In 2022, which pesticide categories are poised for growth?

Insecticide (acaricide)
The usage of insecticides (and acaricides) has declined year by year over the past decade, and this downward trend continued in 2022. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, as China phased out its last ten highly toxic… Pesticide Complete ban, highly toxic Pesticide Substitutes will become more expensive; as the adoption of genetically modified crops expands, pesticide use is expected to decline further. However, overall, there is limited room for additional reductions in pesticide application.
Organophosphates: Due to their relatively high toxicity and declining efficacy, market demand for organophosphate insecticides has decreased, particularly as highly toxic… Pesticide With the comprehensive ban in place, the use of organophosphate insecticides will decline further.
Carbamates: Carbamates Pesticide It is characterized by strong selectivity, high efficacy, broad spectrum activity, low toxicity to humans and livestock, rapid degradation, and minimal residual toxicity, and has been widely applied in agriculture. The most commonly used compounds include indoxacarb, isoprocarb, pirimicarb, and thiophanate‑methyl.
Indoxacarb exhibits excellent insecticidal activity against lepidopteran pests, effectively controlling a wide range of pests on crops such as grains, fruits, and vegetables, while being environmentally friendly; consequently, its demand continues to rise.
Pyrethroids: Prices have declined compared with the previous year. Lambda‑cyhalothrin, cyfluthrin, fenpropathrin, and bifenthrin are expected to command substantial market shares; among them, cyfluthrin has seen a rise in its market share in certain provinces, and it is poised to become the top-selling pyrethroid insecticide in Guangxi.
Neonicotinoid insecticides: Sales have increased compared with the previous year. Imidacloprid, acetamiprid, thiamethoxam, and nitenpyram will account for a significant share, while thiacloprid, clothianidin, and flonicamid are showing particularly strong growth.
Diamide insecticides: Sales have increased compared with the previous year. Chlorantraniliprole and tetrachlorantraniliprole hold substantial market shares, while flubendiamide and cyantraniliprole are expected to see growth.
Other types of insecticides: Demand has increased compared with the previous year. Products such as triflumuron, cartap, pymetrozine, monocrotophos, Bacillus thuringiensis, flufenoxuron, and abamectin are expected to account for a significant market share.
Acaricides: Prices have declined compared with the previous year. Among them, mineral oil, lime-sulfur preparations, etoxazole, pyridaben, spirotetramat, bifenazate, and etoxazole‑nitrile are in high demand.
Fungicide
It is expected that fungicide usage will increase in 2022.
The major products used in large quantities include: copper sulfate, mancozeb, carbendazim, thiophanate‑methyl, tricyclazole, chlorothalonil, tebuconazole, isoprothiolane, prochloraz, triadimefon, kasugamycin, copper hydroxide, difenoconazole, pyraclostrobin, propiconazole, metalaxyl, azoxystrobin, benomyl‑based fungicides, dimethomorph, zineb, Bacillus subtilis, procymidone, hexaconazole, and mefenpyr‑dimethyl.
The varieties with increases of 10% or more, listed in descending order, are: osthole, Bacillus subtilis, oxymatrine, amino‑oligosaccharides, propamocarb, pyraclostrobin, azoxystrobin, neosynemycin, cyazofamid, pyrimidine nucleoside antibiotics, aluminum tris(ethyl phosphonate), lentinan, mancozeb‑based products, epoxiconazole, difenoconazole, cyproconazole, triadimefon, isoprothiolane, ethirimol, prochloraz, and others.
Herbicide
Herbicide use has been on the rise over the past decade, with the emergence of herbicide‑resistant weeds further driving up application volumes.
The crop protection products with annual sales exceeding 2,000 tons, listed in descending order, are: glyphosate (ammonium, sodium, and potassium salts), acetochlor, atrazine, glufosinate, butachlor, bentazone, isoproturon, 2,4‑D, and pretilachlor.
Non‑selective herbicides: Following the comprehensive ban on paraquat, the new contact‑type herbicide diquat has emerged as a hot‑topic product due to its rapid weed‑killing efficacy and broad spectrum of control, particularly its high effectiveness against weeds that have developed resistance to glyphosate and paraquat.
Glyphosate: Farmer acceptance is steadily increasing, and application rates are rising.
New-generation herbicides with resistance‑breaking activity—such as florasulam and diclofop‑methyl—are seeing increased usage.

Source: National Agricultural Technology Extension Network Author: National Agricultural Technology Extension Network