NZ217938A - Two-component pack; components separated by immiscible layer - Google Patents

Description

f tilt z€ Priority Date(s): .. ^ Complete Specification Filed: T-?.. Class: &i£l>2t./32, Publication Date: P.O. Journal, No: , Uhder the provisions of Regulation 23 (i) the _ G&ArNjdlete- Specification has been ante-datetf! & i9i£>..

NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT, 1953 Divided from No.203566 No.: Date: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION TWIN-PACKS FOR USE IN AGRICULTURE .JfvS -4 150tTI986'*j ;: * fc0/ <.\.0 £ t.

XI We, IMPERIAL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES PLC a British Company of Imperial Chemical House, Millbank, London, SW1P 3JF, England hereby declare the invention for which Jt" / we pray that a patent may be granted to pr£^/us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- 217938 This invention relates to twin-packs for use in agriculture. Progress in crop protection research is leading to the production of ever more active agents. In former years application rates of pesticides were commonly measured in kilograms per hectare; today, several agents are known which are effective at rates of the order of 10-100 grams per hectare. Increasingly also, pesticides are applied in admixture. This is desirable for several reasons. Thus to save labour, insecticides and fungicides (say) may be applied to a crop simultaneously. Or two highly selective agents, eg. herbicides, may be applied to v soil or crops to combat two different types'of weeds.

Problems of incompatibility may arise when pesticides are being formulated in concentrated form for application simultaneously at two very different rates. We have devised a twin-pack for concentrated pesticides which conveniently overcomes such problems, and is easily and safely diluted to spraying strength by the farmer, simply by adding the contents of the pack to water in his spray tank reservoir.

New Zealand Patent Specification No. 203566 describes and claims a crop protection pack, comprising at least two crop protection agents contained in a single necked vessel having a removable cap, said crop protection agents being separated from each other and being present in a predetermined proportion corresponding to the relative proportions in which they are to be used when emptied from the said vessel into water and diluted thereby or dispersed therein, wherein in the said necked vessel one of the agents is present in the form of a solution or dispersion in a non-aqueous liquid, and the other agent or agents is or are present within said cap as a water-disintegratable tablet separated from the non-aqueous liquid by a breakable membrane extending across the neck of the vessel. 21?1z8 By the present invention, however, we provide a crop protection pack, comprising at least two crop protection agents contained in a single necked vessel having a removable cap, said crop protection agents being separated from each other and being present in a predetermined proportion corresponding to the relative proportions in which they are to be used when emptied from the said vessel into water and diluted thereby or dispersed therein, wherein in the said necked vessel one of the agents is present in the form of a solution or dispersion in a non-aqueous liquid, and the other agent or agents is or are contained within a water-soluble capsule within said non-aqueous liquid, which capsule is capable of passing through the neck of the said necked vessel.

By the term 'crop protection agent' we include insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, plant growth regulators and like materials that are applied to pests, growing crops or the soil in which crops grow. The agents may be of the same type, eg. two different herbicides, or of different types, eg. an insecticide and a fungicide. The package may, if desired, contain more than two different agents. Thus two compatible agents may be mixed in the first formulation; or two compatible agents may be mixed in the tablet or capsule. The package may contain more than one tablet or capsule (eg. two to ten tablets or capsules). When the capsules are of the same kind, this is a convenient way of increasing the application rate of the minor component.

Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section through a first container acccording to the invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section through a second container according to the invention. 21793 The container of figure 1 comprises a body 10 of blow-moulded plastic having a capacity of one litre and provided with an externally threaded neck 11 terminating in a mouth 12. The container is filled to the level of neck 11 with a formulation 20 of the herbicide ioxynil (350g active ingredient), as the octanoate ester with surfactants in a petroleum solvent. The mouth 12 of the container is sealed with a metal foil 13. On top of foil 13 rests an effervescent tablet 14 containing lOg of the herbicide DPX 4189 (chlorsulfuron) . The tablet is coloured deep green (for safety reasons, to distinguish it from effervescent tablets commonly used as drugs) and contains a mixture of a bicarbonate salt and citric acid so that it breaks up rapidly in contact with water. The tablet 14 is accommodated in a recess 15 of a threaded cap 16 which fits over the mouth 12 and neck 11 of container 10. For extra security in transit and storage, the cap 16 is held in place by a shrinkable band 17 of plastics material. The contents of the package 10 are sufficient to treat one hectare. For use, the farmer breaks the band 17, removes cap 16 and places tablet 14 in the water in his sprayer reservoir. He then breaks foil 13 and pour the liquid contents 20 into the reservoir. After thorough mixing, spraying is carried out in the usual way.

A second embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figure 2. The body 10, neck 11 and mouth 12 of the container are of the same structure as before, and again the container is filled to the neck by the same formulation 20 of ioxynil herbicide shown in Figure 1. However, in this embodiment the herbicide chlorsulfuron (lOg) is provided in the form of water-dispersible grains 18 disposed in a capsule 19 of water-soluble polyvinyl-pyrollidone. The density of the capsule 19 is controlled so that it floats in formulation 20. The cap 21 has its inner surface 22 flush with mouth 12, and is secured by shrinkable band 17 as before.

H7iz In use, the farmer cuts band 17 as before, unscrews cap 21 and pours the entire contents of the container into water in his sprayer reservoir, being careful to ensure that the capsule 19 is not left behind in the container. Stirring causes the capsule 19 to dissolve, and its contents 18 to be uniformly dispersed through the water together with formulation 20 - spraying can then follow as before. 2 17938

Claims (3)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A crop protection pack, comprising at least two crop protection agents contained in a single necked vessel having a removable cap, said crop protection agents being separated from each other and being present in 5 a predetermined proportion corresponding to the relative proportions in which they are to be used when emptied from the said vessel into water and diluted thereby or dispersed therein, wherein in the said necked vessel one of the agents is present in 10 the form of a solution or dispersion in a non-aqueous liquid, and the other agent or agents is or are contained within a water-soluble capsule within said non-aqueous liquid, which capsule is capable of passing through the neck of the said necked vessel. 15

2. A crop protection pack as claimed in claim 1, in which the relative densities of the said non-aqueous liquid and of the said capsule are such that the capsule floats.

3. A crop protection pack when constructed, arranged and operable substantially as hereinbefore described with particular reference to Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings. DATED THIS iS^DAY OF OcltrK. A. J. PARK & SON PER C AGENTS FOR THE APPLICANTS /./<< V - IjN i'Z 7* Vw ' 15 OCT 1984 |j ~ " _ C E \ 'iss Q />' V. //