The parade was conducted in two phases—the inspection and the march-past—lasting approximately 70 minutes. As 45 formations passed through Tiananmen Square in succession, demonstrating the powerful capabilities of the people’s armed forces and the new look of a new era, the conference room was repeatedly filled with exclamations of admiration.

Watching the parade was not only a visual spectacle but also a spiritual inspiration. Eighty years ago, the Chinese people achieved a great victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression through immense sacrifice. Eighty years later, by watching the parade, our employees deeply felt the surging strength behind national rejuvenation.

After the event, the company leadership remarked: “Patriotism is a core component of our corporate culture. This collective viewing of the parade was both a way to commemorate history and pay tribute to the martyrs, as well as a means to inspire our employees to transform their patriotic passion into motivation at work.”

Many employees expressed that their emotions remained stirred long after watching the parade. They felt profound pride in the strength of the motherland and resolved to cherish even more the peaceful environment and development opportunities enjoyed today.

Chemical Structure:

The chemical structure of Decoyinine belongs to the nucleoside class of compounds, though the specific details of its structure have not been fully disclosed. It is produced by fermentation of the plant endophytic actinomycete NEAU6 isolated from the Chinese medicinal herb Paris polyphylla.

Mechanism of Action:

Decoyinine is a plant growth regulator that promotes root branching in plants. Its mechanism of action can be summarized as follows:

• Promotion of Root Branching: Decoyinine significantly stimulates the branching of plant roots, which enhances nutrient and water absorption.
• Long Duration of Effect: The growth-promoting effects of Decoyinine last for up to 60 days, providing a prolonged effect on plant development.
• Stress Resistance Enhancement: Decoyinine improves the plant’s resistance to environmental stresses such as drought, cold, and other unfavorable growth conditions.
• Prevention of Lodging: By enhancing root growth, Decoyinine helps stabilize plants, reducing the likelihood of lodging (falling over).
• Disease Resistance: Decoyinine also boosts the plant’s disease resistance, helping to protect crops from various pathogens.

Applications:

Decoyinine is effective on a wide range of crops, with particularly significant results seen in rice cultivation:

• Rice: Decoyinine promotes seedling emergence, stimulates root growth, increases tiller number, and boosts plant height. It significantly increases the number of effective panicles and grains per panicle, leading to fuller grains and higher yields. Field trials have shown that Decoyinine can increase rice yield by more than 10%. Additionally, it enhances rice’s resistance to diseases and environmental stress, while improving milling yield.
• Other Crops: Decoyinine also shows notable growth-promoting effects on other crops, including chili peppers, bok choy, eggplants, cowpeas, garlic chives, chrysanthemum, corn, potatoes, soybeans, and cotton.

Application Methods:

• Seed Soaking: Decoyinine is typically applied as a seed soaking treatment, with concentrations ranging from 150-300 times dilution.
• Spraying: It can also be applied as a foliar spray to enhance plant growth.

Formulations of Decoyinine include soluble powders, soluble granules, seed treatment liquids, and soluble liquid formulations.

Registration Status: 

Currently, Decoyinine has two registered products in China:

1. 94% Decoyinine Technical (Product No. PD20212929)
2. 1% Decoyinine Seed Treatment Liquid (Product No. PD20212921)

These registrations mean that Decoyinine is now officially available for commercial use in the Chinese market, which lays the foundation for its broader application in agriculture.

Summary and Future Development:

As a new plant growth regulator, Decoyinine has shown great potential in promoting crop growth, enhancing stress resistance, and improving yield. Although there is limited published research on its mechanism, application scope, and interactions with other plant growth regulators, its unique properties and the promising results observed in trials suggest that it will attract significant attention once it becomes more widely available.

Given the relatively limited variety of plant growth regulators compared to herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides, the introduction of a new plant growth regulatory component such as Decoyinine offers more options for agricultural production. As research and understanding of Decoyinine continue to advance, its potential applications in agriculture will expand, contributing to greater food production and sustainability.

Overall, Decoyinine is poised to become a key player in the plant growth regulator market, offering significant benefits in terms of yield increase, disease resistance, and stress tolerance, while helping to meet the growing demand for efficient and sustainable agricultural practices.

The zero increase in pesticide use includes two aspects, one is the decline in the total pesticide use, and the other is the improvement of pesticide utilization. At present, manual sprayers are used in most areas. The amount of spraying is very large, and farmers are used to using a single drug, with poor effectiveness and larger input, but the utilization rate is only about 25%, and most of them are lost to soil or air.

