hydroxy ethers and halogen containing hydroxy ethers
`are disclosed for use in controlling the growth of axil-
`lary shoots of tobacco plants.
`’
`
`3,326,664
`
`UNITED STATES PATENTS
`6/1967' Tso ..........‘................................ 71/78
`
`3 Claims, No Drawings
`
`1,4 GROUP, INC.
`, 1,4 GROUP, INC.
`Exhibit 1010
`Exhibit 1010
`Page 0001
`Page 0001
`
`

`

`1
`
`3,852,057
`
`2
`
`METHOD FOR CONTROLLING AXILLARY
`SHOOTS 0F TOBACCO PLANTS
`
`This invention relates to a method'of treating plants
`or portions of plants to control their growth A Specific
`embodiment concerns a method for the control of axil-
`lary shoots on tobacco plants
`'
`Control of growth of plants or portions of plants can
`be used to increase yields,1mprove quality, decrease
`use of nutrients, improve the time and ease of harvest-
`ing and/or processing of crops and1mprove the appear-
`ance of decorative plants. In the case of tobacco plants,
`it is known that the qualityof the leaves1s improved by
`removal of the top portion containing the flower, a pro-
`cess known as topping. The purpose of topping1s to di-
`‘rect, toward increased leaf development, the energies
`of the plant that would normally go to the formation of
`the seed head
`
`S
`
`10
`
`'15
`
`sucker growth occurs, to the top portion of the stalk in
`an amount sufficient to substantially completely coat
`the sucker-producing areas of the stalk. The sucker-
`controlling liquid is permitted to run down the stalk
`and coat the leaf axils thereby arresting the growth of
`the sucker buds.
`-
`
`Some of the compounds which are useful1n the prac-
`tice of this invention, and which fall under the above
`definition are the acyclic aliphatic monohydric alco-
`hols of about 3—10 carbon atoms. Examples include
`propyl alcohols, butyl alcohols, amyl alcohols, hexyl
`alcohols, heptyl alcohols, octyl alcohols, nonyl alco-
`hols, and decyl alcohols Of specific1mportance are the
`even-numbered normal alcohols, i.e., n--butanol, n-
`hexanol, n-octanol and n--decanol. For reasons set out
`more thoroughly below, n-octanolIS the most preferred
`alcohol.
`
`20
`
`Another group of compounds useful1n the practice
`of the invention can be defined by the following for-
`mula:
`
`25
`
`Topping tends to induce increased growth of the
`leaves, as well as increase the quality ofthe tobacco it-
`self. When thisis done, however, the growth of axillary
`shoots (suckers) at the base of the leafpetioles begins
`vigorously If the suckers are not removed, or con-
`trolled1n some other manner, too much ofthe plant en-
`ergy will be sapped, with the result that low quality
`leaves will be produced Over the whole plant.Chemical
`treatment with maleic hydrazide and certain other
`chemicals1s generally used to preventthegrthh of the
`suckers, thus avoiding the cost of manual removal.
`However, many of these materials cause deformation
`or burning of the tobacco leaves,especially ifthe dos-
`age levels are not kept low.
`lt'18, therefore, one object of this"Invention to control
`the growth of plants or portions of plantsin such a way
`so as to increase the yields of desired portions and/or
`decrease the yields of undesirable portions of the plant.
`
`30
`
`35
`
`wherein X is hydrogen, halogen (usually chlorine or
`bromine) and hydroxyl; and Q is an alkyl, alkenyl or
`acyl radical of about 8—30 carbon atoms. As can be
`seen, this class of compounds are aliphatic alcohols
`having either an oxygen ether linkage or oxygen ester
`linkage connected to a carbon atom which1s adjacent
`to the carbon atom containing the free hydroxy group
`Representative examples of the hydroxy ethers com-
`prise compounds wherein QIS octyl, decyl, dodecyl,
`tetradecyl, cetyl and octadecyl More specifically, suit-
`able hydroxy ethers are represented by n-dodecyl 2~
`hydroxypropyl
`ether,
`n-dodecyl
`2,hydroxy- 3-
`chloropropyl ether, decyl 2-hydroxypropyl ether, dode-
`cyl 2-(1-hydroxypropyl) ether, and tetradecyl
`2-
`hydroxypropyl ether.
