Stabilized oil-in-water emulsions including meptyl dinocap

1. An oil-in-water emulsion composition having an oil phase and water phase, the oil phase comprising:

a polymeric modifier, wherein the polymeric modifier is dissolved in the oil phase, and wherein the oil phase exhibits a lamellar liquid crystal coating;

an agriculturally active ingredient including Meptyl Dinocap;

at least one non-ionic lipophilic surface-active agent;

at least one non-ionic hydrophilic surface-active agent;

at least one ionic surface-active agent.

2. The composition of claim 1 wherein the non-ionic lipophilic surface-active agent has an Hydrophilic Lipophilic Balance of between 2 and 5.

3. The composition of claim 2 , wherein the non-ionic lipophilic surface-active agent is selected from the group consisting of optionally ethoxylated mono- or polyalkyl ethers or esters of glycerol or polyglycerol, optionally ethoxylated mono- or polyalkyl ethers or esters of sorbitan, mono- or polyalkyl ethers or esters of pentaerythritol, mono- or polyalkyl ethers or esters of polyoxyethylene, and mono- or polyalkyl ethers or esters of sugars.

4. The composition of claim 3 , wherein the non-ionic lipophilic surface-active agent is selected from the group consisting of sucrose distearate, diglyceryl distearate, tetraglyceryl tristearate, decaglyceryl decastearate, diglyceryl monostearate, hexaglyceryltristearate, decaglyceryl pentastearate, sorbitan monostearate, sorbitan tristearate, diethylene glycol monostearate, the ester of glycerol and palmitic and stearic acids, polyoxyethylenated monostearate 2 EO (containing 2 ethylene oxide units), glyceryl mono- and dibehenate and pentaerythritol tetrastearate.

5. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the non-ionic hydrophilic surface-active agent has an Hydrophilic Lipophilic Balance between 8 and 12.

6. The composition of claim 5 , wherein the non-ionic hydrophilic surface-active agent is selected from the group consisting of mono- or polyalkyl ethers or esters of polyethoxylated sorbitan, mono- or polyalkyl ethers or esters of polyoxyethylene, mono- or polyalkyl ethers or esters of polyglycerol, block copolymers of polyoxyethylene with polyoxypropylene or polyoxybutylene, and mono- or polyalkyl ethers or esters of optionally ethoxylated sugars.

7. The composition of claim 6 , wherein the non-ionic hydrophilic surface-active agent is selected from the group consisting of polyoxyethylenated sorbitan monostearate 4 EO, polyoxyethylenated sorbitan tristearate 20 EO, polyoxyethylenated sorbitan tristearate 20 EO, polyoxyethylenated monostearate 8 EO, hexaglyceryl monostearate, polyoxyethylenated monostearate 10 EO, polyoxyethylenated distearate 12 EO and polyoxyethylenated methylglucose distearate 20 EO.

8. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the ionic surface-active agent is selected from the group consisting of (a) neutralized anionic surface-active agents, (b) amphoteric surface-active agents, (c) alkylsulphonic derivatives and (d) cationic surface-active agents.

9. The composition of claim 8 , wherein the ionic surface-active agent is selected from the group consisting of:

alkali metal salts of dicetyl phosphate and dimyristyl phosphate;

alkali metal salts of cholesteryl sulphate and cholesteryl phosphate;

lipoamino acids, lipoamino acids acylglutamates, sodium salts of phosphatidic acid;

phospholipids; and

alkyl ether citrates.

10. The composition of claim 8 , wherein the ionic surface-active agent is a phospholipid.

11. The composition of claim 8 , wherein the ionic surface-active agent is an alkylsulphonic derivative.

12. The composition of claim 8 , wherein the ionic surface-active agent is selected from the group consisting of quaternary ammonium salts, fatty amines and salts thereof.

13. The composition of claim 1 , further comprising another agriculturally active compound selected from the group consisting of fungicides, insecticides, nematocides, miticides, biocides, termiticides, rodenticides, arthropodicides, and herbicides.

14. A method of controlling or preventing fungal attack, comprising applying a composition of claim 13 to the fungus, soil, plant, root, foliage, seed or locus in which the infestation is to be prevented or controlled.

15. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric modifier is selected from the group consisting of ethyl cellulose resins, Polycarbonate, Polyvinyl acetate homopolymers and copolymers, Polyolefin, Polyurethane, Polyisobutylene, Polybutene, vinyle polymers, Polyester, Polyether, and Polyacrylonnitrile.

16. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the oil-in-water emulsion composition is from about 1 to about 60 weight percent total oil phase, from about 0.2 to about 30 weight percent polymeric modifier, from about 1 to about 45 weight percent agriculturally active compound, from about 0.4 to about 13 weight percent non-ionic lipophilic surface-active agent, from about 0.3 to about 10 weight percent non-ionic hydrophilic surface-active agent, from about 0.1 to about 9 weight percent ionic surface-active agent, based on a total weight of the oil-in-water emulsion composition.

17. The composition of claim 9 , wherein the metal in the alkali metal salts of dicetyl phosphate and dimyristyl phosphate is either sodium or potassium.

18. The composition of claim 9 , wherein the metal in the alkali metal salts of cholesteryl sulphate and cholesteryl phosphate is sodium.

19. The composition of claim 9 , wherein the lipoamino acid is the disodium salt of N-stearoyl-L-glutamic acid.

20. The composition of claim 9 , wherein the acylglutamic acid is N-stearoylglutamic acid.