Qilu Pharmaceutical - First Chinese spinetoram registrant in China

A few days ago, ICAMA of the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs publicized the 14th batch of pesticides intended for grant of registration. AgroPages noted that following the publication of the 13th batch of pesticides intended for grant of registration which included spinetoram 81.2% TK of Qilu Pharmaceutical (Inner Mongolia), the company’s spinetoram 60 g/L SC is now publicized for intended grant of registration. To this end, Qilu Pharmaceutical will become the first Chinese registrant of spinetoram. 

According to the information on product registration, the content of the active ingredient of spinetoram TK of Qilu Pharmaceutical (Inner Mongolia) is 81.2%, which is same as the content of the active ingredient of spinetoram registered by Corteva in China. Spinetoram 60 g/L SC is intended for application to control of cabbage spodoptera exigua and rice leaf roller, with recommended water use at 20-40 kg/mu, to be applied in the early larval stage of spodoptera exigua; for control of rice leaf roller, an even spraying is applied to foliar surface and backside against the 1st and 2nd instar larvae in high incidence.

Qilu Pharmaceutical (Inner Mongolia) Co., Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qilu Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. For many years, Qilu Pharmaceutical is committed to R&D and production of high-efficient and high-quality biopesticides, with lots of products being awarded China Green Certification and USDA Organic Certification. Qilu Pharmaceutical is not only a global leading pesticide technical manufacturer of avermectin, spinosad and emamectin benzoate, but is also developed as an upstream-downstream integrated pesticide formulator, enabling the company to become an industry leader. The grant of registration of Qilu Pharmaceutical’s spinetoram products is expected to further enrich the company’s product line, enhance its market competitiveness and promote the development of the Chinese pesticide industry in a more environmentally friendly and sustainable manner.

Spinetoram is the second-generation spinosad insecticide developed by Dow AgroSciences (now Corteva) on the basis of spinosad via chemical modification. Compared to spinosad, spinetoram has a broader spectrum and higher efficiency, with 10 times of the activity of spinosad. As a novel biological insecticide, spinetoram combines the efficacy of conventional chemical agents and the safety of biological agents, thanks to its high efficiency, low toxicity and no-residue properties. 

Spinetoram, in the brand of Jemvelva™, is the main active ingredient of Corteva’s premier insecticides and some other well-known insecticides.

Sinetoram’s mode of action lies on its interference with nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and y-aminobutyric acid receptors in insect nerves, which leads to insect’s insensitive response to excitatory or inhibitory signaling, thus affecting insect’s normal neural activity and causing the death of insects. Sinetoram is mainly used for control of lepidoptera, thysanoptera, diptera and hemipteran insect pests.

In 2009, spinetoram was granted temporary registration for the first time in China, which was updated to full registration in 2012. By December 30, 2024, all valid spinetoram registrations in China were held by Corteva, which include 1 TC (active ingredient content of 81.2%) and 4 formulations being respectively 2 single agents - spinetoram 25% WDG and spinetoram 60 g/L SC; 2 mixtures - sulfoxaflor.spinetoram 40% WDG and methoxyfenozide.spinetoram 34% SC.

So far, the application of spinetoram in China covers the following crops and pests:

Rice – rice stem borer, rice leaf roller, thrip

Corn – fall armyworm

Cowpea – pod borer, vegetable leafminer

Cucumber – vegetable leafminer

Cabbage – diamondback moth, aphid, spodoptera exigua, prodenia litura

Watermelon – thrip, aphid

Tomato – cotton bollworm, leaf miner

Chinese rose - thrip, aphid

Green onion – spodoptera exigua

Mango – thrip

Asparagus – thrip

Eggplant – thrip

Grape – thrip