Crosslinked silicone coatings for botanical seeds

Claim 3

A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cured silicone coating is achieved by a crosslinking technology selected from the group of silicone crosslinking technologies consisting of (A) ultraviolet irradiation of a mixture of a thiol-containing silicone material and an olefinically unsaturated silicone material; (B) Michael addition reaction of an amine-containing siloxane compound and an alpha-beta olefinically unsaturated carbonyl-­containing compound; and (C) silicone water based latex emulsion polymerization.

Claim 4

A method as described in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: (A) coating the surface of said seeds, seedlings, meristematic tissue and plant embryos with an aqueous emulsion of a curable polyorganosiloxane having sufficient solids content such that an essentially continuous film of polyorganosiloxane is formed over the surface after removal of the aqueous components of the emulsion; (B) removing the aqueous components of the emulsion by drying the emulsion to form a stable, durable coating; (C) curing the resulting coating to form an essentially continuous coating.

Claim 5

A method as described in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: (A) preparing a dispersion of seeds, seedlings, meristematic tissue or plant embryos in a fluid continuous base by dispersing, in the continuous phase, a liquid organopolysiloxane composition, convertible by ultraviolet radiation to the solid state, said fluid continuous phase being transparent to ultraviolet radiation and said liquid organopolysiloxane composition being insoluble in the fluid continuous phase and consisting essentially of (a) an organopolysiloxane wherein an average of at least two of the organic radicals per molecule are silicon-bonded olefinic radicals selected from the group consisting of vinyl and butenyl and (b) a hydrogen-containing organopolysiloxane, free of aliphatic unsaturation, wherein the average molecule contains at least two hydrogen radicals selected from the group consisting of silicon-bonded hydrogen and mercaptoalkyl hydrogen, at least one of (a) and (b) having an average of more than two of said olefinic radicals and said hydrogen radicals, respectively, per molecule, and (B) exposing the dispersion of (A) in the presence of the seeds, seedlings, meristematic tissue or plant embryos to ultraviolet radiation until the liquid organopolysiloxane composition is converted to the solid state, thereby forming a coating on the seeds, seedlings, meristematic tissue or plant embryos.

Claim 6

A method according to claim 4 wherein the liquid organopolysiloxane composition, convertible by ultraviolet radiation to the solid state, further contains a photosensitizing amount of a photosensitizer.

Claim 7

A method as described in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: (A) preparing a dispersion of seeds, seedlings, meristematic tissue or plant embryos in a fluid continuous phase by dispersing, in the continuous phase, a liquid organopolysiloxane composition, convertible to the solid state, and said liquid organopolysiloxane composition being insoluble in the fluid continuous phase and consisting essentially of (a) an organopolysiloxane having attached thereto through silicon-carbon bonds an average of at least two X groups per molecule, wherein X is a monovalent organic moiety containing at least one -NHR radical, wherein R is selected from hydrogen or alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms or aminoalkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and (b) an organopolysiloxane having attached thereto through silicon-carbon bonds an average of at least two Z groups per molecule, wherein Z is a monovalent organic moiety containing at least one acryl-functional radical, said acryl-functional radical being selected from acryloxy, methacryloxy or acrylamide radicals, at least one of (a) and (b) having an average of more than two of said X groups and said Z groups, respectively, per molecule; and (B) curing said composition by allowing the -NHR-­containing material to react with the acryl-containing material in the presence of the seeds, seedlings, meristematic tissue or plant embryos until said organopoly­siloxane composition is converted to the solid state, thereby forming a coating on the seeds, seedlings, meristematic tissue or plant embryos.

Claim 10

Coated seeds, seedlings, meristematic tissue or plant embryos produced by the method of claim 1.

Claim 11

A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the addition of a plant adjuvant to the crosslinkable silicone material prior to cure.

Claim 12

Coated seeds, seedlings, meristematic tissue or plant embryos produced by the method of claim 9.

Claim 13

A dispersion comprising (A) a botanical material selected from the group consisting of seeds, seedlings, meristematic tissue and plant embryos; and (B) a crosslinkable silicone material.

Claim 14

A dispersion comprising (A) a botanical material selected from the group consisting of seeds, seedlings, meristematic tissue and plant embryos; and (B) a crosslinkable silicone material.

Claim 15

A dispersion as claimed in claim 11 further comprising water.