| abstract |
METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS ARE DISCLOSED WHEREIN EXOGENOUS CHEMICALS ARE APPLIED TO PLANTS TO GENERATE A DESIRED BIOLOGICAL RESPONSE. ONE EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION IS A PLANT TREATMENT COMPOSITION THAT COMPRISES (a) AN EXOGENOUS CHEMICAL AND (b) AN ALKYLETHER SURFACTANT OR MIXTURE OF SUCH SURFACTANTS HAVING THE FORMULA R12-O-(CH2CH2O)N(CH(CH3)CH2O)M-R13 WHEREIN R12 IS AN ALKYL OR ALKENYL GROUP HAVING ABOUT 16 TO ABOUT 22 CARBON ATOMS, N IS AN AVERAGE NUMBER OF ABOUT 10 TO ABOUT 100, M IS AVERAGE NUMBER OF 0 TO ABOUT 5 AND R13 IS HYDROGEN OR C1-4 ALKYL. THE ALKYLETHER SURFACTANT OR MIXTURE THEREOF IS PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT SUCH THAT THE WEIGHT/WEIGHT RATIO OF SAID ALKYLETHER SURFACTANT OR MIXTURE OF SUCH SURFACTANTS TO THE EXOGENOUS CHEMICAL IS ABOUT 1:3 TO ABOUT 1:100. |