Phenylamino-Oxo-Acetic Acids and Esters Thereof as Antidotes for Protecting Cultivated Plants From the Phytotoxic Action of Aggressive Herbicides

1. In the method of controlling weed growth in the area of cultivated plants by application of a herbicide of the triazine, triazinone, phenylurea, carbamate, thiocarbamate, haloacetanilide, chloroacetamide, halophenoxyacetate, diphenylether, pyridyloxyphenoxyacetate, pyridyloxyphenoxyacetamide, benzoic acid, nitroaniline, oxadiazolone, phosphate, pyrazole, and sulfonylurea classes, the improvement reducing phytotoxic damage to said cultivated plants which comprises treating the plants, or the seeds, tubers or seedlings from which the plants are grown, with an antidotal amount of a compound of the formula: ##STR10## wherein each of X.sub.1 and X.sub.2, independently of the other, is hydrogen, halo or halomethyl, at least one of X.sub.1 and X.sub.2 being other than hydrogen; R.sub.1 is hydrogen or alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms; and R.sub.2 is (a) hydrogen (b) alkyl of 1 to 18 carbon atoms, unsubstituted or substituted with (i) --(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n R' or --(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n R' in which n has a value of 2, or 3 and R' is hydrogen or alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms; (ii) alkylthio of 1 to 6 carbon atoms; (iii) hydroxyalkylthio of 1 to 6 carbon atoms; (iv) alkoxycarbonyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the alkoxy group; (v) alkylthiocarbonyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl group; (vi) alkylcarbonyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl group; (vii) amino, alkylamino or dialkylamino of 1 to 6 carbon atoms in each alkyl group; (viii) alkenylcarbonyloxy of 2 to 18 carbon atoms in the alkenyl group; (ix) carbamoyl, alkylcarbamoyl or dialkylcarbamoyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms in each alkyl group; (x) hydroxy; (xi) cycloalkyl of 3 to 6 carbon atoms; or (xii) phenyl which is unsubstituted or substituted with halo, cyano, alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkylthio of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkylcarbonyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, or nitro; (c) alkenyl or alkynyl of 3 to 6 carbon atoms, unsubstituted or substituted with phenyl, said phenyl in turn being unsubstituted or substituted with halo, cyano, alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkylthio of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkylcarbonyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, or nitro; or (d) cycloalkyl of 3 to 8 carbon atoms.

2. The method claim 1 wherein R.sub.2 is hydrogen, alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, benzyl, phenethyl, cyclohexyl or allyl.

3. A herbicidal composition comprising (i) a herbicidally effective amount of a herbicide selected from the group consisting of triazine, triazinone, phenylurea, carbamate, thiocarbamate, haloacetanilide, chloroacetamide, halophenoxyacetate, diphenylether, pyridyloxyphenoxyacetate, pyridyloxyphenoxyacetamide, benzoic acid, nitroaniline, oxadiazolone, phosphate, pyrazole, and sulfonylurea herbicides and (ii) an antidotal amount of a compound of the formula: ##STR11## wherein each of X.sub.1 and X.sub.2, independently of the other, is hydrogen, halo or halomethyl, at least one of X.sub.1 and X.sub.2 being other than hydrogen; R.sub.1 is hydrogen or alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms; and R.sub.2 is (a) hydrogen (b) alkyl of 1 to 18 carbon atoms, unsubstituted or substituted with (i) --(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n R' or --(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n R' in which n has a value of 2, or 3 and R' is hydrogen or alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms; (ii) alkylthio of 1 to 6 carbon atoms; (iii) hydroxyalkylthio of 1 to 6 carbon atoms; (iv) alkoxycarbonyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the alkoxy group; (v) alkylthiocarbonyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl group; (vi) alkylcarbonyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl group; (vii) amino, alkylamino or dialkylamino of 1 to 6 carbon atoms in each alkyl group; (viii) alkenylcarbonyloxy of 2 to 18 carbon atoms in the alkenyl group; (ix) carbamoyl, alkylcarbamoyl or dialkylcarbamoyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms in each alkyl group; (x) hydroxy; (xi) cycloalkyl of 3 to 6 carbon atoms; or (xii) phenyl which is unsubstituted or substituted with halo, cyano, alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkylthio of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkylcarbonyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, or nitro; (c) alkenyl or alkynyl of 3 to 6 carbon atoms, unsubstituted or substituted with phenyl, said phenyl in turn being unsubstituted or substituted with halo, cyano, alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkylthio of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkylcarbonyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, or nitro; or (d) cycloalkyl of 3 to 8 carbon atoms.

4. A herbicidal composition according to claim 3 wherein in said compound R.sub.2 is hydrogen, alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, benzyl, phenethyl, cyclohexyl or allyl.

5. A herbicidal composition according to claim 4 wherein said herbicide is of the formula: ##STR12## in which Y.sub.1 is hydrogen or halo; Y.sub.2 is hydrogen, halo or trifluormethyl; Q is .dbd.N-- or .dbd.CH--; A is alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms; alkenyl of 3 to 4 carbon atoms, alkynyl of 3 to 4 carbon atoms, alkoxyalkyl of 2 to 8 carbon atoms, or ##STR13## in which each B is alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms or taken together are alkylene of 4 or 5 carbon atoms.

6. A herbicidal composition according to claim 5 wherein said herbicide is 2-propynyl alpha-4-(3,5-dichloropyrid-2yloxy)phenoxypropionate and said compound is 3,4-dibromophenylaminooxoacetate.