Combinations of herbicidal aromatic carboxylic acids and safeners

1. A herbicide-safener combination, which comprises:

(A) one or more herbicidal auxin type aromatic carboxylic acids or agriculturally acceptable salts thereof, and

(B) one or more safeners selected from the group consisting of:

(B1.1) compounds of the phenylpyrazolin-3-carboxylic acid type, and

(B3.2) acylsulfamoylbenzamides or salts thereof.

2. A herbicide-safener combination as claimed in claim 1 in which component (A) is selected from the group consisting of:

(A1) 3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid (dicamba) or its salts,

(A2) 3-amino-2,5-dichlorobenzoic acid (chloramben) or its salts, and

(A3) 2,3,6-trichlorobenzoic acid (2,3,6-TBA) or its salts.

3. A herbicide-safener combination as claimed in claim 1 in which component (A) is: (A1) 3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid (dicamba) or its salts.

4. A herbicide-safener combination as claimed in claim 1 which comprises as component (B), one or more safeners selected from the group consisting of

(B1.1) compounds of the phenylpyrazolin-3-carboxylic acid type of the formula (I):

in which

R 1 are identical or different and are halogen, (C 1 -C 4 )-alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )-alkoxy, nitro or (C 1 -C 4 )-haloalkyl,

n is an integer from 0 to 5,

R 2 is OR 5 , SR 6 or NR 7 R 8 or a saturated or unsaturated 3- to 7-membered heterocycle having at least one nitrogen atom and up to 3 heteroatoms, which is attached to the carbonyl group in formula (I) via the nitrogen atom and which is unsubstituted or substituted by radicals selected from the group consisting of (C 1 -C 4 )-alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )-alkoxy and unsubstituted or substituted phenyl,

R 3 is hydrogen, (C 1 -C 8 )-alkyl, (C 1 -C 8 )-haloalkyl, (C 3 -C 12 )-cycloalkyl or substituted or unsubstituted phenyl and

R 4 is hydrogen, (C 1 -C 8 )-alkyl, (C 1 -C 8 )-haloalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )-alkoxy-(C 1 -C 4 )-alkyl, (C 1 -C 6 )-hydroxyalkyl, (C 3 -C 12 )-cycloalkyl or tri-(C 1 -C 4 )-alkyl-silyl, and

R 5 , R 6 , R 7 independently of one another are hydrogen or an unsubstituted or substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon radical, and

R 8 is hydrogen, (C 1 -C 6 )-alkyl, (C 1 -C 6 )-alkoxy or substituted or unsubstituted phenyl, and

(B3.2) acylsulfamoylbenzamides of the formula (VI), if appropriate also in salt form,

in which

X is CH or N,

R 1 is hydrogen, heterocyclyl or a hydrocarbon radical, where the two last-mentioned radicals are unsubstituted or substituted by one or more identical or different radicals selected from the group consisting of halogen, cyano, nitro, amino, hydroxyl, carboxyl, CHO, CONH 2 , SO 2 NH 2 and Z d -R d ,

R 2 is hydrogen, hydroxyl, (C 1 -C 6 )-alkyl, (C 2 -C 6 )-alkenyl, (C 2 -C 6 )-alkynyl, (C 1 -C 6 )-alkoxy, (C 2 -C 6 )-alkenyloxy, where the five last-mentioned radicals are unsubstituted or substituted by one or more identical or different radicals selected from the group consisting of halogen, hydroxyl, (C 1 -C 4 )-alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )-alkoxy and (C 1 -C 4 )-alkylthio, or

R 1 and R 2 together with the nitrogen atom that carries them are a 3- to 8-membered saturated or unsaturated ring,

R 3 are identical or different and are halogen, cyano, nitro, amino, hydroxyl, carboxyl, CHO, CONH 2 , SO 2 NH 2 or Z e -R e ,

R 4 is hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )-alkyl, (C 2 -C 4 )-alkenyl or (C 2 -C 4 )-alkynyl,

R 5 are identical or different and are halogen, cyano, nitro, amino, hydroxyl, carboxyl, phosphoryl, CHO, CONH 2 , SO 2 NH 2 or Z f -R f ,

R d is a (C 2 -C 20 )-alkyl radical whose carbon chain is interrupted once or a plurality of times by oxygen atoms, is heterocyclyl or a hydrocarbon radical, where the two last-mentioned radicals are unsubstituted or substituted by one or more identical or different radicals selected from the group consisting of halogen, cyano, nitro, amino, hydroxy, mono- and di-[(C 1 -C 4 )-alkyl]amino;

