ALDEHYDES AND ANTIOXIDANTS

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[001 ] The present application claims the benefit of priority to US

Provisional Patent Application Serial Number 62695214, filed July 9, 2018, entitled " INSECTICIDES CONTAINING ALDEHYDES " The aforementioned application is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[002] The present invention generally relates to preparations that when applied to crops can exhibit activity of both controlling pests and ebhancing plant growth. .

BACKGROUND ART

Chemical stimulation of crop has been shown and used to positively affect plant growth. Application of certain chemicals by spraying and drenching was reported in HORTSCIENCE 46(12):1650-1654. 201 1 , by Brent Tisseratl and Amy Stuff, in a disclosure entitled Stimulation of Short-term Plant Growth by glycerol Applied as Foliar Sprays and Drenches under Greenhouse

Conditions. US Patent 4,764,201 discloses the effect observed when certain vitamin K derivative had been applied to plants, growth was accelerated.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, a mixture of two aldehydes in combination with sodium metabisulfite salt is prepared in water having a beneficial effect when applied to crops. In another aspect of the invention, a mixture of two aldehydes and two antioxidants is prepared in water. This mixture can be used to mitigate insect attack, notably thrips on plants. Combination A

Combination B

Combination C

Each one of the three combinations above was thoroughly mixed by stirring for several hours and filtered as further described below. Then, a mixture of all the above combinations was prepared with the ratios as follows and some potassium hydroxide added.

Final combined mixture

The final combined mixture was thoroughly mixed (for about three hours) and later filtered through a paper filter Macherey Nagel MN 615. The filtrate, clear and non tinted (or slightly yellow tinted) solution was used further for experimentation. This filtrate is referred to hereinafter as the functional solution or as the Agent. In the graphs it is referred to as the Agent.

The functional solution was supplied to the root zone via drip irrigating. The administration of the functional solution via spraying exerted some control over insects, notably thrips.

It was found that in addition to the aspect of insect control, the administration of the functional solution had some control effects on nematodes (when supplied via drip irrigating). Additionally, some effects were observed and measured with regards to several biologic parameters having agronomic value, on crops.

BIO- STIMULATIVE EFFECT

Cucumbers were planted at screen covered green- house environment, in plots including two parallel rows in untreated soil. The statistical base plan was of randomized blocks with four repetitions for each trial, in each of the experiments to be described below. The application of test material was carried out first at time of planting and then three consecutive applications were carried out every ten days. Three crop parameters were assessed: fruit fresh weight, canopy fresh weight, root fresh weight.

Measurements were made two weeks after the last treatment, In root fresh weight measurement (Fig. 3) and galling index measurement (Fig. 4) an additional measurement was made, as will be described with reference to the histograms in the respective figures.

In Fig. 1 the increase in fruit yield (cucumber, fresh fruit weight) of treated plants was measured with respect to untreated control, showing the increase in fruit weight by the Agent (functional solution) applied in 20 litres/hectare of the functional solution and in 40 litres/hectare. Vydate (Oxamyl, a commercial product, a well known anti - nematode agent, which is a carbamate pesticide (now restricted in many countries) was applied to the soil as a control tratment. The 20 litres/hectare of the functional solution treatment was not as effective as the Vydate treatment but the 40 litres per hectare treatment was more effective. Both Agent at 40 litres/Hectare and Vydate were statistically significant with respect to untreated control.

The increase in canopy weight was much more pronounced (Fig. 2), notable is the 20 litrs/hectare treatment, than the 40 litres/Hectare treatment or the Vydate treatment.

As regards influence on the root fresh weight (see Fig. 3) it can be seen that the effect of the Agent at 40 litres/Hectare was more pronounced at the first date of sampling. At the second date, the roots in the Vydate treatment lagged behind the control while the Agent treatment influence was more stable.

The galling index as effected by the Agent and Vydate is related to in Fig. 4. The measurements (visual evaluation) conveyed as the root index, relating to the number of galls per root volume per plant) show that Vydate is most influential of the treatments and is significantly different (lower) than the control. The treatment of 20 litres\Hectare Agent was effective but did not differ statistically from either untreated control or Vydate treatment.

Conclusion:

Vydate treatment provided a more potent anti nematode effect than either treatments of the Agent (Fig. 4). However, regarding the aspect of crop parameter increase, the Agent (at 40 litres\Hectare) produced a more pronounced root weight increase effect than that of Vydate (Fig. 3), As regards fruit weight (Fig. 1), it was promoted by higher dosage of the Agent. Canopy weight increase was promoted more by the lower concentration of Agent, (Figs 2).

The divergence between nematode control with respect to growth and the stimulation of yield can be explained by the potency to enhance growth, which may be only partially related to nematode control, or not at all. In other words the, possibility that the Agent enhances (stimulates) growth parameters in crops, is most likely.