`Representative examples of the hydroxy esters are
`the monoglycerides wherein the acyl radical contains
`8—30 carbon atoms andIS composed of carbon, hydro-
`gen and oxygen. Specific examples include glycerol
`monolaurate, glycerol monostearate, glycerol mono-
`oleate, glycerol monooctanoate, glycerol monopalmi-
`tate,
`glycerol
`monomyristate
`and
`glycerol
`50'
`monodocosanoate.
`
`is also an object of this invention to provide a
`It
`method of treating plants so as to improve their Quality,
`'40
`decrease the use of nutrients, cut costs ofmanual oper-
`ation and1mprove the appearance of the plant by using
`chemical treatment with a group of compounds which
`will not cause undesirable changesIn the plant.
`.
`Another object of the invention, with respect to to-
`bacco plants,
`is to provide a. method to inhibit the
`growth of axillary buds after topping of the plant.
`A still further object is to provide a chemical treat-
`ment of tobacco plants wherein the possibility of chem-
`ical deterioration and contamination of the leaves is
`substantially decreased.
`,
`Additional objects, if not specifically set forth herein,
`will be readily apparent to those skilled in the .artifrom
`the detailed description of the invention which follows.
`
`45
`
`55
`
`It has now been discovered that oxygen containing
`compounds having about 3— 10 methylene groups per
`non--carbonyl oxygen atdm are effective plant growth
`regulators All of the compounds of this select class
`contain at least one free hydroxy group. Further, a sub-
`generic portion of the class of compounds may be de-
`fined as aliphatic alcohols having either an ester or
`ether linkage connected to a carbon atom which15 ad-
`jacent to the carbon atom containingthe free hydroxy
`group.
`Generally speaking, the method of preventing the
`growth of suckersIn a tobacco plant comprises apply-
`ing the hydroxy compound, before any substantial
`
`.60
`
`.65
`
`In order to retard the growth of tobacco suckers, the
`.
`compounds may be applied to the sucker-producing
`areas of the tobacco plant in the form of solutions,
`emulsions, pastes, dust formulations, etc. Since most of
`the hydroxy compounds utilized'1n accordance with the
`teachings of this invention are water-insoluble, a liquid
`emulsionIS usually prepared. The emulsifying agent is
`usually present in an amount up to 30 percent based on
`theweight of the active ingredient. Selection of a suit-
`able emulsifying agent may be taken from a wide range
`of substances. Polyoxyalkylene substances may be used
`alone or in combination with a sulfonate such as an
`alkyl aryl sulfonate. A specific emulsifier is Tween—20
`which is polyoxyethylene Sorbitan monolaurate. In this
`connection it should be noted that the hydroxy ethers
`and monoglycerides are substantially self-emulsifiable
`If a solvent1s used to disperse q'ie4aé‘H6W‘HflBd1n
`1,4 GROUP, INC.
`Exhibit 1010
`Exhibit 101 0
`Page 0002
`Page 0002
`
`

`

`3,852,057
`
`3
`the water solution, one should take care to be certain
`that the solvent is non-phytotoxic.
`If a dust formulation is desired, one may prepare the
`formulation of solid ingredients by dissolving the active
`ingredient in a suitable solvent, contacting the liquid on
`the solid carrier and allowing the solvent to evaporate.
`Examples of solid carriers include bentonite, vermicu-
`lite, talc, pyrax, attaclay, etc. Pastes and greases may
`also be utilized.
`
`In several of the prior art processes, dusting and
`spraying are objectionable since a majority of the
`chemicals used are phytotoxic and cause excessive
`damage to the tobacco leaf. The compounds defined by
`this invention, on the other hand, are generally non-
`phytotoxic, especially at the levels used, and may be
`applied by spraying or dusting without adversely affect- '
`ing the tobacco leaves.
