2023cpild

China Pesticide Industry Watch 49 SPECIALIZATION AND NOVELTY Sponsored by company's rapid development as driven by technical innovation. The company currently holds dozens of authorized patents, having participated in the drafting of many national industry standards, group standards and corporate standards. The company has actively carried out the school-industryresearch to ally with universities and research institutions, facilitating the company’s fast development through resource consolidation. The company has successively won the “high-tech enterprise” title, and the “special and professional little giant” honor. A postdoctoral research workstation has been set up within the company. At present, Lansheng Biotech has an annual production capacity of 8,000 tons of clethodim, which is planned to be added with another 5,000 tons in 2023 to have its industry-leading product quality and production capacity; Phase I of spirotetramat has an annual production capacity of 500 tons, which enables the company to be the first Chinese domestic manufacturer; Phase II is under planning to add another 1,500 tons. Production capacity of brassinolide and metribuzin will also be expanded as the market demand grows. Green chemistry representing social responsibility Green chemistry, also known as pollution-free and environmentfriendly chemistry, reduces or eliminates the use and generation of hazardous substances. Green chemistry involves organic synthesis, catalysis, biochemistry and analytical chemistry, covering many disciplines. Green chemistry advocates the use of chemical technologies and methods to reduce or terminate the use and generation of raw materials, catalysts, solvents and reagents, products and by-products that are harmful to human health, community safety and ecological environment. Lansheng Biotech adopts green reactions such as green catalysis instead of the traditional process, which shortens the reaction step, reduces raw material consumption, reduces or avoids the use of toxic and harmful raw materials and completely avoids the generation of large amount of waste from the source. Concerning traditional processes, technical personnel would continuously optimize of the production process to reduce raw material consumption and waste generation from the source. Meanwhile, various techniques are used for proper treatment, such that solvent and water are reclaimed while solid wastes are recycled and reutilized. Continuous production process leading agrochemical development Most Chinese pesticide technical manufacturers adopt the traditional batch process, which has a long period of production, high labor requirement, high energy consumption, unsatisfactory working environment and generation of a large amount of waste. Today, continuous production is a breakthrough in the limited production in batch, providing a high degree of automation, stable product quality, improved yield and increased output. In the context of the rapid and changing development of the industry, as driven by a strong sense of social responsibility and the sense

