EXTENDED AND CONTINUOUS RELEASE COMPOSITIONS FOR PLANT HEALTH AND METHOD OF USE

1 . A composition comprising:

i. an agriculturally active compound having at least one carboxylic acid moiety and having a formula:

or salts thereof,

wherein

e and f are independently an integer from 1 to 4, and

Z and Z′ are a portion of the agriculturally active compound;

ii. one or more ester(s) of the agriculturally active compound selected from the group consisting of:

wherein,

O-A-O is a residue of a first polyol;

e and f are independently an integer from 1 to 4; and

Z and Z′ are a portion of the agriculturally active compound;

wherein,

O-A-O is the residue of a first polyol; and

Z and Z′ are a portion of the agriculturally active compound;

wherein,

A-O is a residue of a first polyol;

A′-O is a residue of a second polyol or a hydroxyl group;

x is an integer from 0 to 3; and

Z is a portion of an agriculturally active compound;

wherein,

O-A-OH is a residue of a first polyol;

y is an integer from 1 to 50; and

Z is a portion of the agriculturally active compound; and

wherein,

O-A-O is a residue of a polyol;

Z is a portion of the agriculturally active compound; and

R 1 is absent or is selected from hydrogen and Q, wherein Q is Z′; and

iii. an agriculturally acceptable carrier.

2 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the agriculturally active compound is a monocarboxylic acid or dicarboxylic acid and the ester of said agriculturally active compound is a monoester or a diester.

3 . (canceled)

4 . (canceled)

5 . (canceled)

6 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein said first polyol is polyethylene glycol or a copolymer thereof, and said second polyol is polyethylene glycol or a copolymer thereof or is a hydroxyl group, wherein said polyethylene glycol has a weight averaged molecular weight of about 150 D to about 10,000 D.

7 . (canceled)

8 . The composition of claim 6 , further comprising:

a second ester of said agriculturally active compound, said second ester having the formula:

wherein, O-A″-O, A″-O and A′″-O are each a residue of a polyalkylene glycol other than polyethylene glycol (PEG);”

x′ is 0 or 1; and

Z and Z′ are a portion of the agriculturally active compound.

9 . (canceled)

10 . (canceled)

11 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein said first polyol and said second polyol are different types of polyol.

12 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the ratio of said agriculturally active compound to said ester of said agriculturally active compound is about 0.01:1 to about 0.5:1.

13 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein said agriculturally active compound I′ or I″ is selected from the group consisting of

a. carboxylic acid containing herbicides;

b. carboxylic acid containing fungicides;

c. pyroglutamic acid;

d. levulinic acid;

e. pamoic acid;

f. ketosuccinamide; and

g. a dicarboxylic acid having the structure:

wherein, D is a linear C 1-5 alkyl group having at least one carbonyl embedded in the alkyl group.

14 . The composition of claim 13 comprising:

i. an agriculturally active compound I′, wherein the agriculturally active compounds is pyroglutamic acid having the structure:

or salts thereof, and

ii. said ester of said agriculturally active compound, wherein the ester is one or more esters of Formula IV:

wherein,

O-A-O is a residue of a first polyol;

Z is a

 and

R 1 is absent or is selected from hydrogen and Q;

wherein, Q is Q 1 and has the structure:

wherein,

 is the point of attachment; or

i. an agriculturally active compound I′, wherein the agriculturally active compounds is levulinic acid having the structure:

or salts thereof, and

ii. said ester of said agriculturally active compound, wherein the ester is an ester of Formula IV:

wherein,

O-A-O is a residue of a first polyol;

Z is

 and

R 1 is absent or is selected from hydrogen and Q;

wherein, Q is Q 2 and has the structure:

wherein,

 is the point of attachment;

or

i. an agriculturally active compound I′, wherein the agriculturally active compounds is ketosuccinimate having the structure:

or salts thereof, and

ii. said ester of said agriculturally active compound, wherein the ester is an ester of Formula IV:

wherein,

O-A-O is a residue of a first polyol;

Z is

R 1 is absent or is selected from hydrogen and Q;

wherein, Q is Q 3 and has the structure:

wherein,

 is the point of attachment; and

an agriculturally acceptable carrier.

