China has a total of 150 registered pesticide products for jujube trees, with insecticides accounting for the majority.

Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) is an economically important fruit tree in China, with a history of cultivation, utilization, and domestication spanning more than 7,000 years. Its fruits are rich in vitamins, amino acids, and trace elements, earning them the reputation as the “king of all fruits.” Jujubes are known to strengthen the spleen and stomach, replenish qi and blood, enhance immune function, alleviate allergies, and exert anti‑cancer and hepatoprotective effects.

In actual production, jujube trees are frequently threatened by diseases such as jujube witches’ broom, fruit‑shrinkage disease, anthracnose, rust, and brown spot, as well as by pests including the jujube leafroller and the green mirid bug, all of which severely constrain the healthy development of the jujube industry. As the primary plant protection input for managing jujube tree diseases and pests, pesticides play a crucial role in achieving efficient jujube production. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the pesticide varieties approved and registered for use in jujube cultivation, this paper primarily draws on data published on the China Pesticide Information Network to summarize the current status of pesticide registration for jujube trees in China.

As of July 7, 2023, a total of 150 pesticide products have been registered for jujube trees and remain valid, including 131 single‑ingredient formulations and 19 formulated mixtures, accounting for 87.33% and 12.67% of the total registered pesticides, respectively. The registered categories encompass insecticides, fungicides, plant growth regulators, plant resistance inducers, herbicides, and insect sex pheromones. Below, we provide an overview of fungicides and insecticides primarily used for the control of diseases and pests in jujube trees.

I. Insecticides

At present, there are 83 insecticide products registered for jujube, accounting for 55.33% of the total number of registered pesticides for this crop; among them, 78 are single‑ingredient formulations and 5 are mixtures (Table 1). The active ingredients in the single‑ingredient products are primarily Bacillus thuringiensis and thiamethoxam, with 65 and 6 products, respectively, having obtained registration. Additionally, abamectin, imidacloprid, trichlorfon, acetamiprid, emamectin benzoate, veratrine root extract, and malathion each have one registered product. Notably, Bacillus thuringiensis is mainly used to control the jujube leafroller, while thiamethoxam is primarily employed against mirids. The five mixture products were registered between 2016 and 2021; flonicamid–pyriproxyfen is intended for aphid control, flupyradifurone–thiamethoxam targets mirids, and abamectin–spirodiclofen and berberine–veratrine root extract are chiefly effective against red spider mites.

In terms of formulation types registered, the majority are wettable powders, suspensions, and water-dispersible granules, accounting for 53.01% (44 products), 26.51% (22 products), and 9.64% (8 products), respectively; additional formulations include soluble solutions, suspension‑emulsions, soluble powders, dry powders, microemulsions, emulsion‑in‑water, and emulsifiable concentrates.

Figure 1: Formulations of insecticide products registered for use on jujube trees

II. Fungicides

At present, a total of 39 fungicide products are registered for use on jujube trees, accounting for 26% of all registered pesticides for this crop; among them, 32 are single‑ingredient formulations and 7 are formulated mixtures (Table 1).

The registered single‑ingredient products primarily contain azoxystrobin, tebuconazole, prochloraz, pyraclostrobin, trifloxystrobin, propiconazole, and carvacrol. Among these, 15 registrations are for tebuconazole, 10 for prochloraz, 2 each for azoxystrobin and pyraclostrobin, and 1 each for trifloxystrobin, propiconazole, and carvacrol. Tebuconazole and prochloraz are mainly used to control jujube anthracnose, pyraclostrobin and carvacrol target jujube rust, while propiconazole is employed to manage leaf spot disease. Of the seven formulated mixtures, azoxystrobin–mancozeb is chiefly applied against jujube anthracnose, benomyl–propiconazole is used to control jujube brown spot, and benomyl–prochloraz, benomyl–azoxystrobin, pyrimethanil–prochloraz, and dicyclanil–pyrazole ester are all indicated for the management of jujube anthracnose.

The registered formulation types for fungicides include suspension concentrates, oil-in-water emulsions, wettable powders, water-dispersible granules, microemulsions, emulsifiable concentrates, and aqueous solutions, with suspension concentrates and oil-in-water emulsions accounting for 47.50% and 32.50%, respectively. Among the 15 tebuconazole products, 14 are suspension concentrates, while all 10 prochloraz products are oil-in-water emulsions.

Figure 2: Formulations of fungicide products registered for use on jujube trees

III. Other Registered Pharmaceuticals

At present, there are 23 officially registered plant growth regulators for jujube trees, including 17 single‑ingredient products and 6 formulated mixtures, with registration held by 14 manufacturing companies. The active ingredients in the single‑ingredient formulations are primarily gibberellic acid, triacontanol, phenylalanine, brassinolide, benzyladenine, pro‑brassinolide, aminomethylpropanoic acid citrate, and thidiazuron, with growth‑regulating functions as their primary mode of action. Among these, gibberellic acid is the most widely registered single‑ingredient active ingredient, accounting for 9 products, while there are 3 formulated mixtures each containing either benzyladenine–gibberellic acid or 24‑epibrassinolide–gibberellic acid as active components.

The registered dosage forms primarily include solutions, soluble powders, emulsifiable concentrates, microemulsions, liquid formulations, aqueous formulations, soluble granules, and soluble tablets. Among these, solution‑type products account for the largest number, comprising 8 single‑component formulations and 4 combination formulations. There are 5 products in the soluble powder category, all of which are single‑component formulations.

Currently, there are two herbicide products registered for use on jujube trees: pendimethalin emulsifiable concentrate and glufosinate‑ammonium aqueous solution, which control annual gramineous weeds and certain broadleaf weeds in jujube orchards. One insect sex pheromone is also registered—green plant bug sex pheromone dispensers. Additionally, amino‑oligosaccharide aqueous solution, registered as a plant‑induced resistance agent, is primarily used to manage jujube black spot disease.

IV. Conclusion

Based on the types and quantities of pesticides registered for jujube trees in China, insecticides account for the largest share, followed by fungicides and plant growth regulators. The registered insecticides primarily target the jujube leafroller and the blind stink bug, while fungicidal products are mainly aimed at jujube anthracnose and rust. Currently, no registered products exist for major diseases commonly encountered in production, such as jujube witches’ broom and fruit‑shrinkage disease; moreover, there are also no registered products targeting the leafhopper species that serve as vectors for jujube witches’ broom. As an important economic forest tree in China, the healthy development of the jujube industry is receiving increasing attention. With the continued implementation of national policies promoting green agricultural development, new opportunities are emerging for the control of jujube pests and diseases, as well as for the research and development of diversified biopesticides and environmentally friendly formulations, and for the registration of new products in the context of green, high‑quality cultivation.

Table 1: Types of Pesticides Registered in China for the Control of Diseases and Pests Affecting Jujube Trees

Source: Jingtong Pesticide