The Chinese seed treatment market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 10% over the next five years.

“Over the past 10 years, China has…” Pesticide The market’s compound annual growth rate is approximately 4%, while the seed treatment segment boasts a CAGR exceeding 10%!

Represented by seed coatings seed The processing sector has emerged as a hot focal point for blue‑ocean growth!

In terms of quantity, as of November 1, 2018, China had registered seed The number of products processed was 846, including suspension seed dressings and… seed Handling as many as 711 suspending agents!

“In terms of market size, China’s seed‑treatment agent market is certain to exceed RMB 4 billion in the future. Moreover, over the next five years, the Chinese seed‑treatment agent market is expected to maintain a compound annual growth rate of 10%.”

Seed treatment agents belong to seed scope of handling, whereas seed The use of treatment in China has a very long history. Looking further back, since the early 20th century, mercury-based preparations have been employed for… seed Disinfection, however, in the true sense of the term seed The handling of this issue dates back to the 1970s.

     seed The first phase of development in China, spanning the 1970s to the 1990s, was characterized by products such as thiram, carbendazim, and carbofuran. These formulations reached their peak in the 1980s, but beginning in the 1990s they were gradually phased out and eventually withdrawn from the market.

The second phase began in the early 1990s, primarily marked by the introduction of new neonicotinoid active ingredients and formulations—such as imidacloprid and thiamethoxam—as well as triazole fungicides. Among these, imidacloprid, the world’s first neonicotinoid active ingredient developed for use as a seed treatment, was first discovered by Bayer in 1985 and launched globally under the brand name Gaucho® in 1991. Imidacloprid is characterized by strong systemic activity, low toxicity, high efficacy, broad spectrum, and minimal residue, and it remains the most widely used neonicotinoid worldwide today. Pesticide 。

Over the next five years, China’s seed treatment market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 10%.

It is understood that China’s annual agricultural seed consumption currently approaches 15 billion kilograms, and this massive demand has given rise to substantial… seed The treatment agent market. Both multinational giants and domestic companies are stepping up their investments in… seed R&D investment in processing agents is accelerating efforts to capture a leading position in China. seed Treatment agent market.

China's seed There has long been a perception in the market that conditions are “hot in the north and cold in the south,” with the primary application areas concentrated in northern regions such as Northeast China and North China. Over time, its use gradually expanded to rice-growing areas in the south. As many parts of the country have begun to… seed The growing emphasis on coating and the development of large-scale agriculture, seed Processing has gained widespread adoption across the country, from north to south, which has given… seed Vast potential for development in processing agents.

According to reports, over the past decade, China has… Pesticide The market’s compound annual growth rate is approximately 4%, while seed treatment agents have a CAGR exceeding 10%; between 2006 and 2010, the CAGR was 12%, and from 2010 to 2016, it surged to as high as 15%.

Regarding the future of seed coatings, some industry insiders believe that China’s seed‑coating market will certainly exceed RMB 4 billion. Moreover, over the next five years, the Chinese seed‑coating market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 10%, with its market size expanding from RMB 2.3 billion in 2016 to RMB 3.7 billion by 2021.

So, we can say that seed treatments represent the future. Plant protection The blue‑ocean market in this sector is no exaggeration—seed treatment agents have a bright future ahead!

In the future, neonicotinoid seed treatments represented by imidacloprid will remain irreplaceable.

Under the allure of blue‑ocean markets, coupled with recent developments across various… Pesticide Enterprise Sales have generally declined, and many companies have turned their attention to… seed In the field of processing, this can be glimpsed from the current registration situation in China.

Since 2010, the registration of seed coatings in China has experienced explosive growth. From China… Pesticide According to information from the database, as of November 1, 2018, a total of 846 seed‑treatment products had been registered, including suspension‑type seed coatings and… seed Handling as many as 711 suspension agents! In seed coating agents. Pesticide Among the categories, insecticidal seed treatments account for 462 registered products, representing 55%.

Unique value makes imidacloprid the leading insecticidal seed treatment.