Organosilicon additive is a polyether modified trisiloxane non-ionic surfactant. It is an agricultural auxiliary registration-free in its application. It is an efficient and environmentally friendly non-ionic surfactant with ultra-low surface energy. Due to its good wettability, scalability, permeability, good compatibility performance, foaming, foaming and anti-foaming effects, fungicides, microbicides (mites, thrips, red spiders, aphids), herbicides, leaf fertilizers, etc. can be added to significantly improve the utilization rate and application effect in chemical control, reduce pesticide delivery by 30% to 50%, effectively reduce pesticide residues, save water, reduce labor intensity, reduce drug efficiency. It has been widely used in agricultural production, bringing fundamental changes to the formulation and application technology of pesticides.

This article expounds the characteristics, applications and use methods of Organosilicon additives, hoping to help farmers have an in-depth understanding of Organosilicon additives and use them reasonably to reduce agricultural production costs and improve prevention efficiency.

I. Excellent performance of Organosilicon additives

Organosilicon additives mainly include the following three excellent properties: wettability, expansion and permeability.

1. Good wettability

The leaves, stems and epidermis of insects of plants often have anti-humidifying components or structures, and the leaves are often negatively charged, which is repulsive to pesticide liquids. Generally speaking, when the surface tension of the spray is lower than that on the surface of the blade, the spray absorbs and wets the surface of the plant. Conversely, the spray shrinks and accumulates on the surface of the plant, and the droplets sprayed on the surface of the target object will roll down.

The surface tension of organosilicon additives is extremely low, which can easily wet almost all kinds of plant leaves and pest epidermis, greatly improve the coverage and contact surface of the drug solution to the target organisms, reduce the loss of pesticides, and improve their utilization efficiency.

2. Super Expansion

Organosilicon auxiliaries have super expansion performance. After adding the additives, the expansion area is more than 10 times the pure water area. This performance can cover and adhere to the leaves with the maximum area of the sprayed liquid, and even allow the agent to enter the pests hidden on the back of the leaves or in the cracks of fruit trees, so as to achieve the purpose of direct contact with the liquid and even killing pests.

3. Excellent permeability

Stomata are one of the main ways for reagents to enter the plant. Organosilicon additives can effectively promote the penetration of the liquid into the epidermis through the pores, and the absorption speed is very fast. It is reported that organosilicon additives have a good synergistic effect on avermectin, which is mainly reflected in its ability to allow the liquid to enter the microscopic pest hiding place, followed by the leaf surface and into the plant epidermis part, prolonging the residual effect period of the agent, and this residual period is longer than that brought about by the use of mineral oil additives.

II. Application of organosilicon additives in pesticides

Organosilicon additives are used in pesticides and can be used as spray improvers, leaf absorption additives, activators, etc., and can be used in herbicides, leaf fertilizers, pesticides or growth regulators.

1. Application in herbicides

The pesticide is added with organosilicon. After the liquid is sprayed on the surface of weed stems and leaves, it quickly passes through the cuticle and cytoplasmic membrane, and finally transmits it to all parts of the plant. After weeds are injured, the stems and leaves are curved, deformed, and eventually die, which can significantly accelerate the speed and improve the prevention of weeds. At the same time, it can greatly reduce water use and save labor.

2. Application in leaf fertilizer

Leaf fertilizer is a fast and efficient way to supplement nutrients, but the impermeability of plant epidermis to inorganic nutrient ions is very detrimental to leaf fertilization, so fertilization through stomatal osmosis is a good way. Organosilicon additives can promote the absorption of plants through stomatal penetration and improve the utilization rate of fertilizers.

3. Application in growth regulators

Organosilicon surfactants can reduce the amount of use and improve the effect. For example, gibberellin is widely used in citrus, but it is easy to antagonize with citrus. The application of agricultural organosilicon additives can greatly improve the efficacy of gibberellin, and the dosage of gibberellin can also be reduced to 1/10. Adding organosilicon auxiliaries to azole can improve its moisture and efficacy, reduce the use of energistic azole, and reduce the cost of energicile azole.

