FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a plant growth regulator composition. More particularly, the invention relates to a synergistic plant growth regulator composition comprising Triacontanol and one or more of gibberellic acid, thidiazuron, brassinolide, and paclobutrazol and a method for preparing the same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Plant growth regulators are vital ingredients in the hands of agriculturists to improve agricultural yields. They are used to regulate the growth ofcultivated plants,weeds, andin vitro-grown plants and plant cells.
One such plant growth regulator, Gibberellic Acid, is used in commercial horticulture to improve plant growth and yields. Gibberellic acid ( (3S,3aR,4S,4aS,6S,8aR,8bR,11S)-6,11-dihydroxy-3-methyl-12-methylene-2-oxo-4a,6-ethano-3,8b-prop-1-enoperhydroindeno[1,2-b]furan-4-carboxylic acid; (3S,3aR,4S,4aS,7S,9aR,9bR,12S)-7,12-dihydroxy-3-methyl-6-methylene-2-oxoperhydro-4a,7-methano-9b,3-propenoazuleno[1,2-b]furan-4-carboxylic acid ) was first described in Trans. Nat. His. Soc. (Formosa), 1926, 16, 213 as gibberellin A and first marketed by ICI (Now Syngenta AG). It is described in Sr. no. 424 of The Pesticide Manual, Seventeenth edition, 2015. Gibberellic acid can be described by following formula:

It is used for multiple purposes, such as to improve fruit setting in pears, elongate cluster and increase berry size in grapes, promote uniform seedling growth in paddy, break dormancy in potatoes, improve colour in fruits and vegetables, increase size in vegetables, advance flowering and increase yield in strawberries etc. Gibberellic acid generally affects the plant parts above the soil at very low concentration.
Triacontanol, is another potent plant growth regulator. Its IUPAC name is Triacontan-1-ol. It is described in BE 854587 and has molecular formula C30H62Oand belongs to plant growth regulator group. Triacontanol can be described by following formula:

