2020 Pesticide Patent Analysis: Fungicides Account for the Largest Number of Published Patents

Release Date:

2021-01-12

In 2020, the global total of publicly disclosed pesticide‑related patents (IPC A01N) stood at 25,537, a decrease of 11.88% compared with 2019 (28,979). However, China’s number of published pesticide patents (10,552) remained virtually unchanged from 2019 (10,618), declining by only 0.62%. From the perspective of patent applications, China’s innovation activity in the pesticide field has surpassed the global average…

In 2020, foreign companies filed 1,001 pesticide-related patent applications in China, a 6.7% increase over 2019, reflecting their growing emphasis on the Chinese pesticide market.

From the perspective of pesticide categories, in 2020, the globally disclosed patents for fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, and plant growth regulators totaled 4,979, 1,924, 4,139, and 2,318, respectively—down 7.76%, 24.61%, 16.74%, and 0.25% from 2019. Herbicides accounted for the smallest total number of patents and also experienced the largest decline, while plant growth regulator patents remained virtually unchanged. Among insecticides, patents for arthropodicides, nematicides, and insect repellents stood at 3,418, 601, and 588, respectively—decreases of 17.64%, 20.92%, and 6.67% compared with 2019, with insect repellents showing the smallest percentage drop.

In China, in 2020, the cumulative number of publicly disclosed patents for fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, and plant growth regulators stood at 3,242, 855, 2,500, and 1,786, respectively—representing year-on-year changes of −0.7%, −18.89%, −13.31%, and +1.65% compared with 2019. These trends are broadly consistent with international patterns: herbicides account for the smallest total volume and exhibit the largest decline, while plant growth regulator patents show a slight increase. Among insecticides, patents for arthropodicides, nematicides, and pest repellents totaled 2,051, 298, and 374, respectively, down 14.33%, 12.09%, and 5.56% from 2019; notably, pest repellents recorded the smallest percentage decrease.

Figure 1: Number of Patent Publications for Various Types of Pesticides Worldwide, 2019/2020

Based on an analysis of patent applicants, the top five applicants among globally disclosed pesticide patents in 2020 were Bayer, Syngenta, BASF, DowDuPont, and Sumitomo—all well-known companies—with approximately 761, 694, 588, 508, and 290 patents, respectively.

China’s South China Agricultural University ranks first in the country with 132 pesticide‑related patent applications, placing ninth worldwide. In 2020, the top five applicants among China’s publicly disclosed pesticide patents were South China Agricultural University, the Institute of Plant Protection of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Syngenta, China Agricultural University, and the Shenyang Institute. Compared with major international corporations, Chinese companies still lag significantly in the volume of patent filings.

Figure 2: Cluster analysis results of 25,537 patents disclosed worldwide in 2020

Note: (1) Data source: Wanxiang Cloud Patent Search System ( https://www.wanxiangyun.net/search/index#); (2) The number of patents includes both invention and utility model patents; (3) Search strategy: Pesticides IPC=A01N, fungicides IPC=A01P3, herbicides IPC=A01P13, acaricides IPC=A01P7, nematicides IPC=A01P5, insect repellents IPC=A01P17, insecticides IPC=A01P7+A01P5+A01P17, plant growth regulators IPC=A01P21; (4) Search period: January 4, 2021.

Figure 2 presents the results of a cluster analysis conducted on 25,537 patents publicly disclosed in 2020, which can serve as a reference for companies engaged in pesticide research and development.

Source: Pesticide Market Information Author: Cai Zhiyong

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