At present, commonly used insecticides in the Chinese market seed There are three main classes of treatment agents: carbamate compounds, exemplified by carbofuran and thiodicarb; pyrethroid compounds, exemplified by cypermethrin and permethrin; and neonicotinoids, exemplified by imidacloprid and clothianidin.

These three types of insecticides seed A comparison of the characteristics of treatment agents is as follows:

The Controversy Between Imidacloprid and Thiamethoxam

With the launch of thiamethoxam, a second-generation neonicotinoid seed treatment, the rivalry between imidacloprid and thiamethoxam has quietly begun. This competition between the two insecticides has been ongoing for quite some time, often described as a close contest between equals. Ultimately, however, the differences lie in their distinct product characteristics. So what advantages and distinctions do these two active ingredients bring to the seed‑treatment market?

From China Pesticide According to information‑network searches, as of early November, among the registered insecticidal seed treatments, imidacloprid had 147 registrations and thiamethoxam had 146, indicating comparable popularity. So what are the differences between the two?

Below, we will compare the two in terms of their physicochemical properties, mechanisms of action, and pharmacodynamic stability.

1. Systemic translocation and lipid solubility comparison

Compared with the other compound, imidacloprid exhibits higher lipid solubility and can more readily traverse the Casparian strip, implying that its active ingredient is better able to pass through biological membranes and be absorbed by plants.

Its excellent systemic translocation enables the active ingredient to rapidly reach all parts of the root system, forming a protective barrier around the roots and safeguarding them from underground pests. The coated… seed After germination, the active ingredients are efficiently translocated throughout the plant via its internal circulation, reaching above‑ground parts such as stems and leaves, thereby providing robust protection against a wide range of foliar pests during the early stages of crop growth.

Conclusion

Imidacloprid exhibits excellent systemic translocation, providing more effective protection to both underground and aboveground plant parts.

2. Possesses both contact and stomach toxicity modes of action.

Both imidacloprid and thiamethoxam exhibit both stomach‑toxic and contact‑killing activity, enabling them to rapidly halt feeding in chewing‑mouthpart pests such as wireworms, while delivering swift contact mortality against piercing‑sucking pests like aphids.

Conclusion

As can be seen from the above comparison, imidacloprid exhibits superior insecticidal activity in soil compared to thiamethoxam.

3. Comparison of physicochemical properties, water solubility, and bioavailability

Among these, the Koc value indicates the tendency of a molecule to loosely adsorb onto the surfaces of soil organic matter particles. A high Koc value combined with low water solubility suggests a low leaching potential, whereas the opposite implies a high leaching potential.

As shown in the above figure, the differing behaviors of imidacloprid and thiamethoxam in soil reveal that a favorable balance between water solubility and adsorption onto organic matter (as reflected by the Koc value) reduces leaching of imidacloprid, thereby enhancing its utilization efficiency and extending its residual efficacy.

As demonstrated by the following two experiments, this characteristic of imidacloprid ensures that its active ingredient remains consistently localized in the root zone, which underpins the compound’s more stable and longer-lasting efficacy across varying soil types and weather conditions.

4. Comparison of control efficacy under different soil conditions

As shown in the figure above, under different soil moisture conditions, the imidacloprid-treated… seed For prevention and control Corn The root insecticidal activity is more stable. Corn Rootworm in the United States Corn It is widespread in production and can cause harm to the affected… Corn Plants lodge, leading to reduced yields, with annual losses amounting to over one billion U.S. dollars. The use of imidacloprid seed coating… Corn It exhibits excellent control of root pests and maintains consistent efficacy.

Conclusion

Imidacloprid exhibits more stable efficacy and longer-lasting control under various soil conditions.

Through the comparison of the above-mentioned aspects, we find that, in seed In terms of both physicochemical properties and pharmacodynamic stability, imidacloprid outperforms thiamethoxam—this is precisely why imidacloprid’s position in the seed‑treatment market remains unshakable.

If, over the next five years, China’s seed‑treatment market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 10%, then imidacloprid—combining both efficacy and value—will remain a key battleground in the seed‑treatment sector for the foreseeable future. The seed‑treatment market has entered a blue‑ocean phase, and imidacloprid will continue to forge ahead under its reigning‑king aura.

Source: China Pesticide Network