R e , R f are identical or different and are a (C 2 -C 20 )-alkyl radical whose carbon chain is interrupted once or a plurality of times by oxgen atoms, or are heterocyclyl or a hydrocarbon radical, where the two last-mentioned radicals are unsubstituted or substituted by one or more identical or different radicals selected from the group consisting of halogen, cyano, nitro, amino, hydroxyl, phosphoryl, (C 1 -C 4 )-haloalkoxy, mono- and di-[(C 1 -C 4 )-alkyl]amino,

Z d is a divalent unit selected from the group consisting of O, S, CO, CS, C(O)O, C(O)S, SO, SO 2 , NR*, C(O)NR* and SO 2 NR*,

Z e , Z f are identical or different and are a direct bond or a divalent unit selected from the group consisting of O, S, CO, CS, C(O)O, C(O)S, SO, SO 2 , NR*, SO 2 NR* and C(O)NR*,

R* is hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )-alkyl or (C 1 -C 4 )-haloalkyl,

n is an integer from 0 to 4, and

m is, in the case that X is CH, an integer from 0 to 5 and, in the case that X is N, an integer from 0 to 4.

5. A herbicide-safener combination as claimed in claim 1 , which comprises as component (B), one or more safeners selected from the group consisting of:

ethyl 1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-5-(ethoxycarbonyl)-5-methyl-2-pyrazoline-3-carboxylate (B1.1.1) (“Mefenpyr-diethyl”), and 4-(2-methoxybenzoylsulfamoyl)-N-cyclopropylbenzamide (B3.2.1), and the stereoisomers and the agriculturally useful salts thereof.

6. A herbicide-safener combination as claimed in claim 1 , which comprises as component (B):

ethyl 1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-5-(ethoxycarbonyl)-5-methyl-2-pyrazoline-3-carboxylate (B1.1.1) (mefenpyr-diethyl).

7. A herbicide-safener combination as claimed in claim 1 , which comprises the active compounds (A) and (B) in a weight ratio of from 200:1 to 1:200.

8. A herbicide-safener combination as claimed in claim 1 , which comprises the active compounds (A) and (B) in a weight ratio of from 100:1 to 1:100.

9. A herbicidal-safener combination as defined in claim 1 which additionally contains formulation auxiliaries.

10. A herbicide-safener combination as claimed in claim 2 , which comprises as component (B) ethyl 1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-5-(ethoxycarbonyl)-5-methyl-2-pyrazoline-3-carboxylate (B1.1.1) (mefenpyr-diethyl).

11. A herbicide-safener combination as claimed in claim 3 , which comprises as component (B) ethyl 1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-5-(ethoxycarbonyl)-5-methyl-2-pyrazoline-3-carboxylate (B1.1.1) (mefenpyr-diethyl).

12. A herbicide-safener combination as claimed in claim 11 which comprises active compounds (A) and (B) in a weight ratio of from 200:1 to 1:200.

13. A herbicide-safener combination as claimed in claim 11 which comprises active compounds (A) and (B) in a weight ratio of from 100:1 to 1:100.

14. A herbicide-safener combination as claimed in claim 11 which additionally comprises formulation auxiliaries.

15. A method for protecting crop plants against phytotoxic side-effects of a herbicide (A), which comprises application of an amount, acting as an antidote, of one or more safeners (B) before, after or simultaneous with the application of herbicide (A) to the plants, parts of plants, plant seeds or the area under cultivation, the herbicide (A) and safener (B) as claimed in claim 1 .

16. A method for selective control of weeds in crops of useful plants which comprises applying an herbicidally effective amount of one or more herbicides (A) and an crop-safening effective amount of one or more safeners (B) before, after or simultaneous with the application of herbicide (A) to the plants, parts of plants, plant seeds or the area under cultivation, herbicide (A) and safener (B) claimed in 1 .

17. A method for protecting crop plants against phytotoxic side-effects of the herbicide dicamba or salts thereof, which comprises application of an amount, acting as an antidote, of mefenpyr-diethyl before, after or simultaneously with the application of dicamba to the plants, parts of plants, plant seeds or the area under cultivation.

18. A method for selective control of weeds in crops of useful plants which comprises applying an herbicidally effective amount of dicamba or salts thereof and an crop-safening effective amount of mefenpyr-diethyl to the plants, parts of plants, plant seeds or the area under cultivation.

