Pesticide Registration and New Pesticide Varieties in 2020 (Excerpt)

In 2020, a total of 795 agricultural products received formal registration in China, marking a significant rebound compared to the 264 registrations in 2019. However, this figure remains far below the levels recorded in previous years—4,326 in 2018, 3,358 in 2017, 1,627 in 2016, and 2,669 in 2015 [1]. The new Regulations on the Administration of Pesticides and the revised Requirements for Pesticide Registration Documents have introduced numerous additional safety‑related requirements. As a result, many pesticide manufacturers brought forward their product registration applications to before 2019, leading to a sharp decline in registrations that year. Against the backdrop of profound market changes and elevated registration costs, most pesticide companies adopted a cautious approach to product registration. Over time, however, agricultural enterprises gradually adapted to the new regulatory framework, and the number of registered products has since begun to recover. This paper analyzes the registration status of the 795 products approved in 2020 and provides an overview of the newly registered pesticide varieties.

1 Pesticide Registration Status

Among the 795 products registered in 2020, there were 11 original active ingredients: 14‑hydroxybrassinolide, indole‑3‑butyric acid, benzyladenine, 24‑epibrassinolide, gibberellic acid, naphthaleneacetic acid, glufosinate‑ammonium, bromoxynil, tetrazolinone, allantoin, and quinclorac. There were 4 parent active ingredients: brodifacoum, difenacoum, fenoxaprop‑P‑ethyl, and Bacillus subtilis. A total of 780 formulated products were registered, including 320 single‑ingredient formulations and 460 mixed‑ingredient formulations. Of the 795 registered products, 672 were classified as low‑toxicity, 84 as slightly toxic, and 39 as moderately toxic.

1.1 Pesticide Registration Categories

According to category, among the pesticide formulations registered in 2020, there were 300 herbicides (including 2 with plant growth regulator activity), 203 fungicides, 179 insecticides, 59 plant growth regulators, 19 fungicidal–insecticidal products (seed‑treatment suspensions), 17 acaricides (6 of which also have insecticidal activity), 7 nematicides, 4 molluscicides, 3 rodenticides, 3 plant resistance inducers, and 1 insect sex pheromone. Herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides accounted for the top three categories in terms of quantity.

1.2 Pesticide Registration Formulations

Based on the registered pesticide formulation types, there are 227 suspension concentrates, 153 soluble concentrates, 109 emulsifiable concentrates, 69 oil‑in‑water suspensions, 58 water‑dispersible granules, 55 granular formulations, 37 seed‑treatment suspensions, 30 wettable powders, 19 aqueous emulsions, 18 microemulsions, 12 suspension‑emulsions, 10 soluble powders, 10 soluble granules, 7 microcapsule suspensions, 4 pastes, 3 microcapsule‑suspension‑emulsion blends, 3 fumigants, 3 dust formulations, 2 volatile cores, 2 seed‑treatment microcapsule‑suspension‑emulsion blends, 1 ultra‑low‑volume liquid formulation, 1 bait formulation, 1 soluble tablet, 1 effervescent granule formulation, 1 tablet, 1 oil‑in‑water emulsion, 1 seed‑treatment dispersible formulation, 1 seed‑treatment emulsion, and 1 seed‑treatment microcapsule suspension.

Environmentally friendly water‑based suspensions top the list, with 227 registrations; owing to the large number of registrations for the non‑selective herbicides glyphosate and glufosinate, the corresponding soluble concentrates also total 153; emulsifiable concentrates account for 109 registrations. Overall, the range of formulated product types is extensive, spanning 29 distinct formulations, reflecting the ongoing innovation by pesticide manufacturers in developing formulations tailored to specific crop targets and application technologies.

1.3 Registration of New Mixture Products

As the discovery of new active ingredients becomes increasingly challenging, pesticide companies are placing great emphasis on innovating in the development of formulated mixtures to broaden the spectrum of control, slow the emergence of resistance, and enhance efficacy. Among herbicides, 38 mixture products received formal registration for the first time, accounting for 12.67% of all registered herbicide formulations; paraquat dichloride, a single‑ingredient product, was also registered as a formulated product for the first time. For insecticides, 17 mixture products were granted formal registration for the first time, representing 9.50% of all registered insecticide formulations. In the fungicide category, 45 mixture products obtained registration for the first time, making up 22.17% of all registered fungicides. One acaricide mixture was registered for the first time, corresponding to 5.88% of all registered acaricides. For plant growth regulators, six mixture products were registered for the first time, accounting for 10.17% of all registered plant growth regulator formulations. Lastly, 13 seed‑treatment mixtures received registration for the first time, representing 30.95% of all registered seed‑treatment products.

As the above data indicate, new formulated products account for a substantial share of registered formulations, particularly seed‑treatment products, which comprise 30.95% of all registered seed‑treatment formulations. This reflects both the significant investment that companies are making in seed‑treatment technologies and the fact that such products can encompass both insecticides and fungicides, thereby providing considerable scope for innovation in formulation development. Among the new formulated products, fungicides, herbicides, and plant growth regulators each represent more than 10% of the total, underscoring their popularity as key areas for new product development.

1.4 Hotspots of Registered Products

Among the products registered in 2020, those containing pyraclostrobin were the most numerous, with 44 formulations; glyphosate ranked second with 41; thiamethoxam and clothianidin each had 40 products, placing them third; followed by oxaziclomefone with 32, glufosinate‑ammonium with 29, fludioxonil with 25, cyhalofop‑butyl with 23, abamectin with 22, dinotefuran with 20, and bifenthrin with 19.

This indicates that pyraclostrobin remains a major focus of registration in recent years; the non-selective herbicides glyphosate and glufosinate‑ammonium continue to account for a high number of registrations; and thiamethoxam and clothianidin, as mainstream insecticides, are the preferred choices of many agrochemical manufacturers for controlling piercing‑sucking pests due to their favorable cost‑effectiveness.

Source: Li Yang. “Pesticide Registration and New Pesticide Varieties in 2020.” World Pesticides, 2021, 43(03): 10–15.