50 China Pesticide Industry Watch SPECIALIZATION AND NOVELTY Sponsored by of mission, Lansheng Biotech has utilized advanced technology and equipment at home and abroad to endeavor to develop a variety of new reaction equipment and separation device, having achieved the continuous production through its unremitting effort and hard try. The traditional clethodim production process faces the problems of unstable product quality, low yield, generation of a large amount of waste as well as higher cost of production. Through persistent testing, the complex synthesis process of clethodim is brought into a continuous run, stabilizing product quality, making the production process safer and more dependable, allowing for stable operation and easy management of waste treatment facilities. The continuous process effectively improves work safety and the greenness of chemical production. With the continuous production of clethodim technical, the product content is maintained stably at above 95%, whilst the degradation rate of downstream formulation products goes below 3%. To this end, Lansheng Biotech has become one of the few suppliers in the world capable of stable supply of highquality clethodim in large quantity. The main product features are as follows: 1)High content ≥ 95%; for formulating, it reduces the use of adjuvants, with good dilution stability and prolonged placement, free of tar. 2)Less impurities; single impurity less than 1%, with higher certainty (stability, formulating, efficacy). 3)Light color, slightly yellowish (gradually tending to colorless, as shown in the figure), presents an unmistakable appearance of formulations. 4)Low degradation rate. 5)Strong mixability, fit to mixing with other herbicides. 6)Direct export of a high-quality pesticide technical, reducing costs of transportation, tariff and production. 7)Fulfillment of foreign registration and procurement needs; Pirotetramat is a tetronic acid compound with a unique mechanism of action, and a bidirectional systemic insecticide that effectively controls piercing-sucking mouthparts. The R&D team of Lansheng Biotech has done in-depth research and design to develop a safe and environmentfriendly production process fit for mass production based on continued running of key steps to ensure stable product quality and achieve the reclamation of wastewater. Isoxadifen-ethyl is an Isoxazole safener, which can eradicate or reduce pesticide damage to crops without reducing the efficacy of pesticides, mainly used in corn fields and rice fields as a herbicide adjuvant. Since 2016, the company began its research and innovation process, having developed a highefficient, low-toxic and environmentfriendly synthesis process, which solves the problems of low yield, unstable product quality and waste treatment challenges. The process has realized zero discharge of wastewater, which also ensures the good quality of the product. At present, automatic control has been realized, and stable production is achieved. Formulators already use the product in mixing with nicosulfuron and Tembotrione, which ensure herbicide’s weed control effect in the field while also protecting crops from the possible pesticide damage. Making continuous innovation in advantageous industry sectors Lansheng Biotech’s competitiveness stems from its deep understanding of innovation and development. The company’s R&D team is constantly working on chemical synthesis and engineering innovation. The company applies the atomic economy-based scientific thinking, the philosophy and methodology of green chemistry, to redesign the chemical reaction in pesticide production and the combination mode in chemical engineering, having achieved key technological breakthroughs. The construction of the smart factory has contributed to the company’s rapid development. Up to date, the company’s four production lines have all been equipped with the MES systemsupported automated manufacturing process, which plays a guiding role in intelligent manufacturing within the agrochemical industry. Lansheng Biotech is prepared to continue its investment in green manufacturing to solve the bottleneck problems, striving to achieve the 2025 intelligent manufacturing initiative early. As the company’s overseas market deployment continues, Lansheng Biotech is determined to promote more products to the international market to contribute to global agricultural production. Lansheng Biotech’s clethodim technical 95% AP

China Pesticide Industry Watch 51 SPECIALIZATION AND NOVELTY Sponsored by

MICROREACTION Eastlake High-Tech: Application of microreaction, continuous flow technologies to improve quality of plant growth regulators nder the current background of "dual control of energy consumption" and "energy conservation and carbon reduction", safety and environmental protection are becoming increasingly stringent, which puts forward both opportunities and challenges for the Chinese agrochemical industry and the everlasting topics such as how to generate greater product value despite limited energy and resources. Ethephon is a major highly-efficient, low-toxic and broad-spectrum plant growth regulator. The national standard for ethephon is a content of 89% while the FAO standard is 91%. At present, the traditional batch production processes of ethephon bring problems such as insufficient production efficiency. Upgrading equipment and improving the production process remains a global priority. Microchannel reaction equipment and the related continuous flow reaction technologies are currently hot topics within the chemical engineering industry sector. So far, microchannel reactors are more often used for small-scale and pilot-scale research and development purposes. As the scale up of microchannel process is restrained by mass transfer techniques, heat transfer and engineering, it is difficult to scale up the microchannel reaction flux, resulting in less applications in industrialized production. The 10,000-ton-level high-flux production by the microchannel reactor is still a gap to be filled up in both local and international industrialized production. Over the years, Shaoxing Eastlake Hi-Tech Co., Ltd has been committed to the development and application of continuous flow technology, such as microreaction technology, having developed technologies for use in new scenarios. For more than 10 years, the company has been researching continuous flow technology, having achieved clean production and resource utilization during the production of ethephon. As a result, the company made an innovative achievement, which is a research program, entitled, “Continuous flow technology -based ethephon green process development and production industrialization,” that passed the technical achievement evaluation conducted by China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation (CPCIF) in May 2022. The evaluation committee decided that the overall technical level of this technical achievement has reached an internationally advanced level, stating that the research program created ethephon’s microchannel continuous flow technology, which is an overall upgrade in U

