Amine and amine oxide surfactants for controlling herbicide spray drift

Abstract

Spray drift during the application of an aqueous mixture of glyphosate and an auxinic herbicide is reduced by incorporating certain tertiary amine or tertiary amine oxide surfactants into the aqueous solution or mixture to be sprayed.

1 . A method to reduce spray drift during the application of an aqueous herbicidal spray mixture containing glyphosate and an auxinic herbicide comprising incorporating into the aqueous herbicidal spray mixture from about 0.02 to about 2 weight percent of a tertiary amine oxide surfactant of the formula: 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         wherein R 4  is a straight or branched chain (C 10 -C 18 ) alkyl or an alkyletherpropyl or alkylamidopropyl of the formula: 
       
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         wherein R 7  is a straight or branched chain (C 10 -C 18 ) alkyl, and R 5  and R 6  independently are straight or branched chain (C 1 -C 18 ) alkyl or ethoxylates or propoxylates of the formula: 
       
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         wherein n is an integer from 1 to 20, 
       
       or mixtures thereof, wherein the auxinic herbicide is a water soluble salt of dicamba. 
     
     
         3 - 6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the tertiary amine oxide surfactant is lauryldimethylamine oxide. 
     
     
         8 - 21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the water-soluble salt of dicamba is selected from the group consisting of isopropyl ammonium salt, dimethyl ammonium salt, triethyl ammonium salt, monoethanol ammonium salt, diethanol ammonium salt, diethyleneglycol ammonium salt, triisopropanol ammonium salt, tetramethyl ammonium salt, tetraethyl ammonium salt, and choline salt.