KingAgroot – Innovative flagship integrating compound creation and biotechnical breeding

Editor：Mickey Shan

Feature : Showcase of China’s ″Specialized and Novel″ crop protection products/technologies/applications

▋ Special sponsor: Lansheng Biotechy 

▋ A total of 11 enterprises are introduced in this series; The Feature was first published in the latest "2023 China Pesticide Industry Watch" 

The overall industrial upgrading of Chinese manufacture industry happens to coincides with the unprecedented changes in the last 100 years. 

In this new era full of opportunities and policy support, the Chinese pesticide enterprises have worked hard to achieve constant technical breakthroughs via innovation and upgrading, as based on the experiences gained in the past decades. Some enterprises have so far made preliminary achievements, having formed an advanced and sophisticated technology and product cluster. 

In this Feature, we have selected 11 Chinese pesticide manufacturers that are characterized with professionalism, intensification, specialization and novelty, which is a presentation of Chinese pesticide enterprise’s research and development of new products, breakthroughs in technical innovation, upgrading of type of formulations and continued exploration of applications. The publication will exhibit the achievements in each individual sector, which is internationally advanced, revealing the new competitiveness of Chinese pesticide industry.

▉Series of special topics are released in succession → specially planned by AgroPages

• Lansheng Biotech：Green chemical innovation drives fine chemical production to reach a new level

• Eastlake High-Tech: Application of microreaction, continuous flow technologies to improve quality of plant growth regulators

• Qilu, industry leader of high quality spinosad

• KingAgroot – Innovative flagship integrating compound creation and biotechnical breeding

• CAC Nantong: Cyproflanilide, a created novel insecticide with unique action mechanism

• Yonon: Production of L-glufosinate on multienzyme

• Lier Chemical: 20,000-ton L-glufosinate production capacity to start running soon

• Red Sun: Diquat dichloride aims to create new burndown herbicide market trend

• Fosetyl-aluminium: Focusing on European wine grape market, Limin’s product concept upgraded

• Pilarbio: Working imaginatively on CS – an innovative cutting-edge formulation

• Chengdu New Sun: Making breakthroughs in industrialized application of plant growth regulation coronatine, first time in the world

 KingAgroot – Innovative flagship integrating compound creation and biotechnical breeding 

In China, there is an innovative company, established only 15 years ago that has successfully launched 7 creative compounds with independent intellectual property rights. More than that, the company's work team has developed an herbicide-resistant patent gene, which is applied to various crop seeds and is commercialized globally. The company is one among five in the world capable of integrating compound creation and biotechnical breeding. That company is Qingdao KingAgroot CropScience Co., Ltd.

Headquartered in Qingdao, China, Qingdao KingAgroot Crop Science Co., Ltd was founded in 2009 as a world-leading agricultural biotech enterprise committed to improving the efficiency and quality of global farming via new pesticide creation and biotechnical breeding, a contribution to the global food security initiative.

Until the end of January 2023, KingAgroot Group has filed for 240 Chinese invention patents, 109 of which have been authorized. The company has also filed for 119 PCT international invention patents and an accumulated 1,239 patents in various countries through PCT or the Paris Convention, of which 185 have been authorized accumulatively.  

R&D is the key driver of future growth

In China, KingAgroot established 7 commercial breeding stations, 6 pesticide test stations; the total lab area exceeds 70,000 sqm, and greenhouse area exceeds 100,000 sqm.

KingAgroot has a global-leading R&D team (>850 R&D staff now), and the team member is expected to exceed 1,100 by the end of 2023.

After years of development, KingAgroot has built three major innovative platforms, namely new compound innovation platform, biotech trait development platform and commercial breeding platform.

Global-leading New Pesticide Innovation Platform

KingAgroot has all-round R&D capabilities in herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and plant growth regulators. KingAgroot has successfully launched 4 patented herbicides in China, namely Cypyrafluone, Bipyrazone, Fenpyrazone and Tripyrasulfone. By the end of 2023, another 3 novel patented compounds Fluchloraminopyr-tefuryl, Flufenoximacil and Flusulfinam will be commercialized.

New products such as 溴噁草松、氟溴草醚、噁唑氟虫胺、甲氧嘧啶肟、噁唑草啶 have entered the development stage. In the future, KingAgroot plans to develop 15 new herbicides, 10 new pesticides, 10 new fungicides, and 5 new plant growth regulators to inject surging impetus into global crop science.

