Current Status of the Rice Seed Treatment Market and Key Trends in Product Development

Pesticides are one of the key tools for preventing rice diseases and pests and ensuring grain yields. Seed treatment, serving as the first line of defense against rice diseases and pests, is particularly important. The application of seed‑treatment technologies can significantly reduce the incidence of seedborne and soilborne pathogens and pests, effectively control early‑stage seedling‑stage diseases and pests, lower the initial pest and disease populations, and thereby ease the challenges of managing later‑stage infestations.

1 Overview of the Seed Treatment Agent Market in China

The seed‑treatment fungicide market accounts for approximately 20% of the overall pesticide market, with Europe at 15% and China at just 5%, highlighting the substantial growth potential of this segment in China. According to industry expert data from 2019, the proportion of seeds treated with coatings stands at around 37%, while in key rice‑producing regions, this figure exceeds 65%.

As the area under direct‑seeding rice continues to expand, seed usage has increased, leading to challenges in achieving uniform stands and heightened susceptibility to lodging. Seedborne diseases such as bakanae disease, blast, and false smut are becoming increasingly severe. Repeated monoculture over successive years results in the persistent buildup of soilborne pathogens, exacerbating soil-borne diseases year after year. Meanwhile, land consolidation and a shrinking rural labor force have driven up labor costs, making it imperative to develop pest‑ and disease‑management solutions that save time and effort. Consequently, seed treatment agents have become an essential component of modern rice‑farming practices, opening up significant market opportunities.

2 Analysis of the Registration Status of Seed Coating Agents for Rice in China

As of October 2020, 285 rice seed‑treatment products had been registered domestically, with 105 agrochemical companies holding registration certificates for 161 seed‑coating formulations. Since 2010, the majority of registered rice seed‑treatment products have been seed coatings. Two distinct peaks in seed‑coating registrations occurred during 2008–2009 and 2015–2018; in the latter four-year period alone, 97 seed‑coating registrations were granted, accounting for over 60% of the total. This marked a surge in seed‑coating registrations and laid the groundwork for their widespread adoption.

Analysis of the Registered Ingredient Composition of Rice Seed Treatments:

Rice seed‑treatment insecticides comprise only eight active ingredients, with thiamethoxam alone accounting for over 50% of registrations; the combined registration share of thiamethoxam, carbofuran, and imidacloprid exceeds 87%. Rice seed‑treatment fungicides include 25 active ingredients, primarily cyproconazole, metalaxyl‑M, prochloraz, mancozeb, and carbendazim.

Suspension seed coatings, wettable powders, and emulsifiable concentrates are the primary formulation types for rice seed treatments, accounting for 42.81%, 15.44%, and 14.74%, respectively. Among these, the registration proportions of wettable powders and emulsifiable concentrates have declined year by year, while that of suspension seed coatings has increased steadily, making it the dominant formulation for rice seed treatment products.

3. Hotspots in China’s Rice Seed Coating Technology and Product Development

3.1 Development and Application of Novel Polymeric Film-Forming Agents

The coating exhibits excellent water resistance, preventing the loss of active ingredients during seed soaking and throughout crop growth. By employing a novel polymeric film-forming agent, the product ensures the slow release of its active components; it remains intact in water without shedding or fading, resulting in a longer residual efficacy and greater environmental compatibility.

3.2 Application of Bird Repellents on Rice Seeds

Direct seeding of rice can significantly reduce labor input and alleviate the seasonal labor shortage, playing a crucial role in advancing the light‑weighting, specialization, and large‑scale production of rice, and thus holds great potential for widespread adoption. However, bird damage severely compromises the stand establishment rate in directly seeded fields, thereby hindering the broader推广 of this practice.

Seed treatment is the most cost-effective method for bird deterrence. Traditional carbofuran, due to its toxicity, has seen its use gradually restricted. Bird‑deterrent products that are environmentally friendly and non‑toxic to birds and aquatic organisms are poised to become the future trend.

3.3 Development and Application of Microbial Inoculant Seed Coatings in Rice Cultivation

Microbial seed coatings promote root development and seedling vigor, confer resistance to diseases and pests, activate salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) signaling pathways, and induce systemic acquired resistance.