China Pesticide Industry Watch 53 SPECIALIZATION AND NOVELTY Sponsored by the production process of ethephon. The research program won the First Prize of the Pesticide Innovation Contribution Award of the 15th China Crop Protection Industry Association (CCPIA). Innovations of the research program 1. Researching continuous flow technology and developing the high-flux matrix reactor. During the program’s early stage and using imported single channel equipment from Ehrfeld, Germany, single-channel and multi-channel technologies were developed, which resulted in the formation of severalhundred-channel microchannel reactors, realizing the industrial application of the world’s largest microchannel reactor. Its overall technical level is world-class. 2. Development of the Ethephon microchannel continuous flow technology. In light of the difficulties that exist in the process of ethephon reaction, such as major heat release, unsatisfactory mass transfer and heat transfer, long reaction time, lower content of product and difficulty in post-treatment for separation, the research program developed a number of key technologies. The research program enables continuous production based on the ethephon microchannel for the first time in the world. The total content and yield of ethephon have been greatly improved, reaching the international leading level. The research program has authorized two invention patents globally, one invention patent in the US, one invention patent in the EU, 12 invention patents in China and three utility model patents in China. Features of the research program 1. High safety and good economic benefits. Compared with traditional technology, with just one single microchannel reactor, the new technology can supersede 52 sets of traditional reactors; the waste amount and safety risks are significantly reduced while the economic benefits are significantly increased. 2. Excellent energy saving and emission reduction effects. Compared with traditional technology, waste gas (VOC) emission and wastewater discharge are greatly decreased, energy consumption is greatly reduced, reaction time is shortened from several hours to several minutes, which is a geometrical decrease. 3. The technical level is worldclass. Currently, the application of microreaction technology has become a hot research topic within the global chemical industry. Ehrfeld Mikrotechnik GmbH is the first international, high-tech company to commercialize microreactor technology, being a pioneer and leader in the global microreaction industry sector. In 2017, Shaoxing Eastlake Hi-Tech Co., Ltd., seized the opportunity to acquire Ehrfeld, therefore, obtaining the world’s leading microreaction technology and application-related research, development and equipment manufacture capabilities. 4. Wide prospects for promotion and application. Microreaction technology can be widely used in organic synthesis reaction, as well as producing micro-nano materials and daily chemicals, especially to improve highly dangerous traditional chemical processes, providing considerable economic and social value. Due to its many advantages, microreaction technology can fundamentally propose solutions to solve the series of problems in traditional chemical industries, such as those related to work safety and resource consumption. AP

BIOPESTICIDE INDUSTRIALIZATION Qilu, industry leader of high quality spinosad ith the intensified prohibition and restriction of high-toxic pesticides worldwide and the consumer’s increased demand for healthy food, biopesticides have been proliferating in recent years. In the long run, biopesticides have a vast market potential providing considerable social, economic and ecological benefits, which play an essential role in safe farming. Currently, manufacturers are paying more attention to biopesticides. In addition, the research, development and application of high-efficient, low-toxic and pollution-free biopesticides have become a hot topic among the industry. Spinosad is a macrolide pollution-free and efficient botanical insecticide extracted by researchers of Dow AgroSciences from Saccharopolyspora spinosa fermentation broth. It is of contact and stomach toxicity, with the advantages of broad spectrum against insect pests while being safe to humans, non-target animals and the environment. It is biodegradable, not only highly insecticidal but also safe to beneficial insects and mammals, which is fit for application to pollution-free vegetables and fruits. According to the Chinese pesticide toxicity classification standard, spinosad is a low-toxic insecticide. It is relatively low toxicity to mammals and birds and is safe for aquatic life, making it the first choice for integrated pest management. Spinosad has a novel mode of action, which can continuously activate the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of target insects, but its binding site is different from nicotine and imidacloprid. It can quickly paralyze pests and eventually cause the death of pests; it can cause the quick death of target phytophagous insects such as caterpillars, leafworm, thrips and leafeating beetles. Spinosad is a mixture containing more than ten ingredients, mainly spinosad A and spinosad D. The ratio of spinosad A to spinosad D is represented by the α value of the product, where the higher the value is, the better the product effect is. Over the years, Qilu Pharmaceutical has adhered to the concept of green development. The corporate development goal of the company is to make continuous research, development, upgrading and production of green, high-efficient biopeptides to make “green spraying” to the crop fields and continue to build a solid ecological barrier to promote the green development of Chinese agriculture. Many Chinese enterprises have been developing spinosad, whilst Qilu Pharmaceutical has taken the lead in making technical breakthroughs. After more than ten years of research and exploration, Qilu Pharmaceutical (Inner Mongolia) Co., Ltd could overcome the process difficulties and successfully developed and commercialized production and supply of spinosad in 2017, having become the second manufacturer in the world to achieve commercialized production and supply of spinosad, enabling the company to become an industry leader in the Chinese market in respect of technical innovation, production and supply of the product. With the W

