NL2018385B1

NL2018385B1 - Method for preventing or inhibiting damages to plants during cultivation or for preventing growth retardation

Info

Publication number: NL2018385B1
Application number: NL2018385A
Authority: NL
Original assignee: Pro4Agri Beheer B V
Priority date: 2017-02-16
Filing date: 2017-02-16
Publication date: 2018-09-06

Abstract

De onderhavige uitvinding heeft betrekking op werkwijzen voorkomen of remmen, van schade aan planten of het voorkomen van groeivertraging gedurende cultivatie van met name op het voorkomen of remmen van schade aan planten veroorzaakt door schadelijke insecten, de werkwijze omvat de stap a) het in contact brengen of gebruiken tijdens de teelt/toepassen van de genoemde planten en/ of een groeisubstraat voor de genoemde planten met een droog mengsel omvattende amorfe silica of een sedimentgesteente van organische silica en een lokstof; waarbij het genoemde in contact brengen een of meerdere malen wordt uitgevoerd. De onderhavige uitvinding heeft in het bijzonder betrekking op toepassing van de werkwijze op chrysant, gerbera, aardbei, pioenroos, lisianthus, orchidee, phalaenopsis, roos, anjer, lelie, iris, fresia, impatiens, spathiphyllum, ranunculus, geranium, Bromelia, komkommer, tomaat, paprika, olijfbomen, en bomen.

Description

The present invention relates to methods for preventing or inhibiting damages to plants during cultivation or for preventing growth retardation and to method for pest control in plants, especially methods for preventing, or inhibiting, damages caused by insects to plants. The methods according to the present invention provide environmental friendly pest control means. The present invention further relates to compositions for use in the present pest control methods.

Pest control refers to regulation, or management, of undesired, or harmful, species such as insects or microorganisms. Pest control is at least as old as agriculture, as there has always been a need to keep crops free from pests. Techniques such as crop rotation, companion planting (also known as intercropping or mixed cropping), and the selective breeding of pest-resistant cultivars have a long history.

The use of chemical pesticides date back 4,500 years, when the Sumerians used sulfur compounds as insecticides. The Rig Veda, which is about 4,000 years old, also mentions the use of poisonous plants for pest control. It was only with the industrialization and mechanization of agriculture in the 18th and 19th century, and the introduction of the insecticides pyrethrum and derris that chemical pest control became widespread. In the 20th century, the discovery of several synthetic insecticides, such as DDT, and herbicides boosted this development. Chemical pest control is still the predominant type of pest control today, although its long-term effects led to a renewed interest in traditional and biological pest control towards the end of the 20th century.

Biological pest control is the control of pests through the control and management of natural predators and parasites. For example: mosquitoes are often controlled by putting Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. israelensis, a bacterium that infects and kills mosquito larvae, in local water sources. The point of biological pest control, or any natural pest control, is to eliminate a pest with minimal harm to the ecological balance of the environment.

Mechanical pest control is the use of hands-on techniques as well as simple equipment, devices, and natural ingredients that provide a protective barrier between plants and insects. For example: weeds can be controlled by being physically removed from the ground. This is referred to as tillage and is one of the oldest methods of weed control.

It is an object of the present invention, amongst other objects, to provide new methods for pest control and especially to provide new methods for pest control with minimal harm to the environment.

This object of the present invention, amongst other objects, is met, according to a first aspect of the present invention, by methods as outlined in the appended claims.

Specifically, this object of the present invention, amongst other objects, is met, according to a first aspect of the present invention, by methods for preventing or inhibiting damages to plants during cultivation or for preventing growth retardation, said methods comprise the step of:

a) contacting said plants and/or a growth substrate for said plants with tin dry mixture comprising amorphous silica or organic siliceous sedimentary rock and an attractant;

wherein said contacting is performed one or more times.

According to the present invention, the present damages to plants to be inhibited, or prevented, are preferably damages caused by insect past and/or pathogenic microorganisms, preferably insect pests.

The present inventors have surprisingly discovered that by using the present methods, the pest load on developing, cultivated, or growing, plants can be kept sufficiently low to allow a very efficient biological pest control in the latter stages of development, cultivation or growth. Accordingly, the present method is advantageously combined with any other known method or methods for biological pest control.

According to the present invention, the present attractants preferably are sugars, pheromones or colored substances designed to attract specific types of insects. Generally, the present attractant is coated onto, bound to or affixed to the amorphous silica or organic siliceous sedimentary rock, however embodiments wherein the amorphous silica or organic siliceous sedimentary rock and the attractant are provided separately in the mixture are contemplated.

According to an especially preferred embodiment the present sugar is sucrose, fructose, glucose, honey or syrup.

According to the present invention, the present aqueous suspension preferably only consists of water and organic siliceous sedimentary rock such as diatomaceous earth and the present mixture preferably only consists of a mixture of air and organic siliceous sedimentary rock such as diatomaceous earth.

According to an especially preferred embodiment of the present invention, the present organic siliceous sedimentary rock is diatomaceous earth, preferably in the form of a powder or granulate.