2.4 Insecticides and mites

Application in the dosage

The stomata of insects are very similar to those on the leaf surface. Organosilicon surfactants can reduce the surface tension of the solution and penetrate into the insect trachea, making it of great significance as an insecticide additive and synergist. If the organosilicon additive is added, the effect of 20% butylthiogram Budweiser emulsion 45g/hm2 treatment on aphids is the same as that of the addition of the additive. The dosage of 75g/hm2 is equivalent, which can significantly reduce the actual field use dose of butylsulfek Budweiser emulsion by 20%.

III. How to use organosilicon auxiliaries efficiently

1. Dosage

Under normal conditions with a temperature of 25 °C and a relative air humidity of 60%, the amount of spray added to the herbicide is 0.05%-0.1% (1000-2000 times) organosilicon additives, and the dosage of herbicides is reduced by 30%, which is similar to the conventional dosage of herbicides. Under dry conditions, organosilicon add 0.1% of the spray amount of the herbicide solution can achieve a stable herbics removal effect.

The amount of insecticides and fungicides is 0.025%-0.1% (1000-4000 times) of organosilicon additives. The conventional dose for pesticides can increase the retention time of fog droplets, improve the dispersion of fog droplets, and increase the absorption of reagents, thus improving the efficacy of the drug.

The amount of plant growth regulator is 0.025%-0.05% (2000-4000 times) of the spray, and the amount of fertilizer and trace elements is 0.015%-0.1% (1000-7000 times) of the spray amount, which can improve the efficacy and fertilizer effect.

2. Principles of use (scope of use)

Organosilicon auxiliaries work well, but the price is also relatively high compared with other auxiliaries. Especially imported from abroad, it is about 100 yuan/kg, which is slightly cheaper in China, but it is also four times the price of conventional additives. Therefore, in the process of use, it is also necessary to pay attention to the principles of use, which works well and which are not necessary to reduce costs.

2.1 Try to use it on hard-wetting crops, and do not use wetting crops.

For vegetables and fruits that are easy to be wet, such as rape, celery, tomatoes, spinach, beans, peppers, etc., conventional additives can meet the requirements of moistening crops. In order to reduce costs, it is generally not necessary to use organosilicon additives; for some crops made of waxy layers such as rice, cabbage, wheat, sparrow wheat, etc., and those weeds without leaves, only green spikes such as canary flowers, violets, thatch, etc. The use of organosilicon auxiliaries can improve the efficacy and have a comprehensive prevention and control effect.

2.2 Crops suitable for hiding pests and diseases

When there are hidden pests or germs such as grapes, lychees, longan and other fruits or broccoli, add organosilicon additives and use its super paving ability to make the liquid penetrate deep into the back of the leaves or the pest cache of fruit trees, so as to eliminate pests or control germs.

2.3 Crops suitable for rainy areas

For some rainy areas, the use of organosilicon additives can maximize the moisture and spread of the liquid, enhance surface permeability, resist rain erosion, and greatly reduce the accidental flushing of expensive pesticides by rainwater, thus reducing agricultural capital.

2.4 Suitable for some ultraviolet sensitivitPesticides or spraying in strong summer light

For pesticides such as methylaminoavermectin benzoate and avermectin, they are sensitive to ultraviolet rays. The addition of organosilicon additives use their super-strong spreading ability and rapid almost instantaneous stotal absorption to avoid the photolysis of the liquid and the rapid evaporation and drying of the liquid, and promote the absorption of the liquid.

2.5 Pay attention to reasonable mixing

The use of some additives has an inhibitory effect on organosilicon; there are many dosage forms of pesticide products, and there are many types of additives or processing additives used in the dosage forms. Some emulsifiers are antagonistic to organosilicon and cannot be used together. In addition, acidic compound emulsifiers such as 2201# and 0206B# are also best not used, because they are not conducive to the stability of organosilicon-oxygen bonds.

IV. Precautions for use

1. Strictly grasp the use concentration and strictly control the dosage. The suitable concentrations for mixing organosilicon additives with different types of pesticides are: 0.025%-0.1% pesticides, fungicides 0.015%-0.05%, herbicides 0.025%-0.15%, plant growth regulators 0.025%-0.05%, and some powerful pesticides and herbicides should be taken to reduce their dosage to prevent drug pests.

2. It cannot be applied under high temperature conditions. When the temperature exceeds 30°C, it is best not to add organosilicon when spraying pesticides. At this time, the crop stomatal opening is large, coupled with strong activity of organosilicon auxiliaries, strong permeability and easy to cause drug harm to crops. When spraying medicine on the fruit tree, do not spray it directly on the fruit to prevent rust spots and rust spots. It is best to apply it after bagging the fruit.

