Number of novel pesticide registrations decreased significantly: 2020 China ICAMA Registration Analysis

In 2020, a total of 795 farm-oriented products were registered in China, which compared to 264 in 2019, was a significant increase. 

However, as compared with 4,326 in 2018, 3,358 in 2017, 1,627 in 2016 and 2,669 in 2015, there is a huge gap in the number of registrations for 2020.

The number of registration from 2015 to 2020

Under the circumstances when there are profound market changes and high registration fees, most of the pesticide manufacturers have been cautious about product registration. However, as time passes, agricultural enterprises have gradually adapted themselves to the new registration requirement. Hence, the number of product registrations has increased gradually. 

1.Overview of Pesticide Registrations

The 795 product registrations in 2020 include the following: 11 technicals, which are 14-hydroxylated brassinosteroid, indolebutyric acid, benayl aminopurine, 24-epibrassinolide, gibberellic acid, naphthylacetic acid, L-glufosinate, broflanilide, tetraniliprole, allantoin and quinotrione; four technical concentrate varieties, which are bromadiolone, flocoumafen, clethodim and bacillus subtilis, and 780 formulations inclusive of 320 single agents and 460 mixtures. 

The types of registration of ICAMA in 2021

1.1Category of Pesticide Registrations 

Among the registrations in 2020, There were 300 herbicides (two of which have the functions of plant growth regulator), 203 fungicides, 179 insecticides, 59 plant growth regulators, 19 fungicides (seed treatment suspension), 17 acaricides (six of which have the functions of insecticide), seven nematicides, four molluscicides, three rodenticides, three plant elicitors and one insect sex pheromone. Herbicides, fungicides and insecticides are the top three registrations. 

Category of Pesticide Registrations of ICAMA in 2020

1.2Type of Formulation Registrations

In terms of the type of registered pesticide formulations, most registered formulations were SC (227), soluble (153), EC (109), OD (69) and WG (58).

Top 15 types of Formulation Registrations of ICAMA in 2020

In general, a wide range of formulations was registered, up to 29 kinds of formulations, which have revealed the manufacturer’s continued innovation in formulation development towards crop coverage and application technologies.

1.3Novel Mixture Registrations 

Among the herbicides, 38 mixture products were registered for the first time, accounting for 12.67% of all registered herbicide varieties. Among them was the single-agent paraquat hydrochloride which became the first mixture of the kind. Seventeen pesticide mixture products were registered, accounting for 9.50% of all registered insecticide varieties. There were 45 mixture products of fungicides, accounting for 22% of all registered fungicides. One acaricide mixture accounted for 5.88% of all registered acaricides. Six mixture plant growth regulators accounted for 10.17% of all registered plant growth regulators and 13 seed treatment mixtures accounted for 30.95% of all registered seed treatment products.

The above shows that the proportion of registration of novel mixture products is quite high, especially the seed treatment products, which account for 30.95% of all registered seed treatment varieties. On the one hand, this is due to the large investment made by manufacturers on seed treatment products and on the other, the seed treatment products have encompassed insecticides and fungicides, which allow more opportunities for innovation of mixture varieties. Fungicides, herbicides and plant growth regulators account for more than 10% of novel mixtures, being a hot product variety for new product development. 

1.4Hot Registrations 

Among the registrations in 2020, pyraclostrobin-containing varieties have the largest number of registrations, with 44, followed by glyphosate, with 41. Clothianidin and thiamethoxam possess 40 registrations each, ranking third.

Top 10 registered active ingredients of ICAMA in 2020

2.First Time Novel Product Registrations 

Among the registered active ingredients, six were registered for the first time in China, including four chemical pesticide technicals. The other two were biological products registered in the type of formulation also for the first time. Compared to 34 pesticide varieties registered for the first time in 2019, the number of registered pesticides in 2020 decreased significantly.

Tetraniliprole

Tetraniliprole is a ryanodine receptor activation insecticide discovered by Bayer, its chemical structural formula is as follows: 

Tetraniliprole is an anthranilic diamide insecticide, which belongs to Group 28 of IRAC, being a muscle poison that acts on the nicotine receptor of insects.

Tetraniliprole has a special effect on the control of chewing mouthparts pests, and a concurrent effect on some of the piercing-sucking mouthparts pests. It is highly safe and long-lasting, being capable of control of targeted pests in various developmental stages (eggs, larvae and adults) with a stable effect of control.

