AgroPages-Interview Series 1: Future Development Trends for Crop Protection-Agricultural news

Paul Zheng

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Nowadays it takes roughly 11 years beginning from research and development of a novel active ingredient up to release of pesticide to market, at a cost of $286 million, which is 55 percent higher versus 10 years ago. Research and development of novel active ingredients are getting more difficult, which is well recognized among the industry beyond dispute. What's the development trends of crop protection products in the future?

Q1: One of the most trends in the last few years has been watching the growth of new active ingredients become slow. How do you look at this? What do you think the main development direction of new pesticide over the next 10 years? New active ingredients or new formulations?

Steve West: Over a number of years the industry has seen a gradual decline in the number of new active ingredients (AIs) coming to the market. This trend is not a reflection of the need of growers worldwide for innovation to help them manage the pest, weed and disease problems in their crops. Growers are waiting for solutions for new pests and diseases, novel modes of action to address resistance issues and new tools to meet the increasing demands of consumers and the food value chain. The challenge for the industry is to find innovative AIs to address the broad user needs and meet the criteria from regulators which become ever more stringent. We see this driving higher cost of research and development and more complexity in the innovation process.

The number of factors that impact whether an AI will be commercialized has increased tremendously. Effectiveness and functionality for growers used to be the main considerations and while these factors continue to be important, the criteria in other areas like environmental impact and operator safety are becoming more difficult to meet. Developing a new AI is a long process taking at least 8 years and continuous changes in regulatory standards demand anticipation of future criteria from the start. This increases the cost, complexity and risk of failure to achieve commercialization. All of these factors contribute to the general trend of fewer AIs coming to market.

At Syngenta, we have changed the evaluation criteria we use in research to identify winning innovations. For some years now we have been taking a more holistic view at an early stage to identify molecules that are able to meet the broad criteria that the growers and regulators demand. Through this approach we have been able to build a strong and exciting pipeline of new AIs that we are bringing to the market over the next few years.

Over the next 10 years we can see new AIs that will help growers address some of their agronomic challenges but we expect that innovative formulation technology will also have a role to play. There will be further opportunities to optimize performance of CP products in conventional systems as well as in precision application.

Q2: It is inevitable and necessary to explore biopesticides to replace chemical pesticides gradually in agriculture in order to meet the need of environmental protection and sustainable development. What should we do at this moment to manage the relationships of chemical pesticides and biopesticides? How do you think the combination of chemical pesticides and biopesticides?

Steve West: Growers need a toolbox of different crop protection solutions to meet the challenges of agriculture and this would include both biological and chemical controls. Biocontrols, including biopesticides, has been a part of the Syngenta portfolio for a long time. Some examples of our biocontrol products include Afla-Guard™ (microbial for mycotoxin mitigation in corn), Regalia/Sakalia (plant extract/botanical for foliar diseases control in spec/veg crop), Clariva™ (microbial for nematode control in soybeans), Bacillus thuringiensis products (microbials for chewing insect control mainly in covered vegetables), Taegro™ (microbial for foliar and soil-born fungal diseases in spec/vegetable crops), Tellus™ (microbial for soil-born fungal diseases in vegetables), and Quantis™ (microbial fermentation of plant derived material).

We see biologicals as a complement to our chemistry portfolio, allowing for the development of advanced solutions by adding modes-of-actions that are important for resistance management. Over the next decade, use of biological solutions is set to record double-digit growth and by 2030 could represent up to 10 percent of the global crop protection market.

Syngenta is continuously scouting for new early stage technologies or products, and then working with selected third parties to evaluate performance in the field. With our broad knowledge of crop systems and programs combined with our excellent product development capabilities (e.g. field development, formulation, etc.) we then develop new commercial biological products that we add to our offers. We also have an ongoing partnership with DSM, first announced in 2015, to jointly develop microbial-based agricultural solutions, including bio-controls, bio-pesticides and bio-stimulants.

Q3: Could you reveal something about the new R&D products and the planning of the new product launches program in the next 5 years in Syngenta?

Steve West: Over the next few years, Syngenta has an exciting pipeline of Crop Protection products, including herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and seed treatment solutions, which we are planning to bring to market. Some exciting new products from our recent innovations that are in the process of being launched in more markets around the world are:

-ADEPIDYN™: our new broad spectrum fungicide. It delivers a step-change in leaf spot control (such as Cercospora, Alternaria and Venturia) and an excellent control of powdery mildew in many crops. Furthermore, ADEPIDYN™ is highly effective against difficult to control diseases such as Fusarium Head Blight, Botrytis, Sclerotinia and Corynespora, which cause severe damage on key crops. Products containing ADEPIDYN™ are being developed for canola, cereals, corn, soybean, specialty, vegetables and Lawn & Garden across the globe. MIRAVIS™ is the umbrella brand name for crop protection products based on ADEPIDYN™

-SOLATENOL™ is a very potent SDHI active ingredient in a number of products including the family of ELATUS™ products. These products provide for an effective solution for treating the most important and damaging diseases of cereals, including Septoria and Rust. They provide particularly long-lasting control compared to competitor products. The range of mixtures and co-packs available for ELATUS™ makes it a flexible and adaptable option for growers in their disease control program. ELATUS™ has also demonstrated outstanding performance against a key number of diseases in a number of other crops including soybean and specialty crops. The first sales for ELATUS™ products in cereals were seen in France, Germany and the UK in 2017.

-ACURON®: a herbicide used in cereals, which is based on a new chemical combined with three other active ingredients. It improves the control of more than 70 weeds that are increasingly difficult for growers to manage, such as Palmer amaranth and giant ragweed.

For more interviews and articles, please download Annual Review 2017