KingAgroot Biological Testing Center

Global-leading Biotech Trait Development Platform

KingAgroot has a complete transgenic and gene editing platform, which can realize the genetic transformation of 15 main crops.

As to gene editing field, KingAgroot has developed two proprietary techniques, Cas9-mediated sequential editing (CSE) and gene knock-up (KSE). As to GM field, KingAgroot has developed proprietary genes resistant to our patented herbicides, Flufenoximacil and Fluchloraminopyr-tefuryl, as well as various new genes resistant to insects/diseases. The seeds of corn, soybean, cotton, canola and sugarbeet with herbicide tolerance, insect resistance and disease resistance will soon be globally commercialized to greatly improve global agricultural productivity.

Commercial Breeding Platform

Currently, KingAgroot has built 7 breeding stations in the 4 major corn production areas in China, and the whole process of corn breeding has been fully mechanized and informationized. In 2022, 21 new corn varieties independently developed by KingAgroot entered regional trial stage. Some varieties are expected to obtain certificate in 2024 and then successively access to market.

In the future, the first batch of herbicide-tolerant crop seeds will cooperate with patented pesticides to improve global agricultural productivity.

New compounds launched and to be commercialized by KingAgroot

-Wheat

⑴ Cypyrafluone

Structural formula of cypyrafluone

Cypyrafluone is a brand-new HPPD inhibitor independently created by KingAgroot. It is the first HPPD inhibitor used in wheatfields to control grassy weeds, without cross-resistance with the current mainstream wheat herbicides. It effectively prevents and controls resistant and multiple-resistant grassy weeds such as amur foxtail, flixweed, chickweed and water chickweed. The creation and application of cypyrafluone is an essential milestone in wheatfield herbicidal development history, having been launched in China in 2018. In 2022, it was launched in Pakistan.

⑵ Bipyrazone

Structural formula of bipyrazone

Bipyrazone is a brand-new HPPD inhibitor independently created by KingAgroot, safely used in a wheatfield for effective prevention and control of broad-leaved weeds such as flixweed, shepherd’s purse, sarson, chickweed, water chickweed, Lithospermum arvense and carolina cranesbill herb, without cross-resistance with the current mainstream wheat herbicides, having been launched in China in 2018.

⑶ 甲氧嘧草肟

甲氧嘧草肟is the latest generation of synthetic hormone patent compound for effective prevention and control of resistant procumbent speedwell in a wheatfield. It can also be used in a rice field and cornfield to prevent and control broad-leaved weeds such as bamboo leaves, sheathed monochoria herb, alternanthera philoxeroides, dayflower and Commelina benghalensis, without cross-resistance with ALS, PPO and PSII inhibitors, to be launched in China in 2025.

- Rice

⑴ Tripyrasulfone

Structural formula of tripyrasulfone

Tripyrasulfone is a brand-new HPPD inhibitor independently created by KingAgroot, which is used for the first time in a paddy field for post-emergence spraying of stem and leaf without cross-resistance with the current mainstream herbicides for control of rice grassy weeds. It is a top solution to multiple-resistant barnyard grass and mole plant seed and launched to the market in China in 2020

⑵ Flusulfinam

Structural formula of flusulfinam

Flusulfinam is a brand-new HPPD inhibitor independently created by KingAgroot for the effective control of barnyard grass, crabgrass, mole plant seed, and part of broadleaf and sedge weeds. It is active on the stem, leaf and soil. Unlike other HPPD-inhibiting herbicides, it is extremely safe for rice, same for japonica rice and indica rice, to be launched in China in 2023.

⑶ 氟溴草醚

氟溴草醚is a soil sealant herbicide developed by KingAgroot for rice, wheat, corn, soybean, peanut and part of broadleaf vegetable crops. 氟溴草醚is a latest FAT inhibitor, free of cross-resistance with the current mainstream agents. It can be used in rice transplanting, direct dry seeding and direct water seeding, with an excellent effect of sealing and controlling major grassy weeds such as barnyard grass, rice barnyard grass, mole plant seed and crabgrass as well as a part of sedge weeds. Meanwhile, it is effective against young weeds in the early stage after seedlings in paddy fields. 氟溴草醚is expected to be launched in China in 2026.

- Cotton

Fenpyrazone

Structural formula of fenpyrazone

Fenpyrazone is a brand-new HPPD inhibitor independently created by KingAgroot, being a selective systemic benzoyl-pyrazole herbicide for use in a cornfield, with excellent control effect, without cross-resistance with nicosulfuron. It is very safe for corn and is flexible on after-reap crops, having been launched in China in 2020.