Tetraniliprole has been granted registrations in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Cambodia and Zimbabwe, and will soon be registered in the United States. With the market expanding continuously, its annual peak sales are expected to reach US$350 million.

Broflanilide

Broflanilide is a novel bisamide insecticide discovered by Mitsui Chemicals. Its chemical structural formula is as follows: 

Broflanilide is of the skeleton structure of bisamide, which is classified as Group 30 by IRAC, being the first compound in this group, which is free of cross-resistance with existing insecticides. It can be used for insecticide resistance management (IRM).

Broflanilide has strong functions and wide applications. It can be used to control lepidoptera pests and thrips on crops, as well as for the control of wireworms on cereals. It also plays an important role in the treatment of sanitary insect pests.

Mitsui Chemical and BASF are jointly developing the market of broflanilide, which has been registered and launched in Australia, Japan and South Korea, whilst registration is underway in the United States, Canada, Mexico, India and the Philippines. 

Codling moth pheromone

The chemical structural formula of codling moth pheromone is as follows:

Codling moth pheromone is a kind of insect sex pheromone biochemical pesticide. What is actually in the application is the artificially synthesized 8,10-Dodecadien-1-ol (identical to codling moth pheromone in the chemical structure and function). The pheromone distracts the direction of the male codling moth, thus reducing mating, reproduction or oviposition and occurrence of larvae, thus ensuring effective control of codling moth.

The risk of application of the codling month pheromone is very low, targeting only the codling moth when being applied in the field, whilst not active on other insects and organisms.

There are several commercialized codling moth pheromone products abroad. In China, Shenzhen Bioglobal Agricultural Science Co., Ltd has been granted dispenser product registration for the first time. 

Bacillusamyloli quefaciens AT-332

Bacillusamyloli quefaciens belongs to Bacillus, with its unique action mode to prevent and control the resistant fungi which is caused by long-term use of chemical fungicides. Bacillusamyloli quefaciens AT-332 can be used alternatively with fungicides of different action modes to prolong the occurrence of resistance. Bacillusamyloli quefaciens AT-332 is effective on the prevention and control of powdery mildew, gray mold, sheath blight, stripe rust, gibberellic disease, net blotch, brown spot, glume blight, anthracnose, green mold, rot, rust and early blight. It can be applied to a large variety of economic crops.

Bacillusamyloli quefaciens AT-332 is the 5th registered Bacillusamyloli quefaciens strain in China, filed by SDS Biotech K.K.

Quinotrione

Quinotrione is a quinolinone-containing herbicide discovered by Central China Normal University. Its chemical structural formula is as follows:

Compared with HPPD herbicides, quinotrione is of the novel quinolinone skeleton structure. There are benzo quinazolinone segments on the benzene ring which is connected with triketone. Quizalofone is systemic and selective, which inhibits the synthesis of HPPD in plants, thus affecting the biosynthesis of carotenoids.

Quinotrione has a wide herbicidal spectrum, being highly effective in controlling a variety of broad lead weeds and gramineous weeds. It has an excellent control effect on green bristle grass, being very safe for corn and wheat. Its control effect is significantly higher than the similar herbicide mesotrione. Quizalofone can be decomposed in sorghum and is therefore highly safe for it. However, it is sensitive to rice, so rice cannot be planted subsequently.  

Quinotrione is developed jointly by Central China Normal University and Liaoning Cynda Agricultural Science Co., Ltd, with the latter holding the registration.

Allantoin

Allantoin has the function of stimulating crop growth, its chemical structural formula is as follows: 

Allantoin is a plant growth regulator with a urea structure, which can activate a variety of enzymes in seeds and crops, improve enzyme activity, catalyze material decomposition and synthesis, speed up metabolism, promote seed germination and seedling growth, improve photosynthetic efficiency, increase dry matter accumulation of plants. While improving yield, it improves quality and promotes harmonized growth of plants. Allantoin can significantly increase the yield of wheat, citrus, rice, vegetables and soybeans. The amount of use of allantoin is low, but the effect of increasing yield and quality is high.

Shaanxi TPS Science and Technology Co., Ltd has been granted registration of allantoin technical 96%.

By Li Yang, Shenyang Sinochem Agrochemicals R&D Co., Ltd

- Online customer supporting