19. A herbicide-safener combination as claimed in claim 1 which comprises as component (B), one or more safeners selected from the group consisting of

(B1.1) compounds of the phenylpyrazolin-3-carboxylic acid type of the formula (I):

in which

R 1 are identical or different and are halogen, (C 1 -C 4 )-alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )-alkoxy, nitro or (C 1 -C 4 )-haloalkyl,

n is an integer from 0 to 5,

R 2 is OR 5 , SR 6 or NR 7 R 8 or a saturated or unsaturated 3- to 7-membered heterocycle having at least one nitrogen atom and up to 3 heteroatoms consisting of O and S, which is attached to the carbonyl group in formula (I) via the nitrogen atom and which is unsubstituted or substituted by radicals selected from the group consisting of (C 1 -C 4 )-alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )-alkoxy and unsubstituted or substituted phenyl,

R 3 is hydrogen, (C 1 -C 8 )-alkyl, (C 1 -C 8 )-haloalkyl, (C 3 -C 12 )-cycloalkyl or substituted or unsubstituted phenyl and

R 4 is hydrogen, (C 1 -C 8 )-alkyl, (C 1 -C 8 )-haloalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )-alkoxy-(C 1 -C 4 )-alkyl, (C 1 -C 6 )-hydroxyalkyl, (C 3 -C 12 )-cycloalkyl or tri-(C 1 -C 4 )-alkyl-silyl, and

R 5 , R 6 , R 7 independently of one another are hydrogen or an unsubstituted or substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon radical, and

R 8 is hydrogen, (C 1 -C 6 )-alkyl, (C 1 -C 6 )-alkoxy or substituted or unsubstituted phenyl, and

(B3.2) acylsulfamoylbenzamides of the formula (VI), if appropriate also in salt form,

in which

X is CH or N,

R 1 is hydrogen, heterocyclyl or a hydrocarbon radical, where the two last-mentioned radicals are unsubstituted or substituted by one or more identical or different radicals selected from the group consisting of halogen, cyano, nitro, amino, hydroxyl, carboxyl, CHO, CONH 2 , SO 2 NH 2 and Z d -R d ,

R 2 is hydrogen, hydroxyl, (C 1 -C 6 )-alkyl, (C 2 -C 6 )-alkenyl, (C 2 -C 6 )-alkynyl, (C 1 -C 6 )-alkoxy, (C 2 -C 6 )-alkenyloxy, where the five last-mentioned radicals are unsubstituted or substituted by one or more identical or different radicals selected from the group consisting of halogen, hydroxyl, (C 1 -C 4 -alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )-alkoxy and (C 1 -C 4 )-alkylthio, or

R 1 and R 2 together with the nitrogen atom that carries them are a 3- to 8-membered saturated or unsaturated ring,

R 3 are identical or different and are halogen, cyano, nitro, amino, hydroxyl, carboxyl, CHO, CONH 2 , SO 2 NH 2 or Z e -R e ,

R 4 is hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )-alkyl, (C 2 -C 4 )-alkenyl or (C 2 -C 4 )-alkynyl,

R 5 are identical or different and are halogen, cyano, nitro, amino, hydroxyl, carboxyl, phosphoryl, CHO, CONH 2 , SO 2 NH 2 or Z f -R f ,

R d is a (C 2 -C 20 )-alkyl radical whose carbon chain is interrupted once or a plurality of times by oxygen atoms, is heterocyclyl or a hydrocarbon radical, where the two last-mentioned radicals are unsubstituted or substituted by one or more identical or different radicals selected from the group consisting of halogen, cyano, nitro, amino, hydroxy, mono- and di-[(C 1 -C 4 )-alkyl]amino;

R e , R f are identical or different and are a (C 2 -C 20 )-alkyl radical whose carbon chain is interrupted once or a plurality of times by oxgen atoms, or are heterocyclyl or a hydrocarbon radical, where the two last-mentioned radicals are unsubstituted or substituted by one or more identical or different radicals selected from the group consisting of halogen, cyano, nitro, amino, hydroxyl, phosphoryl, (C 1 -C 4 )-haloalkoxy, mono- and di-[(C 1 -C 4 )-alkyl]amino,

Z d is a divalent unit selected from the group consisting of O, S, CO, CS, C(O)O, C(O)S, SO, SO 2 , NR*, C(O)NR* and SO 2 NR*,

Z e , Z f are identical or different and are a direct bond or a divalent unit selected from the group consisting of O, S, CO, CS, C(O)O, C(O)S, SO, SO 2 , NR*, SO 2 NR* and C(O)NR*,

R* is hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )-alkyl or (C 1 -C 4 )-haloalkyl,

n is an integer from 0 to 4, and

m is, in the case that X is CH, an integer from 0 to 5 and, in the case that X is N, an integer from 0 to 4.