Use of sophorolipids and derivatives thereof in combination with pesticides as adjuvant/additive for plant protection and the industrial non-crop field

1. A method for protecting a plant comprising:

providing an admixture of a pesticide and an adjuvant that is a lactone form of a sophorolipid in an aqueous solution; and applying said admixture to a plant, wherein said admixture of pesticide and adjuvant exhibits a synergistic effect in pesticidal activity, and wherein said lactone form of a sophorolipid is solubilized with clarity in said aqueous solution by a process comprising bringing a lactone form of a sophorolipid into said aqueous solution in the presence of a fatty acid, and adjusting the pH to 6-8.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said adjuvant boosts the efficacy and/or enhances the activity of said pesticide, with the proviso that a dose range of the adjuvant lies between 10-3000 ml/ha.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said admixture of the adjuvant and pesticide acts synergistically in a ratio of active pesticidal ingredient to adjuvant of 1:120 to 30:1.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pesticide is selected from the group consisting of herbicides, insecticides, growth regulators and/or fungicides or mixtures thereof, or plant strengtheners, micronutrients, and macronutrients.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the pesticide is a contact fungicide, a systemic herbicide selected from the group of sulfonylureas, systemic fungicide selected from the class of triazoles, and mixtures of these and other pesticides.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said adjuvant is present in an amount of 1% by weight to 99% by weight.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the adjuvant is present in an amount of 1.5% by weight to 60% by weight.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plant is part of a crop.

9. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fatty acid is selected from the group consisting of tallow, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, safflower oil, soya bean oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, olive oil, and short-chain to medium-chain carboxylic acids having an alkyl chain length of 6 to 22 carbon atoms.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fatty acid is selected from the group consisting of nonanoic acid (pelargonic acid), decanoic acid (capric acid), dodecanoic acid (lauric acid), tetradecanoic acid (myristic acid), hexadecanoic acid (palmitic acid), octadecanoic acid (stearic acid), octadecaenoic acid (oleic acid), and mixtures thereof.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said lactone form of a sophorolipid is present as a mixture of said lactone form and an acid form, with an acid fraction of 10% to less than 60% by weight.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said lactone form of a sophorolipid, in the absence of said fatty acid, and said fatty acid, in the absence of said lactone form of a sophorolipid, are not soluble with clarity in said aqueous solution.

13. A process for preparing a solubilized lactone form of a sophorolipid, said process comprising bringing a lactone form of a sophorolipid into solution in the presence of a fatty acid, and adjusting the pH to 6-8.

14. The process as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the fatty acid, is selected from the group consisting of tallow, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, safflower oil, soya bean oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, olive oil, and short-chain to medium-chain carboxylic acids having an alkyl chain length of 6 to 22 carbon atoms.