Triacontanol is described in The Pesticide Manual, Seventeenth Edition, 2015 at entry no. 823. It is used as growth stimulator in variety of crops including cotton, paddy, chilli, tomato, wheat, potato, ground nut etc. Triacontanol is commercially derived from rice bran by solvent extraction. The extract recovered is further used to prepare the commercially available forms. The standard composition of triacontanol available in the art is 0.05% Emulsion concentrate (EC), 0.05% Granule (GR) and 0.1% oil-in water emulsion (EW).
Chinese patent CN105052977discloses a synergistic mixture of Forchlorfenuron (CPPU) with plant growth regulators selected from the group consisting of gibberellic acid, thidiazuron, brassinolide and triacontanol.
Chinese patent CN102613246 discloses a synergistic mixture of A) natural abscisic acid, B) gibberellic acid (GA3, or of GA4 +7), and C) an existing plant growth regulator. The existing plant growth regulator is selected from one or more than two of 6-BA (6-benzylaminopurine), thidiazuron, brassinolide, sodium nitrophenolate, potassium nitrophenolate, chlormequat chloride, naphthylacetic acid and its salt, indolebutyric acid and its salt, indoleacetic acid and its salt, ethephon, diethyl aminoethylhexanoate, paclobutrazol, uniconazole, fulvic acid, mepiquat chloride, nitrohumic acid, jasmonic acid and triapenthenol. However, there still exists a need for an alternative synergistic composition which facilitates enhanced plant growth.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An objective of the present invention is to provide a synergistic, improved, stable and ready to use composition of plant growth regulators, which has improved plant growth regulating property at reduced dose. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a process for the preparation of the aforestated synergistic composition.
Surprisingly, the inventors of the present disclosure have found that the plant growth regulating property of triacontanol can be significantly enhanced when combined with other plant growth regulators especially Gibberellic Acid.
The present disclosure, in one aspect provides a composition capable of regulating growth of a plant or propagation material thereof comprising component (A) and component (B) wherein component (A) is Triacontanoland component (B) is selected from the group consisting of gibberellic acid, thidiazuron, brassinolide and paclobutrazol, more preferably gibberellic acid, wherein component (A) and component (B) are present in said composition in amounts which produce a synergistic effect.
According to an embodiment of the invention there is provided a synergistic composition comprising a mixture of component (A) and component (B), wherein component (A) is Triacontanol and component (B) is Gibberellic Acid.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the synergistic composition comprisesTriacontanol in an amount of 0.1 to 8%.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the synergistic composition comprisesGibberellic Acid in an amount of 0.1 to 20%.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the synergistic composition of the present invention may be in the form of a water dispersible granules (WDG), granule (GR), dry flowable (DF), encapsulated granules (CG), emulsion concentrate (EC), oil-in-water emulsion (EW), microemulsion (ME), suspension concentrate (SC), soluble liquid (SL).
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the synergistic composition comprises additives selected from the group consisting of a solvent, an emulsifier,a carrier and combinations thereof.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the solvent is selected from the group consisting of aromatic hydrocarbons, C9 aromatic solvents, isopropyl alcohol, methanol and is present in an amount in the range from 1 to 20%.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the emulsifier comprises a blend ofionic and non-ionic surfactants and is present in an amount in the range from 0.5 to 5.0%.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the carrier is selected from the group consisting of bentonite, gypsum, magnesium silicate granules.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a process for the preparation of the synergistic composition.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the synergistic composition of the present invention is non-phytotoxic.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the synergistic composition helps in increasing plant growth by providing better tolerance to stress factors.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the synergistic composition helps in increasing the yield of the crops.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a flowchart for preparing a synergistic plant growth regulator composition in the form of Granules (GR).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Discussed below are some representative embodiments of the present invention. The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative methods. The illustrative examples are described in this section in connection with the embodiments and methods provided. The invention according to its various aspects is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the appended claims read in view of this specification and appropriate equivalents.
It is to be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to a composition containing “a compound” includes a mixture of two or more compounds. It should also be noted that the term “or” is generally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.
The expression of various quantities in terms of “% w/w” or “%” means the percentage by weight, relative to the weight of the total solution or composition unless otherwise specified.