3. Ready for use. Organosilicon additives are very easy to decompose under acidic and base conditions, and most pesticide preparations are obviously acidic. Therefore, organosilicon additives must be mixed with pesticides when using organosilicon additives.

4. Add an appropriate amount of antifoaming agent. Organosilicon additives are active and easy to produce excessive foam. When applied, it must be finally added to the sprayer bucket and avoid excessive stirring, which can reduce the amount of foam. Among them, the antifoaming agent composed of organosilicon-based emulsion particle silica is the best effect.

5. Selection of additives

The quality of organosilicon additives provided on the market is of different, and at least 90% of the active ingredient of trisiloxane polyether should be selected to ensure its excellent performance.

Organosilicon additives have very low surface tension, super paving ability and rapid absorption through pores. Rational use of organosilicon additives can reduce the amount of pesticides, improve the effective utilization rate of pesticides, reduce production costs, and reduce the environmental pollution of pesticides.

However, there are two aspects in everything. Improper application of organosilicon additives may also lead to drug harm, such as some crops with thin waxy layers and are prone to moisture, or unauthorized use concentrations to increase efficiency. In addition, the surface tension of organosilicon is extremely low and the permeability is strong. After entering the water, it is highly toxic to fish, which is easy to damage the gill function. After use, its farmland water prevents it from flowing into the aquaculture pond.

Therefore, when using organosilicon additives, you must keep in mind the amount of use, precautions and principles of use, make the best use of the goods, give full play to its due effect according to its use characteristics, and must not use it blindly.

For more details, please contact the sales dept for product information.

The years echo like a song, and gorgeous light shines around like a dream; the years flow like water, and the time swishes by. The year of 2022 was marked with an end of the epidemic control. This year was unforgettable for the country, difficult for foreign trade people, and even more challenging for Hongze people. However, we worked together and handed in a gratifying answer sheet while looking back at this moment.
In the afternoon of January 29, 2023, all the employees celebrated together, recalling the past and making plans for the future.

Heads of each department shared the achievements of the department during the past year and settled down the intentions for the coming year, and at the same time, put forward many suggestions and personal opinions valuable for the future development of the company.
After the expansion of the factory, the production has been greatly improved and the varieties have been updated continuously, which is the fundamental for Hongze people to deliver a perfect answer in the difficult year. In the future, R&D, technology and production will still be the top priorities in Hongze’s planning blueprint.

Sales will always struggle on the front line, and keeping a clear sense of the market needs could only be realized from the constant communications with all parties. The Sales Director shared the basic trends and sales results of each market for the whole year of 2022. The Head of Overseas company shared the market overview and demand shift of the neighboring countries in Southeast Asia during the epidemic. The Purchasing Director also made a detailed summary and conclusion of the major adjustments in the way the department worked in the previous year.
Finally, Mr. Chen Hong Hua, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Ms. Sun Lijuan, General Manager of the company, delivered speeches to recognize the efforts of everyone and motivate everyone to cherish the opportunities after the epidemic and move forward steadily in the coming year.

Then, in the much-awaited lucky draw, along with the opening of the red envelope, the lucky winners were all smiles.

In 2022, the team of Hongze is growing along with its performance, and fresh blood has been injected into each department. The future is always for young people. Coming along with the special social background of the epidemic, the newcomers all had a thousand emotions to share urgently after nearly a year of teamwork. They shared their unique insights from perspectives of personal, team, and the entire agrochem field. The meeting room was filled with applause for them.

2022 is a year of advancement and a year of harvest. After plant was expanded, redecoration of office is finished at the end of the year. The new office feels much more comfortable and convenient.

The plague of the epidemic has passed. There will be more opportunities in the coming year. We need to get ready for the coming opportunities right before they come. It is expected that the group could make steady efforts in the coming year, and continue to make progress.

Soil health for agriculture typically refers to the soil’s ability for good agricultural productivity and environmental protection. Healthy soil provides multiple functions to facilitate crop growth and development through nutrient cycling, regulation of other living resources supply, and biocontrol of pests. Healthy soil is the foundation of a healthy plant, a precondition to support agricultural productivity and sustainability.

