Trends in the Registration and Management of Pesticides for Rice (Excerpt)

Release Date:

2022-08-04

1 Overview of Pesticide Registration

1.1 Pesticide-Registered Products

As of June 2022, the total number of registered pesticide products nationwide stood at 44,894. These included 16,498 insecticides (including acaricides, molluscicides, and other soft‑body animal control agents); 12,223 herbicides; 11,764 fungicides (including insecticide–fungicide combinations and plant resistance inducers); 1,396 plant growth regulators; 2,855 public health insecticides; 138 rodenticides; and 20 other product types.

1.2 Active Ingredients

As of the end of 2020, there were a total of 714 registered active ingredients nationwide. Among these, insecticides accounted for 234 (32.8%), fungicides for 217 (30.4%), herbicides for 180 (25.2%), plant growth regulators for 62 (8.7%), rodenticides for 14 (2.0%), and other substances for 7 (1.0%).

1.3 Toxicity of Registered Pesticide Formulations

Among registered pesticide formulations, low‑toxicity products account for 82% of the total; highly toxic pesticides now comprise less than 1%.

1.4 Registered Crops

The registered crops primarily include major staples such as grains, cotton, and oilseeds, as well as common vegetables and fruits. Among these, rice accounts for the largest number of registered products, representing 21.4% of all formulated products.

Table 1: Top 10 Crops by Number of Registrations (as of August 2021)

Sort	Crop Name	Number of registrations (units)	Proportion of the formulation (%)
1	Rice	9,271	21.4
2	Cotton	3,759	8.8
3	Wheat	3,501	8.1
4	Citrus fruit	3,070	7.1
5	Cabbage	2,826	6.5
6	cucumber	2,797	6.5
7	Corn	2,659	6.1
8	Apple	2,510	5.8
9	Non-cultivated land	1,478	3.4
10	Soybean	1,451	3.3

1.5 Recent Changes in Pesticide Registration

(1) The number of new registrations has declined, while the number of registration amendments has increased (including registrations for specialty minor crops). In 2020, 1,156 applications for registration amendments were accepted, a 47% increase compared to 2019.

(2) Registrations for single‑ingredient products have declined, while registrations for formulated mixtures have increased. Mixture products now account for 70% of all registered products.

(3) The use of suspension concentrates, water-dispersible granules, and oil‑dispersible suspensions has increased, while emulsifiable concentrates and wettable powders have declined. The annual growth rates for suspension concentrates, water-dispersible granules, and oil‑dispersible suspensions are 9.1%, 6.7%, and 17%, respectively.

(4) The number of newly registered products in the categories of herbicides, plant growth regulators, and public health pesticides has increased. Overall, insecticides continue to account for the largest share of registered products, while herbicides represented approximately 35% of new registrations in 2021.

(5) The total number of highly toxic pesticide products has continued to decline. By the end of 2020, there were 409 registered highly and acutely toxic pesticide products, accounting for 0.98% of the total registered products—marking the first time this share has fallen below 1%. This represents a reduction of 68 products, or 14.3%, compared with the end of 2016. For four consecutive years, the rate of new pesticide formulations achieving low-toxicity status has remained at 100%.

(6) Registrations of biopesticides have increased significantly. As of the end of 2020, there were 125 active ingredients and 1,735 registered biopesticide products (excluding agricultural antibiotics). Over the past six years, the annual average growth rates for active ingredients and registered products were 9.1% and 8.6%, respectively. Among the new active‑ingredient products approved for registration in 2020–2021, biopesticides accounted for 25%.

2 Registration Status of Pesticides for Rice

2.1 Registration Status of Pesticides for Rice

As of July 2022, there were approximately 9,500 registered products for rice, covering nearly 240 active ingredients. Insecticides (including acaricides, molluscicides, and agents targeting soft-bodied animals) numbered about 4,100; herbicides totaled roughly 2,600; fungicides (including insecticide–fungicide mixtures and nematicides) accounted for approximately 2,550; and plant growth regulators exceeded 250.

2.1.1 Registered Species and Numbers of Rice Pests

Table 2: Top 20 Insecticide Products Registered for Use on Rice

Serial number	Pesticide name	Number of registrations (units)	Serial number	Pesticide name	Number of registrations (units)
1	Imidacloprid	375	11	Imidacloprid·Chlorantraniliprole	92
2	Chlorpyrifos	289	12	Dichlorvos	92
3	Pymetrozine	200	13	Bacillus thuringiensis	88
4	Thiamethoxam	161	14	Flonicamid	87
5	Buprofezin	157	15	Dibutyltin	74
6	Triazophos	140	16	Zolphos·Chlorpyrifos	65
7	Avermectin	137	17	Chlorpyrifos-methyl	59
8	Thiazide·Isoprocarb	125	18	Indoxacarb	53
9	Isopropylamine	124	19	Avi Triazophos	52
10	Avermectin Benzoate	95	20	Phoxim·Triazophos	50

Source: Compiled based on a report by Zhang Nan from the Pesticide Testing Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; the report was presented at the “Second Rice Quality Enhancement and Yield Increase Summit & New Channel Marketing Forum.”

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