The term "agrochemically effective amount" is that quantity of active agent, applied in any amount which will act as a plant growth regulator. The particular amount is dependent upon many factors including, for example, the crop and environmental conditions. The selection of the proper quantity of active agent to be applied, however, is within the expertise of one skilled in the art. Further, the term “active ingredient” (A.I.) or “active agent” used herein refers to that component of the composition responsible for regulating plant growth.
Plant growth regulators usually are defined as organic compounds, other than nutrients, that in small concentrations, affect the physiological processes of plants. In practical purpose, they are defined as either natural or synthetic compounds that are applied directly to plant to alter its life processes/structure in some beneficial way so as to enhance yield, improve quality and facilitate harvesting.
The present invention relates to a method for improving the plant growth regulation of crop plants, by applying to the crop plants a mixture of Triacontanol and one or more of plant growth regulators selected from gibberellic acid, thidiazuron, brassinolide, and paclobutrazol and a method for preparing the same.
More particularly, the present invention is directed to a granular formulation of Triacontanol and Gibberellic acid.
The present invention resides in the discovery that aforementioned plant growth regulators exhibit an improved plant growth regulation effect when applied in combination with Triacontanol in a synergistically effective amount.
The term ‘synergistically effective amount’ indicates the quantity of such compounds which is capable of modifying the effect on the growth of plants, where said effect is greater than the sum of the effects obtained by applying each of the compounds individually.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the plant growth regulator and Triacontanol, are applied in the form of a composition comprising an agriculturally acceptable carrier.
The compounds of the present invention may be used in unmodified form, but are generally formulated into compositions using formulation adjuvants, such as carriers, solvents and surface-active substances.
Solvents that can be employed include aromatic hydrocarbons, C9 aromatic solvents, isopropyl alcohol, methanol, and the like.
Suitable carriers include talc, titanium dioxide, pyrophyllite clay, silica, silicates, attapulgite clay, kieselguhr, chalk, diatomaceous earth, lime, gypsum, calcium carbonate, bentonite, fuller's earth, fertiliser, cotton seed hulls, wheat flour, soybean flour, pumice, wood flour, walnut shell flour, lignin and the like.
A broad range of surface-active agents/emulsifying agents are advantageously employed in both said liquid and solid compositions, especially those designed to be diluted with carrier before application. The surface-active agents can be anionic, cationic, non-ionic or polymeric in character and can be employed as emulsifying agents, wetting agents, suspending agents or for other purposes. Typical surface active agents include salts of alkyl sulfates, such as diethanolammonium lauryl sulphate; alkylarylsulfonate salts, such as calcium dodecylbenzenesulfonate; alkylphenol-alkylene oxide addition products, such as nonylphenol-C.sub. 18 ethoxylate; alcohol-alkylene oxide addition products, such as tridecyl alcohol-C.sub. 16 ethoxylate; soaps, such as sodium stearate; alkylnaphthalenesulfonate salts, such as sodium dibutylnaphthalenesulfonate; dialkyl esters of sulfosuccinate salts, such as sodium di(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate; sorbitol esters, such as sorbitol oleate; quaternary amines, such as lauryl trimethylammonium chloride; polyethylene glycol esters of fatty acids, such as polyethylene glycol stearate; block copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide; and salts of mono and dialkyl phosphate esters.
The resulting synergistic compositions are non-phytotoxic and help in increasing plant growth by providing better tolerance to stress factors. The compositions also help in increasing the yield of crops.
The synergistic composition gives an advantage to the farmers for ease of applying of two different types of plant growth regulators together instead of applying them separately and thus helping the farmer in saving on time, manpower and money.
The aforestated formulations may be diluted with water to working concentrations and applied on crops such as fruit trees, vegetables, economic crops, grain and oil crops, herbage, lawn, garden crops, tea leaves through spraying, pouring, drip irrigation, broad irrigation, sprinkling etc. Said fruit tree comprises grape, apple, pears, peach, kiwi fruit, oranges, banana and mango; said vegetables comprise cucumber, pumpkin, watermelon, muskmelon, capsicum, tomato, brinjal, chilli, okra, potato, carrot and onion; said economic crops comprise beans, tobacco, cotton, tea leaves, rubber, coffee and sugarcane; said oil crop comprise rape, ground nut and sesame; and said cereal crops comprise wheat, corn and paddy. This list does not represent any limitation.
The following examples further exemplify the present invention. Although the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments and examples thereof, the scope of the present invention is not limited only to those described embodiments. As will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, modifications and adaptations to the above-described invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, which is defined and circumscribed by the attached claims.