Soil management practices can alter its health. Agrochemical giants and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been investing heavily in supplying products to improve the soil’s physical, chemical, and biological properties. In addition, they have announced different tools with specific functions in 2021-2022.

Specific microbes, one of the most efficient agents to solubilize soil Phosphorus

Phosphorus (P) plays a crucial role in plant growth and development. It is a structural component of many coenzymes, phospho-proteins and phospholipids, and is involved in the transfer and storage of energy for physiological activities. However, P is a major growth-limiting nutrient. Unlike nitrogen, there is no rich atmospheric source biologically available. There is abundant P in the soil, but plants take up soluble orthophosphate (H2PO4-and HPO42-), while the insoluble forms, taking up over 95% of the total P, cannot be utilized by them.

To increase plants availability, growers apply a significant amount of P fertilizers to the soil, leading to low use efficiency as they are adsorbed on the soil minerals, or get precipitated with Al3+ and Fe3+ in acidic and Ca2+ in calcareous or normal soil. This together with the rising fertilizer prices, creates the demand for fertilizer alternatives to increase the P use efficiency. In addition, certain microbes are considered one of the most efficient agents to solubilize P in the soil. Several microbial formulations have been launched these two years.

Bacteria-based ZOATIN, launched by UPL in India, solubilizes unavailable forms of phosphorous in the soil. Extensive trials have demonstrated that it improves root development, water use efficiency and crop resilience against stresses, such as drought. ZOATIN can be applied to a range of crops, including corn, rice, potato, pulses and vegetables.

In Brazil, De Sangosse launched soil conditioner SC5, which contains Pseudomonas thivervalensis strain SC5. The strain SC5 can produce gluconate, a major organic acid involved in the solubilization of mineral phosphate and other compounds such as ZnO. The bacteria also produce extracellular phytase, alkaline phosphatases and other enzymes involved in organic phosphate solubilization.

There are more products with the function of P solubilization. XiteBio Technologies Inc. has launched XiteBio Yield+ and XiteBio OptiPlus in the United States and Canada. Moreover, products formulated with Bacillus subtilis also solubilize P and improve its availability for plants.

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens act as both fertilizer and pesticide

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (BA) are common in soil ecosystems worldwide, actively at rhizosphere, and can be found naturally on fresh produce. We are frequently exposed to these bacteria. BA are not known to produce any toxins that affect mammals or plant growth.

Acting as both a fertilizer and pesticide, BA offer multiple benefits to crop production. BA consume organic matters secreted by plant roots and produce some substances that can be utilized by plants and boost their growth. These bacteria optimize nutrient availability, including the solubilization of phosphorus and potassium, as well as produce siderophores to acquire iron. BA also secrete phytohormones and volatile organic compounds that felicitate plant cell growth and root development, which will further enhance nutrient absorption. In addition, BA compete with pathogens for nutrients and produce cyclic lipopeptide, polyketide and other substances against pathogens. They also reduce the number of nematode egg masses and inhibit the hatching of eggs, which reduces nematode damage to crops.

BA are one of the most prospective bacterial species for plant growth facilitation, and several agrochemical giants and SMEs have registered and launched related formulations over the past two years.

Serifel provided by BASF contains the BA strain MBI600. BASF received label expansion in Canada, making Serifel available for use on potatoes to control early blight (Alternaria solani), and partially control soilborne rhizoctonia stem canker or black scurf (Rhizoctonia solani) in-furrow. Serifel can also be used on a range of fruiting, leafy, root and cucurbit vegetables, in conventional or organic farming. According to BASF, as a pure spore formulation, Serifel is the most highly concentrated biological fungicide on the market, with at least 5.5 x 1010 viable spores per gram being contained in the product, being effective at low application rates.

Bayer has received registration in China for Serenade SC, which is based on the BA strain, QST713. The product was registered in the country for the first time in 2019 as a biofertilizer. Its extended registration was approved for application to more crops in 2021, followed by its registration as a biofungicide later in the year, making the strain QST713, a product that can be used as both a bacterial fertilizer and pesticide in China. Bayer plans to use it for a wider scope of applications, covering the control of potato scab and other pathogens.