Diatomaceous earth, also known as D.E., diatomite, or kieselgur/kieselguhr, is a naturally occurring, soft, organic siliceous sedimentary rock that is easily crumbled into a fine white to off-white or grey powder. However, also other powder colors are contemplated such as red or reddish for heat treated diatomaceous earth. Il generally has a particle size ranging from less than 3 micrometers to more than 1 millimeter, but typically 10 to 200 micrometers. Depending on the granularity, the powder can have an abrasive feel, similar to pumice powder, and has a low density as a result of its high porosity. The typical chemical composition of oven-dried diatomaceous earth is 60 to 98% silica, with 2 to 4% alumina (attributed mostly to clay minerals) and 0.5 to 2% iron oxide.

Diatomaceous earth consists of fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hardshelled algae. It is used as a filtration aid, mild abrasive in products including toothpaste, mechanical insecticide, absorbent for liquids, matting agent for coatings, reinforcing filler in plastics and rubber, anti-block in plastic films, porous support for chemical catalysts, cat litter, activator in blood clotting studies, a stabilizing component of dynamite, and a thermal insulator.

According to another especially preferred embodiment of the present invention, the present method is used for providing ornamental plants with protection for insect pests. The absence of the present pest control agent on plants when harvested provides an additional advantage of the present method for these types of plants.

According to yet another especially preferred embodiment of the present invention, the present method is used for providing protection for plants selected from the group consisting of chrysant, gerbera, strawberry, peony, lisianthus, orchid, phalenopsis, rose, carnation, lily, iris, freesia, impatiens, spathiphyllum, ranunculus and geranium.

The methods as described above are especially suitable to be used in enclosed and controlled environments such as a green house and are especially suitable for pest control of flies, trips, aphids or lice.

Considering the advantages of the present methods as defined above, the present invention, according to a second aspect relates to compositions comprising diatomaceous earth and an attractant chosen from the group consisting of sucrose, fructose, glucose, honey and syrup.

According to an especially preferred embodiment, the present growth substrate is bark and, preferably the present plants are orchids.

Claims

CLAUSES

1. Method for preventing or inhibiting damage to plants during cultivation or for preventing growth retardation, said method comprises the step of:

a) contacting said plants and / or a growth substrate for said plants with a dry mixture comprising amorphous silica or organic siliceous sedimentary rock and an attractant;

said said contacting has been performed one or more times.

2. Method according to clause 1, said said attractant is one or more selected from the group consisting of sugar, pheromone and colored substances.

3. Method according to clause 2, said sugar is sucrose, fructose, glucose, honey or syrup.

4. Method according to any one of clauses 1 to 3, said damages are caused by insect pests or pathogenic microorganisms, preferably insect pests.

5. Method according to any one of clauses 1 to 4, said organic siliceous sedimentary rock is diatomaceous earth.

6. Method according to any one of clauses 1 to 5, said diatomaceous earth is in the form of a granulate or powder.

7. Method according to any one or clauses to 6, said said plant is an ornamental plant.

8. Method according to any one of clauses 1 to 7, said said plain is selected from the group consisting of chrysanthemum, gerbera, strawberry, peony, lisianthus, orchid, phalaenopsis, rose, carnation, lily, iris, Ifeesia, impatiens, spathiphyllum , ranunculus and geranium.

9. Method according to any one of clauses 1 to 8, said insects are flies, thrips, aphids, ants, slugs or lice.

10. Method according to any one of clauses 1 to 9, said growth substrate comprises bark and said plant is orchid.

11. Composition comprising diatomaceous earth and an attractant chosen from the

5 group consisting of sucrose, fructose, glucose, honey and syrup.

CONCLUSIONS

A method for preventing or inhibiting plant damage or preventing growth retardation during cultivation, the method comprising the step of:

a) contacting said plants and / or a growth substrate for said plants with a dry mixture comprising amorphous silica or an organic silica sediment rock and a bait; wherein said contacting is performed one or more times.

The method of claim 1, wherein the attractant is selected from one or more of the group consisting of sugar, pheromone and colored substance.

The method of claim 2, wherein said sugar is sucrose, fructose, glucose, honey or syrup.

Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said damage is caused by harmful insects or microorganisms, preferably by harmful insects.

The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said organic silica silica sediment rock is amorphous or more preferably diatomaceous earth.

The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said diatomaceous earth is in the form of a powder or granulate.

The method according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein said plants are selected from the group consisting of ornamental plants, flower vegetables, fruit-bearing plants and trees, trees and agricultural crops.

The method according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein said plants are selected from the group consisting of chrysanthemum, gerbera, strawberry, peony, lisianthus, orchid, phalaenopsis, rose, carnation, lily, iris, freesia, impatiens, spathiphyllum, ranunculus, geranium, bromeiia, cucumber, tomato, pepper, olive trees, and trees.

The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein said insects are flies, thrips, aphids, snails, ants or lice.

The method of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said growth substrate comprises bark and said plant is an orchid.

11. A composition comprising diatomaceous earth, silica amorphous and a bait selected from the group consisting of pheromone, colorant or sugar.