`Generally the materials are applied as emulsions to
`the upper leaves of previously topped and suckered to-
`bacco plants so that a specified amount of material is
`applied to each plant. Generally the solutions are ap-
`plied by spraying the plant with emulsion containing
`about ‘A to 4 and preferably about 1—2 milliliters of ac-
`tive ingredient.
`‘
`Substantially complete application is made possible
`by the fact
`that tobacco leaves are spirally spaced
`about the stalk of the plant. The material will usually
`drain down along the stem and come in contact with
`the axillary buds. Since no one leaf is positioned di-
`rectly above another,
`free access of the sucker-
`controlling film to each axil is insured.
`In the examples that follow, the active ingredients
`were applied to field grown Burley tobacco. The ingre-
`dients were applied as emulsions with Tween-20 (poly-
`oxyethylene Sorbitan monolaurate) as the emulsifier at
`the rate of 1 milliliter active ingredient in 30 milliliters
`of emulsion (with V: milliliter of emulsifier) per plant.
`The results were obtained after comparing green
`weight of suckers of treated plants with the green
`weight of untreated plants which acted as a control. An
`additional control comprised plants treated with maleic
`hydrazide at its common use level which is the standard
`agent used to desucker tobacco plants.
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`4O
`
`
`
`45
`
`
`
` Compounds % Sucker Control
`
`Aliphatic
`Alcohols
`n-octanol
`n-decanol
`n-dodecanol
`
`99
`96
`50
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`5
`
`10
`
`15
`
`4
`
`‘
`
`n-hexadecanol
`Hydroxy Ethers
`n-dodecyl 2-hydroxypropyl ether
`n~dodecyl 2-hydroxy-3-chloropropyl
`ether
`Monoglycerides (commercial 40%!
`Glycerol monolaurate
`Glycerol monostearate
`Glycerol monooleate
`Others
`70
`maleic hydrazide
`43
`n-dodecyl acetate
`2l
`2—nonadecanone
`
`methyl epoxy stearate 36
`
`28
`
`100
`86
`
`7|
`79
`79
`
`those that con-
`Of the compounds tested above,
`trolled the axillary sucker growth to a satisfactory de-
`gree (above 70 percent sucker control) also produced
`no substantial detrimental or phytotoxic effects. Specif-
`ically, n-octanol treated plants exhibited substantially
`no excessive leaf drop, leaf bum, leaf breakage, epinas-
`tic effects, etc., and there were no gross adverse visual
`effects on the cured leaf.
`
`While the above examples are directed mainly to re-
`tarding the growth of tobacco suckers, it should be
`noted that the compositions are also suitable for inhib-
`iting the sprouting of potatoes and slowing down grass
`growth to reduce frequency of mowing. Other crops
`which can be profitably treated include tilled crops
`such as soybeans and corn, and fruit trees.
`Obviously many modifications and variations of the
`invention as hereinbefore set forth may be made with-
`out departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and,
`therefore, only such limitations should be applied as
`are indicated in the claims which follow.
`We claim:
`
`1. A method of controlling the growth of the axillary
`shoots of a tobacco plant which comprises contacting
`said shoots with a growth-controlling amount of n-
`dodecyl 2-hydroxypropyl ether.
`2. A method of controlling the growth of the axillary
`shoots of a tobacco plant which comprises contacting
`said shoots with a growth controlling amount of an
`alkyl hydroxypropyl ether wherein the alkyl group con-
`tains 8—18 carbon atoms.
`
`3. A method of controlling the growth of the axillary
`shoots of the tobacco plant which comprises contacting
`said shoots with a growth controlling amount of alkyl
`hydroxypropyl ether selected from the group consisting
`of n-dodecyl 2-hydroxypropyl ether, n-dodecyl 2-(1—
`hydroxypropyl) ether and n-dodecyl 2-hydroxy-3-
`chloropropyl ether. =91
`*
`*
`*
`*
`
`1,4 GROUP, INC.
`1,4 GROUP, INC.
`Exhibit 1010
`Exhibit 1010
`Page 0003
`Page 0003
`
`