Koppert has launched the biological nematicide, Veraneio (BA UMAF6614 Universidad de Málaga), in Paraguay. The product is used as a seed treatment to control Pratylenchus brachyurus, Meloidogyne incognita and Meloidogyne javanica. Veraneio has shown good results in controlling nematodes in soybean. A study carried out in 46 experimental fields during the 2020/21 harvest in Brazil showed that Veraneio increased soybean productivity by up to 2.4 bags/ha when applied with the biofungicide and bionematicide, Trichodermil (Trichoderma harzianum).

BA can be applied with other microorganisms for soil health, and some companies have launched co-formulated products mixed with BA and other beneficial microbes. Protege, launched by ADAMA in Brazil, is based on BA, Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus velezensis, and is used as fungicide and nematicide mainly for soybean and sugarcane crops. NutriWise, launched by Performance Nutrition, contains BA, Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus subtilis, Trichoderma harzianum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as well as humic acids, iron and zinc, enabling it to improve nutrient use efficiency, soil fertility and soil environment for beneficial microbes.

Another product based on BA is biofungicide Bactel, launched by Dillon Biotecnologia in Brazil.

Digital technologies transform the decision-making capabilities of growers

The development of mobile technologies, remote sensing and computing technologies will increase growers’ access to the information about their soils and plants, helping them adjust farming practices in a timely manner.

Syngenta unveiled Interra Scan, one of the world’s highest-resolution soil mapping services, at Fields of Innovation 2022. The service provides precision soil analysis with high-resolution soil mapping of up to 27 layers of data on soil health. Growers can access high-resolution maps by computers via the Interra Scan platform. The system can reveal all common nutrient properties, including pH, soil texture, organic matter, carbon, cation exchange capacity, elevation and plant water availability, totaling over 800 data reference points per hectare. All the information helps growers optimize crop nutrition and soil health. Compared to other soil scanning tools, it enables a much-wider operating window for soil scans. Moreover, growers have flexibility when using the tool as it is not affected by soil moisture, compaction, crop cover or cultivation conditions. This service will be initially available to continental and eastern European growers.

In addition, Syngenta has launched the world’s first commercial digital tool to detect plant-parasitic nematodes in soybean crops by analyzing photographs taken from satellites. The tool utilizes a proprietary algorithm to analyze images of fields obtained by satellites, in order to identify areas of high infestations of harmful nematodes in crops, as well as estimate potential losses caused by them. Benefiting from this, growers can quickly optimize their use of inputs to minimum yield loss. Syngenta will initially provide this service in Brazil, the world’s largest soybeans producer, and there is also a great potential to release this solution in other countries.

Futureco Bioscience launched Genomaat, an innovative service that provides soil microbiome data, analysis and tailor-made microbial solutions to global markets. Genomaat utilizes high throughput technology to break down the soil biodiversity complexity into meaningful bio-functional parameters, uncovering the relationship between soil health and overall field performance. After a functional diagnosis, Genomaat will offer microbial solutions based on the company’s unique collection of microorganisms or the native flora of an analyzed plot, followed by an evaluation of improved functionality. It optimizes microenvironmental balance and facilitates the establishment and persistence of a proactive microbiota, leading to sustainable yield increases.

Table 1. Companies below have registered/launched formulations for soil health in 2021 and 2022

This article was initially published in AgroPages magazine 2022 Market Insight.

It is long-history tradition in Hongze Chemical to enjoy a wide variety of activities in both traditional Chinese and western cultures all through the year.

Christmas Eve in Dec

Wonderful team building day in Feb

Unforgettable Camp in Apr

BBQ in May

Dragon Boat Festival in June

Group travelling to Yunnan Province, Southwest of China in Aug

The production and supply of organic agricultural inputs are safeguards for the development of organic farming. In recent years, green pesticides and biological fertilizers have been a subject of research and development among the world’s agrochemical giants. Bayer, UPL and Corteva, in the past annual report, disclosed information on planned sustainable development. A major mainstream of these companies is to move forward towards transformative sustainable development, green agriculture and organic farming, which not only cover environmentally-friendly pesticides, biological fertilizers and biostimulants, but also includes the incentive measures to explore organic farming or low-carbon agricultural production.

Diversified product varieties and promotion of organic certification

The core competitiveness of bio-organic fertilizers, biopesticides and biostimulants, stands for the scientific and technological level of an enterprise. In recent years, agrochemical enterprises have gradually switched to diversification of product research and development, being very active in the promotion of organic certification.