Advantages: long residual efficacy, broad-spectrum fungicidal activity, and high safety.

Disadvantages: Poor compatibility with chemical pesticides, slow onset of action, short shelf life for some formulations, and the need for specific soil conditions to establish colonization.

3.4 Combined Use of Seed Treatments and Biostimulants

Against the backdrop of the strict prohibition on the illegal addition of pesticide ingredients to seed coatings, biostimulants—known for their ability to stimulate crop growth, promote root development and seedling vigor, enhance stress tolerance, and improve the efficacy of agrochemicals—are receiving significant attention from pesticide manufacturers.

Adding an appropriate amount of biostimulants to seed coatings can enhance seed vigor, promote rapid and uniform emergence, produce robust, healthy seedlings, and improve the stress tolerance of coated seeds.

3.5 Application of Microencapsulated Seed Treatments on Rice

Advantages: It addresses the safety concerns of pesticides with respect to seeds, ensures the safety of non-target organisms, and extends the residual efficacy of the formulation.

Existing issues: The manufacturing process is demanding and costly, the formulation has a relatively low active ingredient content, there may be concerns regarding rapid onset of action, and the market size is limited.

3.6 Pelletization of Rice Seeds

Existing research indicates that, compared with bare seeds, pelleted rice seeds exhibit enhanced starch degradation and reduced anaerobic respiration in both the seed and the emerging seedling, thereby effectively improving the stress tolerance of rice seeds under submergence. This also significantly enhances seedling establishment under flooded conditions during wet direct seeding, ultimately boosting rice yields. Compared with conventional seed coatings, pelleting allows rice seeds to incorporate higher loads of pesticides, micronutrients, and biostimulants, prolonging the residual efficacy of protective agents and increasing seedling emergence rates. Moreover, pelleted rice seeds have larger dimensions, more uniform shapes, and improved flowability, making them better suited for mechanical sowing—and even drone‑assisted seeding—while reducing damage from birds and rodents.

3.7 Regarding the registration of metalaxyl‑M in rice seed‑treatment formulations

The regulations of the Pesticide Testing Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs regarding the registration of metalaxyl‑M as a seed treatment for rice are as follows: (1) Applications for the registration of metalaxyl‑M–based formulated products intended solely for the control of rice bakanae disease or damping-off will no longer be accepted. (2) Registration applications for such products will no longer be approved. (3) For products already registered under this category, the registrant may apply to expand the scope of use, provided that the expanded use is consistent with the target pests or diseases effectively controlled by metalaxyl‑M—namely, rice diseases caused by Pythium or Phytophthora species. (4) At present, there are a total of 41 registered products containing metalaxyl‑M or metalaxyl on the market as rice seed treatments, including 4 single‑ingredient formulations and 37 formulated mixtures.

A total of six metalaxyl‑manganese zinc–based products are registered for the control of seedling rot; applications for registration of four single‑ingredient formulations—restricted to use against rice bakanae disease or damping-off—are no longer being accepted.

Registration applications for metalaxyl‑methyl–containing formulations intended solely for the control of rice bakanae disease or damping-off will no longer be approved.

For such products that have already been registered, the registrant may apply to expand the scope of use, based on the target pests or diseases effectively controlled by metalaxyl‑M—namely, rice‑related diseases caused by Pythium or Phytophthora species. At present, Syngenta has registered two combination formulations; there are 27 registered products for damping-off, but only two are simultaneously registered for both damping-off and seedling rot; and 18 products are registered for sheath blight, with only one also registered for seedling rot.

3.8 Registration of Pyraclostrobin in Rice Seed Coatings

Existing research indicates that pyraclostrobin is highly toxic to aquatic organisms (such as rainbow trout and daphnia); consequently, its use in paddy fields poses significant safety risks, which has long limited the number of microcapsule suspension formulations registered for rice.

However, this year, pyraclostrobin has been registered for the first time as a suspension seed treatment on rice.

Research by Qi Lin and colleagues at Hunan Agricultural University indicates that, when used as a seed treatment, pyraclostrobin exhibits a two-order-of-magnitude reduction in toxicity to aquatic organisms at the same dosage. This finding thus provides a theoretical basis for the application of pyraclostrobin in rice seed treatments.

3.9 Development and Application of Relatively Novel Agents