On May 10, 2024, ICAMA of the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs released the fifth batch of the new pesticides for registration in 2024, revealing 12 novel pesticides intended for registration approval. AgroPages noted that this batch of pesticides for registration includes nine product varieties containing three novel pesticidal active ingredients developed by Chinese companies – Pyraquinate, Flufenoximacil and Flusulfinam - which will receive first-time registrations in China.

In terms of product varieties to be registered, Pyraquinate registration involves one technical and one formulation, which are Pyraquinate 95% TC and Pyraquinate 5% OD; Flufenoximacil registration involves one technical and three formulations, which are Flufenoximacil 95% TC, Flufenoximacil 40g/L EC, Glufosinate.Flufenoximacil 18.79% ME and Flufenoximacil.L-Glufosinate 10.01% ME; Flusulfinam registration involves one technical and two formulations, which are Flusulfinam 95% TC, Flusulfinam 60g/L SL and Propanil.Flufenoximacil 23.2% ME.

Pyraquinate: An HPPD herbicide that is highly effective for controlling resistant barnyard grass and moleplant seeds in paddy fields

Pyraquinate, under the trade name Daoqingyang, is a novel targeting HPPD herbicide. With its outstanding control effect and being highly safe for rice, Pyraquinate is a breakthrough against the serious issue of insufficient safety affecting conventional HPPD herbicides on indica rice, offering a broad market prospect. 

Structural Formula of Pyraquinate

Pyraquinate is super systemic, being also remarkably effective against older weeds, with a satisfactory effect when controlling resistant moleplant seeds, barnyard grass, Leptochloa panicea, Eragrostis japonica, Leersia oryzoides and Echinochloa crus-galli. Pyraquinate takes effect quickly three days after foliar spraying, offering a long-lasting effect throughout the whole growth period of moleplant seeds, and being suitable to large-scale aerial applications on paddy fields with its much-simplified application technology. 

Pyraquinate is not cross-resistance with existing compounds, such as cyhalofop-butyl, penoxsulam, metamifop and quinclorac, and can be used as a resistance management tool to control gramineous weeds resistant to ALS, inhibitors, ACCase inhibitors and hormone herbicides, being an ideal substitute for conventional agents, with a high application value and origination value.

Flufenoximacil: A new-generation contact-toxic burndown herbicide with ultra-high activity

Flufenoximacil, under the trade name Kuairufeng, is a new-generation contact-toxic burndown herbicide . Also a PPO inhibitor, Flufenoximacil is a contact-toxic burndown herbicide with ultra-high activity that reduces the dosage of the active ingredient of burndown herbicides to gram-dosing levels. Its broader herbicidal spectrum offers an excellent control effect against more than 170 common weeds, including goose grass, nut grass, Bermuda grass and Alligator weed. Moreover, Flufenoximacil is not cross-resistance with existing mainstream herbicides, being highly effective against resistant goose grass and horseweed herb. It is also an environmentally friendly product allowing for flexible stubble arrangement, and its speed of action is rapid, taking effect on the day of application. 

Structural Formula of Flufenoximacil

In April 2022, Flufenoximacil was granted registration in Cambodia, its first registration in the world.

Flusulfinam: A new-generation amide-structured HPPD inhibitor herbicide

Flusulfinam, under the trade name Daopurui, is a new-generation amide-structured HPPD inhibitor herbicide , which can effectively control critical weeds in paddy fields, such as barnyard grass, moleplant seeds and crab grass that are resistant to ALS and ACCase inhibitors. Different from other HPPD inhibitor herbicides, Flusulfinam is extremely safe for rice, with no difference in safety to japonica rice and indica rice. 

(3-R)-enantiomer

(3-S)-enantiomer

Structural Formula of Flusulfinam

As a brand-new HPPD inhibitor (amide), Flusulfinam can inhibit the activity of the photosynthetic enzyme, which is key to regulating photosynthesis inside plants to hinder the conversion of its substrate into alkapton, therefore, causing the failed synthesis of tocopherol and plastoquinone, which impacts the synthesis of carotenoid inside target plants, leading to the yellowing and whitening of leaves. Therefore, the normal process of photosynthesis in plants becomes impossible, which eventually leads to their deaths.

Flusulfinam is stem, leaf and soil-active, and its rational mixed application achieves the dual effect of killing and sealing, which offers more options for resistance management in paddy fields. 

In April 2022, Flusulfinam was granted registration in Cambodia, the first registration in the world.