Bayer’s biological crop protection portfolio encompasses more than 20 commercial and licensed products covering 60 million acres of field crops and high-value vegetables, which enable it to be an industry leader. Bayer’s recent launch of products, such as Flipper™ and Serenade™, provides an excellent pest control solution for its organic production system.

On December 29, 2021, Bayer launched its first innovative amino acid-based biostimulant, Anbishen, into the Chinese market. The product contains 19 kinds of amino acids that meet different needs of plants in different stage of growth, which improves the growing environment of plants. According to the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), the product is applicable to organic farming.

The biostimulant Yoduo®, invested and developed by Rotam (Europe), was released to the market in 2021 with the function to improve flowering and fruit setting, while Starstreak® is scheduled for market launch in 2022 with the function to facilitate growth of plant roots, both of which are registered for organic farming.

In China, Corteva has formulated a development strategy tailored to local conditions and released the company’s first corporate sustainability report last year. Up to date, Corteva, including its former company, has launched more than 30 types of active ingredients and more than 100 crop protection products. So far, Corteva has actively responded to the requirement of green food certification on the agricultural means of production.

At present, 20 products from Corteva have been certified by the China Green Food Association as specific green crop production inputs, which will help growers to reduce pesticide residues, while effectively controlling pests and diseases. It is reported that Corteva’s first biostimulant, UtrishaTMN, has been released to the North American market, which is also expected to be introduced into the Chinese market via an examination and approval process.  

Companies quickly stepping into organic farming through acquisition or collaboration

While competition in the agricultural materials market becomes intense, enterprises are faced with the challenge of resource optimization, where enterprises with the advantages of technology and supply chain may capture a larger market share and will expand their businesses. The acquisition and restructuring among enterprises, as well as the win-win collaboration, will inevitably become an industry trend.

The European YARA acquired the Finnish company Ecolan in 2021, which is regarded as an expansion of YARA’s organic fertilizer business. Ecolan started as a small-scale producer and has grown into Finland’s leading circular economy-oriented chemical company. After being merged by YARA, Ecolan’s technology and production have been extended to the international market. The circular economy plays an important role in improving the efficient use of the nutrients in organic fertilizers, which is one of YARA’s core competencies. YARA could improve its organic fertilizer production and optimization through strategic partnerships with waste management companies and food companies, coupled with Ecolan’s accumulated crop nutrition technology.

Earlier this year, Bayer and MustGrow signed an exclusive partnership agreement on joint sustainable development of organic biological products in Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. MustGrow has granted Bayer part of its intellectual property rights, having authorized Bayer the exclusive right in Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa of applications of MustGrow’s biological herbicides and potato storage technique (including sprout inhibition). Bayer is obliged to finance laboratory operation, farmland development, and regulatory compliance to promote the process of commercialization. The cooperation is expected to be a great facilitation to the research and development of biopesticides for plants and a natural defense regulating agents for vegetable seeds.

Last year, Syngenta acquired the biological company Valagro , while Vanguard purchased the biological inputs supplier Agrinos. Biopesticides and biostimulants are attracting increased attention, as more top leading companies are joining the competition in the biological market.

Due to the impact of the global pandemic and the energy crisis, organic inputs with economic value are destined to become increasingly appealing. Manufacturers’ production and supply are a strong driver in the development of organic farming. So, what are the views of our readers toward the organic farming strategy of manufacturing? How do you view manufacturers’ product research and development? What is your opinion of manufacturers’ market deployment? 

What are your activities in this field, AgroPages would like to include your practices and solutions in our publication.

Source: AgroPages.com

The process EPA uses for evaluating the potential for health and ecological effects of a pesticide is called risk assessment. This page provides a brief introduction to the Pesticide Program’s risk assessment program and includes links to additional information.

Risk assessment is crucial to the process of making decisions about pesticides, both new and existing:

New pesticides must be evaluated before they can enter the market.
Existing pesticides must be re-evaluated periodically to ensure that they continue to meet the appropriate safety standard.

The decision process is part of a risk management process, which is conducted in registration for new pesticide chemicals or new uses of existing chemicals, or registration review in the case of a general review of an existing chemical.On this page:

• Ecological risk assessment
• Human health risk assessment
• Assessing pesticide cumulative risk
• Models, databases, and guidelines
• For more information

Ecological Risk Assessment

EPA conducts ecological risk assessments to determine what risks are posed by a pesticide and whether changes to the use or proposed use are necessary to protect the environment. Many plant and wildlife species can be found near or in cities, agricultural fields, and recreational areas. Before allowing a pesticide product to be sold on the market, we ensure that the pesticide will not pose any unreasonable risks to plants, wildlife and the environment. We do this by evaluating data submitted in support of registration regarding the potential hazard that a pesticide may present to non-target plants, fish, and wildlife species. In addition, EPA reviews studies available in the open literature.

