Patent ID: 8287893

Claim:
A method of killing, controlling and/or inhibiting the growth of fungi on plants said method comprising applying an agrichemical composition to the soil in which the seed, crop or plant is or is to be planted; to the aqueous environment in which the plants are growing; or to the plants in their growing environment; said agrichemical composition comprising A) a conventional antifungal bioactive agrichemical active or formulation, wherein the active is selected from the group consisting of a strobilurin, a dithiocarbamate, a triazole, a borate, chlorothalonil, dichloran, mancozeb, and myclobutanil, and B) a bioactive composition comprising, as a critical component thereof, an efficacious antifungal active consisting essentially of a combination of i) at least one carboxylic acid selected from citric acid, valeric acid, itaconic acid, acetic, citriconic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, succinic acid, aldaric acid, malonic acid, proprionic acid, malonic acid, maleic acid, salicylic acid, glutaric acid, tartaric acids, and benzoic acid, ii) at least one antimicrobial metal ion or ion source wherein the antimicrobial metal ions are selected from the group consisting of silver, copper, zinc, a combination of silver and zinc, a combination of silver and copper, a combination of copper and zinc and a combination of silver, copper and zinc, and iii) optionally, at least one surfactant, wherein the acid in the bioactive composition is present at a level of 0.01 to 20 weight percent and in a molar excess relative to the metal ions of at least a 2 times, the pH of the acid/antimicrobial metal ion combination in purified water is at least 2 and less than 6, and the antimicrobial metal ion of the bioactive composition is present in an amount of 500 ppm or less in the case of a single metal ion or 1000 ppm or less in the case or multiple metal ions, and wherein the rate of application of the agrichemical composition is such that the conventional antifungal agent is applied in a conventional amount or less and the amount of metal ion(s) (determined as metal) deriving from the bioactive composition is no more than about 500 grams per acre.