Sugarcane harvest aid
View Patent ↗Protoporphyrinogen oxidase enzyme-inhibiting compounds are useful in compositions and methods for ripening sugarcane crops. Of particular interest is the use of carfentrazone ethyl and certain metabolites thereof for ripening sugarcane crops.
1. A method for increasing the sugar content in a sugarcane crop comprising applying an effective amount of a protoporphyrinogen oxidase enzyme-inhibiting compound to said crop in the middle or at the end of said crop's crop season, at least 15 days prior to harvest.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said compound is selected from the group consisting of acifluorfen-sodium, aclonifen, bifenox, chlomethoxyfen, chlornitrofen, ethoxyfen-ethyl, fluorodifen, fluoroglycofen-ethyl, fluoronitrofen, fomesafen, furyloxyfen, halosafen, lactofen, nitrofen, nitrofluorfen, oxyfluorofen, cinidon-ethyl, flumiclorac-pentyl, flumioxazin, profluazol, pyrazogyl, oxadiargyl, oxadiazon, pentoxazone, fluazolate, pyraflufen-ethyl, benzfendizone, butafenacil, fluthiacet-methyl, thidiazimin, azafenidin, carfentrazone ethyl, sulfentrazone, flufenpyr-ethyl, and their agriculturally-acceptable salts, esters, acids, and metabolites.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said compound is selected from the group consisting of carfentrazone ethyl and metabolites of carfentrazone ethyl.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said metabolites are selected from the group consisting of i) α,2-dichloro-5-[4-(difluoromethyl)-4,5-dihydro-3-methyl-5-oxo-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl]-4-fluorobenzenepropanoic acid, ii) 2-dichloro-5-[4-(difluoromethyl)-4,5-dihydro-3-methyl-5-oxo-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl]-4-fluorobenzenepropenoic acid, iii) 2-dichloro-5-[4-(difluoromethyl)-4,5-dihydro-3-methyl-5-oxo-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl]-4-fluorobenzoic acid, and iv) 2-chloro-5-[4-(difluoromethyl)-4,5-dihydro-3-methyl-5-oxo-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl]-4-fluorobenzenepropanoic acid.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein said compound is carfentrazone ethyl.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amount of said compound is in the range of 40 grams ai/ha to 300 grams ai/ha.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the amount of said compound is in the range of 60 grams ai/ha to 100 grams ai/ha.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said compound is combined with a second chemical ripener.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said second chemical ripener is selected from the group consisting of glyphosate and trinexapac-ethyl.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said compound is carfentrazone ethyl.
11. The method of claim 5 wherein the sugarcane crop has a percent saccharide content in the cane of at least 10.30% at the time of application.