EXAMPLES
The unit of each value below is “% w/w” i. e. the percentage by weight, relative to the weight of the total solution or composition unless otherwise specified. The compositions illustrated in Table 1 are formulated as Granular formulation (GR).
Table 1: Synergistic Plant Growth Regulator compositions
Sr. No. Ingredient Role Quantity
1 Triacontanol Technical (Basis of 100.0%) A.I. 0.1 to 8%
2 Gibberellic acid Technical (Basis of 100.0%) A.I. 0.1 to 20%
3 Aromatic hydrocarbon/CIX/ IPA/Methanol Solvent 1 to 20%
4 Mixture of anionic and non-ionic surfactants Emulsifier 0.5 to 5.0%
5 Bentonite/Gypsum/magnesium silicate Granules Carrier Q.S. to make 100%

A.I. = Active ingredient
Q.S. = Quantity Sufficient
The aforementioned plant growth regulator compositions can be formulated as a Granular formulation (GR) by the process described below.
Process for preparing synergistic plant growth regulator composition in the form of Granular formulation (GR):
The novel compositions are prepared by the process described hereinafter and in Figure 1. The process for manufacture of 100 kg batch size of composition comprising Triacontanol and Gibberellic Acid is provided.The amounts of active ingredients presented may be greater than the values calculated taking into account the percentage purity of the active ingredients, to compensate for losses of said ingredients during the manufacturing process. It was observed that following said procedure on industrial scale the final yield of A.I. will be similar or same as to standardized values.
Takerequired quantity of bentonite granules in booth mixer/drum mixer.In another liquid mixing vessel, add solvent, emulsifiers and both technicals under stirring till homogeneous solution (Figure 1).Above homogeneous solution is sprayed on bentonite granules under rotation of booth mixer/drum mixer.After spraying solution, mix granulation for around 15 to 30 min. till homogeneous.After homogeneous mixing, check for quality parameters.
Comparative Evaluation of various ratios of the Synergistic Plant Growth Regulator Combination in Paddy
Method & Time of Application
Field tests of the compositions according to the present invention were conducted at controlled trial site in W. Bengal. The performance of the plant growth regulator (PGR)combination prepared as described above was compared against the known compositions of Triacontanol and Gibberellic acid (GA), which were evaluated for different growth parameters and also the vigour/yield of the crop was tested. The required amount of PGRs were weighed and mixed with sand to get the stated concentration of the active compound and application was made using broadcasting method. Experimental design was in randomized blocks with five replications and each plot was measured in an area of 100 sq. mts. The applications were made at 2 days before transplanting and 30 days after transplanting. The observations were made for different growth parameters and yield at harvest as per method below.
Method of assessment for growth parameters:
• Effect on plant height: Randomly ten plants were taken from each treatment and their height was calculated.
• Effect on plant growth: Randomly selected plant samples (five) were cut at ground level at 65 DAT (days after transplantation)from each plot. The dry weights of the aerial plant parts were recorded after drying in a hot air oven at 70ºC for 72 h till constant weights were obtained. The dry weights were recorded and were converted to g per hill.
• Effect on leaf (colour & size): The total chlorophyll content of rice leaf was measured adopting the method of Hiscox and Israelstam (1979) at 45 DAT.
• Effect on plant vigour/health: Effect on plant health recorded on the scale of 1--10.
• Effect on yield/hectare: Yield per hectare was calculated and expressed as t/ha.
Table 2: Treatment details for evaluation of bio-efficacy
Particular Treatment Dose (a.i g/ha) Volume of formulation
T1 Triacontanol 0.1% + GA 0.1% GR 8 + 8 8 kg
T2 10 + 10 10 kg
T3 12 + 12 12 kg
T4 Triacontanol 0.05% GR 12.5 25 kg
T5 Gibberellic acid 40% WDG (gram) 25 62.5 (Crop spray) (gram)
T6 Untreated Control (Sand) - -

The effect of different treatment schedules were also observed in ten randomly selected plants from each ploton 0-10 scale (given below) for yellowing, stunting, necrosis, epinasty, hyponasty etc. Observations were taken on 1, 3, 7, & 14 days after application.
Table 3: Phytotoxicity visual scoring 0-10 (EWRC system)
Description of crop Rating Remarks Description of crop Rating Remarks
No injury, normal 0 Immune Severe injury, no recovery possible 6 Moderately tolerant
Slight injury / discoloration 1 Resistant Sever injury, stand loss 7 Susceptible
Some stand crop, stunning / discoloration 2 Moderately Almost destroyed, a few plants surviving 8 Susceptible
Injury more pronounced but not persistent 3 Tolerant Very few plants alive 9 Highly susceptible
Moderate injury, recovery possible 4 Tolerant Complete destruction 10 Highly susceptible
Injury more persistent, recovery more doubtful 5 Moderately tolerant
The effectiveness of the individual and the combined treatment for paddycrop @ different doses is given in Table 4 below.
Table 4: Effect of PGR on plant height and crop vigour/health in rice crop
Treatments Plant height
(cm) % increase in plant height against control Dry matter accumulation (DMA),
(g/m2) % Increase in DMA against control Total chlorophyll content (mg/g of fresh leaf) % Increase in total chlorophyll content Plant Vigour/Health (on 10 point Scale)
T1 113.12 32.24 502.21 42.31 2.67 47.20 9.28
T2 114.46 33.81 511.50 44.94 2.71 49.67 9.69
T3 114.46 33.81 510.16 44.56 2.72 50.29 9.32
T4 94.28 10.22 398.19 12.83 2.10 16.24 8.16
T5 98.02 14.59 415.45 17.72 2.14 18.28 8.31
T6 85.54 - 352.90 - 1.81 - 7.34
S Em+ 1.17 12.16 0.06
CD at 5% 3.51 37.45 0.18
CV (%) 3.42 4.82 4.38
S Em+ = Standard error of mean
CD at 5% = Critical Difference
CV =Coefficient of Variation