Planning – Planning and scoping process
EPA begins the process of an ecological risk assessment with planning and research.

Planning – Planning and scoping process
EPA begins the process of an ecological risk assessment with planning and research.
Phase 1 – Problem formulation
Information is gathered to help determine what plants and animals are at risk and need to be protected.
Phase 2 – Analysis
This is the determination of what plants and animals are exposed and to what degree they are exposed, and whether or not that level of exposure is likely to cause harmful ecological effects.
Phase 3 – Risk characterization
Risk characterization includes two major components: risk estimation and risk description. “Risk estimation” combines exposure profiles (i.e., the findings of exposure characterization) and effects from exposure. “Risk description” provides information important for interpreting the risk results and identifies a level for harmful effects on the plants and animals of concern.

For more information on ecological risk assessment in the Pesticide Program see:

For more information on ecological risk assessment in the Pesticide Program see:
A brief overview of ecological risk assessment
Technical overview of ecological risk assessment
Process for assessing pesticide risks to endangered species

Human Health Risk Assessment

A human health risk assessment is the process to estimate the nature and probability of adverse health effects in humans who may be exposed to chemicals in contaminated environmental media, now or in the future. Human health risk assessments address questions such as:

• What types of health problems are caused by pesticides in the environment?
• What is the chance that people will experience problems when exposed to different levels of pesticides?
• Is there a low level below which some chemicals don’t pose a human health risk?
• What pesticides are people exposed to and for how long?
• Are legal limits for pesticide residues in food (tolerances or maximum residue limits) protective of human health?
• Are people more likely to be susceptible or exposed to pesticides because of factors such as age, genetics, pre-existing health conditions, ethnic practices, gender, where they work, where they play, what they eat, etc.

EPA uses the National Research Council’s four-step process for its human health risk assessments:
Step 1 – Hazard Identification
Examines whether a substance has the potential to cause harm to humans and/or ecological systems, and if so, under what circumstances.
Step 2 – Dose Response Assessment
Examines the numerical relationship between exposure and effects.
Step 3 – Exposure Assessment
Examines what is known about the frequency, timing, and levels of contact with a substance.
Step 4 – Risk Characterization
Examines how well the data support conclusions about the nature and extent of the risk from exposure to pesticides.
For more information on human health risk assessment in the Pesticide Program, see:
A brief overview of assessing health risks from pesticides
EPA’s Risk Assessment Process for Tolerance Reassessment
Available information on assessing exposure from pesticides in food—A User’s Guide

Assessing Pesticide Cumulative Risk

The Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 required EPA to conduct a new type of risk assessment for pesticides that were found to have a common mechanism of toxicity. A common mechanism of toxicity is identified when two or more chemicals or other substances cause a common toxic effect(s) by the same, or essentially the same, sequence of major biochemical events. This new assessment is called a cumulative risk assessment and is designed to evaluate the risk of a common toxic effect associated with concurrent exposure by all relevant pathways and routes of exposure to a group of chemicals that share a common mechanism of toxicity. Read more about cumulative risk assessment.

Models, Databases, and Guidelines

The risk assessment process depends on having appropriate data and using well tested models. Data required for pesticide registration are found in 40 CFR Part 158. EPA also has guidelines for how testing is to be conducted, which are harmonized into a single set of guidelines to minimize variations among the testing procedures that must be performed to meet the data requirements under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) (15 U.S.C. 2601) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) (7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.).
EPA’s test guidelines also are harmonized with those established by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Harmonized test guidelines reduce the burden on chemical producers and conserve scientific resources, including the minimal use of laboratory test animals. They also form a basis for work sharing and cooperation among all OECD countries. EPA accepts data developed based on an OECD test guideline.

For more information on Models, Databases, and Guidelines in the Pesticide Program, see:
Information about EPA’s data requirements for pesticide registration
Listing of models and databases commonly used by EPA’s Pesticide Program
Harmonized test guidelines
Harmonized OECD test guidelines

For More Information

Risk Assessment
Human Health Issues Related to Pesticides