atoms are replaced by c1 c4 alkyl hydroxy c1 c4 alkyl c1 c4 alkoxy c1 c4 alkyl hydroxy c1 c4 alkoxy c1 c4 alkyl phenyl or benzyl preferably ammonium methylammonium isopropylammonium dimethylammonium diisopropylammonium trimethylammonium tetramethylammonium tetraethylammonium tetrabutylammonium 2 hydroxyethylammonium 2 2 hydroxyethoxy eth 1 ylammonium di 2 hydroxyeth 1 yl ammonium benzyltrimethylammonium benzyltriethylammonium furthermore phosphonium ions sulfonium ions preferably tri c 1 c 4 alkyl sulfonium such as trimethylsulfonium and sulfoxonium ions preferably tri c 1 c 4 alkyl sulfoxonium in the compositions according to the invention the compounds that carry a carboxyl group can also be employed in the form of agriculturally acceptable derivatives for example as amides such as mono or di c 1 c 6 alkylamides or arylamides as esters for example as allyl esters propargyl esters c 1 c 10 alkyl esters or alkoxyalkyl esters and also as thioesters for example as c 1 c 10 alkyl thioesters preferred mono and di c 1 c 6 alkylamides are the methyl and the dimethylamides preferred arylamides are for example the anilidines and the 2 chloroanilides preferred alkyl esters are for example the methyl ethyl propyl isopropyl butyl isobutyl pentyl mexyl 1 methylhexyl or isooctyl 2 ethylhexyl esters preferred c 1 c 4 alkoxy c 1 c 4 alkyl esters are the straight chain or branched c 1 c 4 alkoxyethyl esters for example the methoxyethyl ethoxyethyl or butoxyethyl esters an example of the straight chain or branched c 1 c 10 alkyl thioesters is the.