Table 5: Effect of PGR on yield attributes and grain yield of rice crop

Treatments Number of panicles per m2 % Increase in no. of panicles per m2 against control Panicle length (cm) % Increase in panicle length against control No. of filled grains panicle-1 % Increase in no. of filled grains panicle-1 against control Grain yield per plot (t/ha) % Increase in grain yield (t/ha) against control
T1 407.90 43.67 25.76 39.45 112.56 41.69 6,351 35.33
T2 429.30 51.20 26.66 44.30 114.24 43.80 6,562 39.83
T3 429.74 51.36 26.77 44.90 114.24 43.80 6,582 40.25
T4 336.30 18.45 21.05 13.94 92.15 16.00 5,329 13.55
T5 348.53 22.76 21.52 16.51 95.17 19.79 5,512 17.45
T6 283.92 - 18.47 - 79.44 - 4,693 -
S Em+ 5.06 0.31 1.73 80
CD at 5% 15.58 0.96 5.33 246
CV (%) 2.41 2.34 3.05 2.44
S Em+ = Standard error of mean
CD at 5% = Critical Difference
CV = Coefficient of Variation
Table 6: Effect of treatments on phytotoxicity of rice plant

Treatments Phytotoxicity Symptoms
Leaf tips and
plant injury Wilting Vein clearing Necrosis Epinasty and hyponasty
R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3
T1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
T2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
T3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
T4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
T5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
T6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

R = Replication
Score: 0 = No Phytotoxicity
100 = 100% Phytotoxicity
From the data illustrated in tables 4 and 5, it is evident that the compositions of the present invention clearly exhibit a superior plant growth regulating effect as compared to other known products available in the market.

We claim:
1. A plant growth regulating composition comprising Triacontanol, Gibberellic acid and additives.
2. The composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein Triacontanol is present in an amount of 0.1% to 8%.
3. The composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein Gibberellic Acid is present in an amount of 0.1% to 20%.
4. The composition as claimed in claims 1 to 3, wherein said composition is in the form of water dispersible granules (WDG), granule (GR), dry flowable (DF), encapsulated granules (CG), emulsion concentrate (EC), oil-in-water emulsion (EW), microemulsion (ME), suspension concentrate (SC), soluble liquid (SL).
5. The composition as claimed in claims 1 to 4, wherein the composition comprises additives selected from the group consisting of a solvent, an emulsifier,a carrier and combinations thereof.
6. The composition as claimed in claim 5, wherein the solvent is selected from C9 aromatic solvents, Isopropyl alcohol, methanol, and is present in an amount in the range from 1 to 20%.
7. The composition as claimed in claim 5, wherein the carrier is selected from bentonite, gypsum, magnesium silicate.
8. The composition as claimed in claim 5, wherein the emulsifier comprises a blend of ionic and non-ionic surfactants and is present in an amount in the range from 0.5 to 5.0%.
9. The composition as claimed in claims 1 to 8, wherein said composition is non-phytotoxic.
10. The composition as claimed in claims 1 to 8, wherein said composition synergistically helps in increase in plant growth by providing better tolerance to stress factors.
11. The composition as claimed in claims 1 to 8, wherein said composition synergistically helps in increasing the yield of the crops.