AgroPages-Analysis of pesticide formulations registered in China-Agricultural news

According to China Pesticide Registration Watch, There are 39,186 pesticide products registered for use in China, which includes 4,401 pesticide technical products and 232 technical concentrate products. The major registered formulations cover 9,957 EC, 6,891 WP, 4,372 SC, 2,646 AS, 1,943 WG, 1,187 EW, 1,111 ME, 920 OD and 699 granule products.

The quantity and percentage of novel pesticide formulations registered in China have been growing annually, of which the registrations of SC, AS, WG, EW, ME and OD products are growing every year. The SC has become the largest registered variety, while conventional formulations, such as EC and WP, are declining.

As regards the toxicity of registered formulations, most of these formulations remain at micro toxicity, low toxicity and moderate toxicity (Table 1) levels, which indicate an increased compliance in production and registration of Chinese pesticide formulations with modern agricultural requirements, where the issue of the safety of pesticide formulations is guaranteed.

Table1 Toxicity statistics of pesticide formulation registrations in 2014-2017

Category	2014	2015	2016	2017
Micro toxicity	349	403	226	373
Low toxicity	2386	2285	1659	2898
Moderate toxicity	213	174	97	180
Total	2948	2862	1982	3451

An analysis of the novel pesticides and formulations registered from 2014 – 2017 reveals that chemical pesticide research and development are focused on formulations which enable the optimized action of active ingredients. Herbicide varieties mainly include amicarbazone, propyrisulfuron, fluometuron, halauxifen-methyl, picolinafen, flufenacet, sulfosulfuron and glufosinate-P, which are developed into WG, SC, SL, EC and EW; fungicide varieties mainly include metazosulfuron, sedaxane, isopyrazam, metrafenone and fluopimomide, which are developed into WG, FS, SC and EW; insecticide varieties mainly include flosulfoxamate, chlorine chlorfenapyr, chromafenozide, cycloxaprid, sitosterenol and flupyradifurone, which are developed into SC, WP, ME and SL.

In regards to microbial pesticides, its water content and organic solvent may usually have an impact upon microbial activity and product quality, and the products are, therefore, processed into solid formulations, such as WP, WG, MG and EP.

Biochemical pesticides can be processed into soluble concentrates, aqueous solutions and attractants, such as the plant-sourced total alkaloid of sophora alopecuroides and Banda de Lupinus albusdoce, as well as sex pheromones, such as 11-Hexadecenal, 9 - Hexadecenal, - 9,11-tetradecadienyl acetate and - 9,12-tetradecadienyl acetate.

Novel pesticide formulations are, at present, being developed to become high efficient, safe, environmentally-friendly and easy to use, while remaining waster-based, granulized with low toxicity and multiple functions. In recent years, safety issues, and control of risks of the production and application of pesticide formulations, are increasingly emphasized, in addition to the optimization of the effective action of active ingredients.

So far as product performance is concerned, the emphasis, which used to be laid on the formation of the formulation system and stability property, is now focused on the various functions of formulations during applications, such as the dispersal function in the active ingredients of formulations with water content, as well as the moistening and precipitation features of liquid. Furthermore, the effective carrying of pesticides in various functional materials, and the controlled release of formulations, have today become focuses of research and development.

To follow up China’s pesticide registration, please click China Pesticide Registration Watch.