15 . The composition of claim 14 , wherein the agriculturally active compound is pyroglutamic acid, and said ester of pyroglutamic acid comprises one or more esters of pyroglutamic acid esters selected from the group consisting of Formulae V-VII:

or salts thereof, wherein

O-A-O is a residue of a linear or branched polyalkylene glycol or oligomer or dendrimer thereof, and R 1 is absent or is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and Q 1 ;

or salts thereof, wherein,

R 2 , R 3 and R 4 , in each instance, is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and Q 1 ;

or salts thereof, wherein,

R 3 and R 4 , in each instance, is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and Q 1 .

16 . (canceled)

17 . The composition of claim 15 , wherein the residue of a linear or branched polyalkylene glycol or oligomer or dendrimer thereof is a residue of PEG or PPG.

18 . The composition of claim 14 , wherein the ester is of Formula Va:

wherein, O-PEG-O is a residue of PEG; R 1 is selected from hydrogen and Q.

19 . (canceled)

20 . The composition of claim 18 , wherein about 10% to about 90% of R 1 is Q and the remainder of R 1 is hydrogen.

21 . The composition of claim 15 , comprising a mixture of esters of pyroglutamic acid, the mixture comprising Formulae V and VI; Formulae V and VII; Formulae VI and VII; and Formula V, VI and VII.

22 . (canceled)

23 . (canceled)

24 . The composition of claim 13 , wherein said agriculturally active compound I or I′ is:

g. a dicarboxylic acid having the structure:

wherein D is

25 . The composition of claim 24 , wherein the ester of said agriculturally active compound has the Formula IIa′:

wherein, D is

26 . The composition of claim 25 , wherein O-A and O-A-OH, in each instance, is: a residue of a polyalkylene glycol; and/or

residue of a different polyalkylene glycol; and/or

a residue of tetraethylene glycol; and/or

a residue of tetraethylene glycol having the structure:

27 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein from about 50% to about 100% of the ester of said agriculturally active compound is hydrolyzed and/or released over a period of about 50 days or less after the composition is contacted with the plant or area adjacent to the plant.

28 . (canceled)

29 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein said agriculturally active compound I′ or I″ is a herbicide selected from the group consisting of cambendichlor, chloramben, dicamba, 2,3,6-TBA, tricamba and carboxylic acid analogs thereof, byspyribac and pyriminobac and carboxylic acid analogs thereof, aminopyralid, clopyralid, florpyrauxifen, halauxifen and picloram, quinclorac, quinmerac, clacyfos, 4-CPA, 2,4-D, 3,4-DA, MCPA, MCPA-thioethyl, and 2,4,5-T, cloprop, 4-CPP, dichlorprop, dichlorprop-P, 3,4-DP, fenoprop, mecoprop, and mecoprop-P, chlorazifop, clodinafop, cyhalofop, diclofop, fenoxaprop, fenoxaprop-P, fenthiafop, fluazifop, fluazifop-P, haloxyfop, haloxyfop-P, isoxapyrifop, kuicaoxi, metamifop, propaquizafop, quizalofop, quizalofop-P, trifop, and endothal.

30 . (canceled)

31 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein said agriculturally active compound I′ or I″ is a fungicide selected from the group consisting of benalaxyl, benalaxyl-M, furalaxyl, metalaxyl, metalaxyl-M, pefurazoate, valifenalate and carboxylic acid analogs thereof, blasticidin-S, kasugamycin, natamycin, polyoxorim, azoxystrobin, bifujunzhi, coumoxystrobin, enoxastrobin, flufenoxystrobin, jiaxiangjunzhi, picoxystrobin, pyraoxystrobin, cloquintocet, fenchlorazole, isoxadifen, mefenpyr, megatomoic acid and carboxylic acid analogs thereof and salts thereof.

32 . An article comprising a composition of claim 1 having an engineered three-dimensional shape, wherein the shape is selected from the group consisting of a rod, a spike, a block, and an orb.

33 . (canceled)

34 . A method for improving plant properties comprising:

contacting the plant or area adjacent to the plant with an effective amount of a composition of claim 1 ,

wherein improving plant properties comprises one or more of: increasing growth rate, increasing nodulation, increasing the percent dry weight of the plant, and/or increasing fresh weight.

35 . (canceled)

36 . (canceled)

37 . (canceled)

38 . (canceled)

39 . (canceled)

40 . (canceled)

41 . (canceled)

42 . (canceled)

43 . (canceled)

44 . A method for improving resistance to pests comprising contacting the area adjacent to the plant with a composition of claim 1 .

45 .- 48 . (canceled)