Plant irrigation methods with 1-MCP
The present invention is directed to novel methods of increasing the abiotic environmental stress tolerance of a plant, to methods of improving the quality and/or yield of a plant crop, to methods of application of a cyclopropene such as 1-MCP to a plant, and to crops produced using said methods.
1. A method of increasing the abiotic environmental stress tolerance, reducing abiotic stress damage, or improving the quality and/or yield and/or vigor of a crop plant under irrigation comprising the application of 1-methylcyclopropene in the form of cyclodextrin molecularly encapsulated powder dispersed in an aqueous MgSO 4 solution by chemigation in the plant irrigation water to the crop plant at a rate of 1 to 20 g per hectare and wherein the 1-methylcyclopropene is applied such that the concentration of 1-methylcyclopropene in the irrigation water during application is 100 to 250 ppm.
2. A method according to claim 1 which includes the simultaneous and/or sequential application of one or more further agrochemical compounds and/or plant nutrients and/or plant fertilizers.
3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the further agrochemical compound is a pesticide, such as a fungicide, herbicide, insecticide, bactericide, acaricide or nematicide.
4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the irrigation is localized irrigation, spray irrigation, drip irrigation, bubbler irrigation, micro-sprinkler irrigation, sub-soil irrigation, seepage irrigation, surface irrigation, or manual irrigation, or any combination thereof.
5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the plants are crops selected from soybean, maize, cotton, vegetables, banana, jatropha, ornamentals, and wheat.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein chemigation is overhead chemigation.
7. A method of increasing the abiotic environmental stress tolerance, reducing abiotic stress damage, or improving the quality and/or yield and/or vigor of a crop plant under irrigation comprising the application of 1-methylcyclopropene in the form of cyclodextrin molecularly encapsulated powder dispersed in an aqueous MgSO 4 solution by chemigation in the plant irrigation water to the crop plant at a rate greater than 20 g per hectare and less than 50 g per hectare and wherein the concentration of 1-methylcyclopropene in the irrigation water is 100 to 250 ppm.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the plant irrigation water is 0.57 inches.