Wynca Group: Focusing on stability, compatibility and high efficacy of nanopesticide, creating nanopesticide-centric crop solutions

Editor’s Note: Nanotechnology is a cutting-edge technology in international competition, increasingly favored by the market because of its significant advantages in improving pesticide efficacy, utilization, safety and environment-friendliness. According to relevant data, the global nanopesticide market is expected to reach US$1.73 billion by 2031, with a compound annual growth rate of 12.5%.

So far, there has been significant progress in theoretical innovation and application research in the nanopesticide industry in China, which has jumped to the forefront of the world’s industry. The industry has gradually progressed from basic research to industrialization, which provides an excellent opportunity to transform and upgrade the Chinese pesticide industry. However, nanopesticides still face a lot of challenges like technology, process, mass production, cost control, evaluation, standard, application, and promotion in the process of commercialization, which require the joint efforts of government, research institutions, and enterprises to make significant technical breakthroughs, thus forming a sound industry layout to achieve the benefit of nanopesticides in reduction of the use of chemical pesticides, alleviation of the impact on the environment and increase of farmer’s business income.

Recently, AgroPages invited pioneers and key players in the field of nanopesticides, including SCIENX, PilarBio Group, Yinnong Technology, and Wynca Group, to make an in-depth analysis of problems and challenges faced by the Chinese nanopesticide industry chain, and to share their respective solutions and practical experiences, as well as their forecast for future. In this article, Qian Zhigang, Deputy Director of Crop Protection R&D Center of Wynca Group shared his insights.

Qian Zhigang, Deputy Director of Crop Protection R&D Center of Wynca Group

To make innovation in developing new nanopesticide products, what are the key highlights of innovation of Wynca Group? Can you share the nanopesticide products launched by your company and their unique advantages? How is the progress of the promotion and application of these products?

The fundamentals of nanopesticide are not nano but pesticides. The key function is to have an excellent control effect and create real benefits to agricultural production. So, our key focus of innovation is: Stable active particle size and excellent compatibility. To give an example, Wynca Group’s market-released nano-scale rice field herbicides: cyhalofop-butyl 15% ME (Jinhewang) and metamifop.cyhalofop-butyl 16% ME (Daohuxiao), compared with conventional formulations, has four major advantages:

-The ultrafine particles are maintained at 50 nanometer level at a dilution ratio, maximizing contact and absorption of active ingredients on the leaf surface of weeds;

-Transparent when put into water, satisfactorily compatible with aerial application and crop protection solutions;

-The unique formula process solves the problem of decomposition of metamifop technical and others;

-At temperatures above 350C, the weeding effect is not compromised.

After two years of technical research and validation in various rice growing regions of China, Jinhewang and Daohuxiao are proved to have an increased the weeding effect by ≥35%, versus conventional pesticides, which is well recognized by all users. The products are scheduled for market release in the rice planting season this year to cover 400,000 mu of paddy field in the whole year.

What are Waynca Group’s biggest challenges and solutions in the development, production, and application of nanopesticide? What technical difficulties require urgent action?

The biggest challenge is that the current nanopesticide production equipment and technology are not adequate; farmer’s level of acceptance and application of nanopesticide is not high; the industry and administrations are required to set up professional cooperative organizations soonest; establish standardized management system; increase publicity and guidance.

What is the current cost of production and application of nanopesticide? Going ahead, what are Wynca Group’s plans to reduce cost and promote the scale application of nanopesticide?

Cost implication depends on the type of pesticides 

-Nanocrystallization of pesticides, including nano-emulsion, nano-suspension, etc. The production cost of these products is similar to that of conventional EC and AS formulations, which are the currently major types of industrialized nanopesticides; the significant improvement in effect and pesticide utilization rate, as far as the user is concerned, can save the per-unit cost of application. Wynca is prepared to continue research and development to reduce the use of solvents; simplify the production process and improve product efficacy to further reduce a farmer’s cost of application in all aspects to promote the popularization and application of nanopesticide.

-Nanocrystallization of nanopesticide carriers, such as nanocapsules, nanospheres and silicon-based nanopesticide. The cost of production of these products is high, while application scenarios with economic value are limited. Nanopesticide carrier-related research is mostly done by professional research institutions that conduct studies on carrier cost reduction, carrier performance improvement, carrier environment-friendliness and actual application scenarios. 

What do you think of the current regulatory policy for nanopesticide? What are your expectations and recommendations to government and industry players?

There is not yet a well-established regulatory system for nanopesticide in the world, including the United States and the European Union. At present, nanopesticide is largely included and covered under the framework of nanomaterials, which are subject to the risk-assessment procedure and requirements formed according to the characteristics of pesticides. So far, there is no dedicated nanopesticide registration system yet in China. In 2021, the Norm of Preparation of Pesticide Nano-formulation Product Quality Standard was issued, the first nanopesticide standard.

It is expected that the government will set up a relevant administration mechanism to standardize the definition and management of the nanopesticide industry and give an all-round guidance to registration, production, application and administration of nanopesticide.

What is your corporate positioning and development plan in the field of nanopesticide? Can you predict the future of the nanopesticide industry sector?

Nanopesticide is an integral part of Wynca Group’s ″seed-pesticide-fertilizer-service″ integrated service mode, which aims to improve research on crop solutions and development of novel pesticide formulations. In the coming five years, focusing on rice and corn, Wynca Group will endeavor to develop nanopesticide-centric crop solutions to provide farmers with ″one-stop″ crop protection service.

Nanopesticide has many advantages, such as high efficiency, environment-friendliness, precision, and compatibility, which enable breakthroughs to be made in fixing some of the industry pain points that are difficult to solve with conventional pesticides. Today, more and more nanopesticides are being constantly launched to market to solve the problems farmers face. In the next 5-10 years, nanopesticide is estimated to have double-digit growth. China is very enthusiastic about the research and development of nanopesticides, in possession of the world’s largest number of nanotechnology researchers; China’s nanopesticide research and application technology are expected to lead the global nanopesticide industry development.

This interview was published in AgroPages '2024 Formulation&Adjuvant Technology' magazine. Click the following picture to Read/Download. 

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