- Non-selective herbicides

⑴ Fluchloraminopyr

Structural formula of fluchloraminopyr

Fluchloraminopyr is a new-generation systemic and long-acting burndown herbicide independently developed by KingAgroot. It is of a broad herbicidal spectrum for effectively controlling a large variety of glyphosate-resistant and tolerant weeds such as horseweed herb, dayflower, field bindweed, eleusine indica, lecrsia oryzoides and reed. It is effective against the tough shrubs and vines in woodland and non-arable land. Its effect remains stable even under the low-temperature weather condition while effect lasts 1.5 to two times that of glyphosate. Fluchloraminopyr was first registered in Cambodia in April 2022, and is to be launched in China some time in 2023.

⑵ Flufenoximacil

Structural formula of flufenoximacil

Flufenoximacil is a new-generation contact-toxicity burndown herbicide independently developed by KingAgroot, and a PPO inhibitor with a wide herbicidal spectrum. It is extremely fast-acting, which takes effect on the same day it is applied while being flexible on after-reap crops. In addition, flufenoximacil has an ultra-high activity, which reduces the per-unit area use of the active ingredients of burndown herbicides down to gram level, being very environmentally friendly. Flufenoximacil is expected to be launched in China in 2023.  

⑶ 噁唑草啶

噁唑草啶is the latest PPO inhibiting compound developed by KingAgroot, being an ultra-high activity contact-toxicity burndown herbicide. Its per-unit area use can be calculated at grams, being highly active against horseweed herb and eleusine indica. It is low temperature tolerant, with a broad herbicidal spectrum, free of resistance, being the latest burndown herbicide. It can also be used for PPO-tolerant crop fields, as a powerful solution for resistant weed management. 噁唑草啶is expected to be launched in China in 2025.

-  Herbicides for commercial crops

Broclozone

Structural formula of broclozone

Broclozone is the latest DOXP inhibition-based patent compound developed by KingAgroot, which is of both soil activity and stem leaf activity. It fits a wide application to many crops such as wheat, rice, soybean, cotton, garlic, peanut, watermelon, rape and cabbage, with a high applicability and after-reap crop flexibility. Broclozone can effectively solve the resistance problem from major weeds, including Italian ryegrass, cleavers, procumbent speedwell, water chickweed, wild oats, barnyard grass, nightshade, amaranthus retroflexus and purslane, without cross-resistance with the existing mainstream herbicides, being a powerful resistant weed management solution. Broclozone is expected to be launched in China in 2025.

-  Insecticide

噁唑氟虫胺

噁唑氟虫胺is the first patented compound created by KingAgroot in the insecticidal sector. This compound is a GABA-gated chloride channel allosteric regulator, being classified as IRAC group 30, which has a unique mechanism of action and is free of cross-resistance with other insecticides. 噁唑氟虫胺is of both contact toxicity and stomach toxicity, being also systemic to a certain extent, fast-acting and can kill eggs. Its insecticidal spectrum covers Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Acarina (egg, larva, nymph, adult mites), Hemiptera (aphid), Thysanoptera (thrip), and etc. 噁唑氟虫胺is expected to be launched in China in 2026. 

Advanced production and manufacturing capacity

KingAgroot has two manufacturing bases in Huai’an, Jiangsu province and Weifang, Shandong province, respectively.

Huai’an Manufacturing Base covers an area of >11 ha and total construction area of 40,000 sqm. As one of the earliest intelligent ″black light factories″ in the industry, the plant realized fully automated production throughout the whole process of manufacturing management, processing, packaging, storage and transportation by utilizing DCS remote control system and other systems.

Weifang Manufacturing Base covers an area of 25 ha. The factory (Phase I) is designed to produce 3,500 tons of technical materials and 240,000 tons of formulations per year and the production capacity is expected to be further increased in the long term. The factory will be completed and put into use in the second half of 2023.

Global marketing network layout

Currently, KingAgroot is actively laying out the global marketing network. In China, our sales team is distributed in 28 provinces/autonomous regions/municipalities, providing services to hundreds of millions of farmers. In overseas markets, Cypyrafluone series products hit the stand in Pakistan. KingAgroot has embarked on pesticide registration in various countries and regions including South Asia, Southeast Asia, Japan, Australia and South America. KingAgroot is deploying its proprietary pesticides and seeds in global markets.

This article was initially published in AgroPages' 2023 China Pesticide Industry Watch magazine.