China Pesticide Industry Watch 55 SPECIALIZATION AND NOVELTY Sponsored by operation of its Hulunbuir production base, the production capacity of spinosad has exceeded 1,500 tons, tanking first in the world. The spinosad content of Qilu Pharmaceutical Group is as high as 93%, which meets the standard of veterinary drugs, with fewer impurities, which is good for formulation. Meanwhile, the α value of the product gets higher, which ensures the better effect of formulations. product applied in a timely manner, thus achieving the best effect. To control thrips, the best timing for application would be the beginning of the high incidence period of thrips; to control pests such as diamondback moth and beet moth, the best timing for application would be the young larval stage. Second, the dosage should be sufficient. Through the exploration of the marketing team of Qilu Pharmaceutical, it is noticed that the field application of spinosad must be sufficient. Taking Qilu spinosad formulation product as an example, which is usually used to control lepidopteran pests such as diamondback moth and beet moth, the use of 5 mL of 480 g/L of spinosad SC (Banzhi) per mu (1 mu = 1/15 hectare) will be desirable, added with water of 15 kg for an even spraying, at water consumption of 45 kg per mu; to control thrips, the use of 20-30 mL of spinosad 10% SC (Hanqingsu) per mu will be desirable, at water consumption of 45 kg per mu. For other types of pests, refer to the operation instruction manual or consult the retail store. Lastly, the optimum application would be a combination use. For different types of pests, a single-agent solution may not cause complete death of insects, which may reemerge and even become resistant. Therefore, it is recommended that spinosad is used through a combination to enhance the insecticidal effect and delay the emergence of resistance. Similarly, taking the spinosad formulation product as an example, to control thrips, the use of 10-20 mL of spinosad 10% SC in + 30 mL of emamectin benzoate 5.7% ME (Hongruida) per mu is recommended, at water consumption of 45 kg per mu, thus to kill pests more completely at even less amount of use, versus the use of spinosad alone or emamectin benzoate alone. Key indicators Qilu Other manufacturers 93-96% White crystalline powder ≥4.5 1,500 tons/year More than 90%. Yellowish brown powder ≥4 / Content(A+D) Appearance α(A/D) Capacity In 2022, Qilu Pharmaceutical Group stepped into the pesticide formulation sector by acquiring Anhui Huaxing Chemical. Hence, Qilu has been making continuous business deployment in the green biopesticide industry to establish a rich product mix, safeguarding China’s national food security strategic development and food safety initiative. At the same time, a wide range of spinosad formulations have been launched, including spinosad 10% SC (Huaxing, Laosha, Hanqingsu and Jitongling), spinosad 480 g/L SC (Banzhi, Jiwuming), spinosad 0.5% powder (Huaxing Gongcheng), spinosad.emamectin benzoate 20% (Wadun). These products provide growers with new choices for control of pests such as diamondback moth, prodenia litura, fruit fly and thrips, having contributed a lot to the development of Chinese green agriculture. As a botanical insecticide, spinosad is comparable to chemical pesticides in terms of the fast-acting effect and pest-killing rate. Nevertheless, to use spinosad reasonably and fully play its function for prevention and control, attentions need to be paid to the three aspects: Accurate timing of application, sufficient dosage and combination use. The first to apply the product at the right time. According to the growth stage of different pests, a sensitive period should be determined, and the AP

KingAgroot – Innovative flagship integrating compound creation and biotechnical breeding NOVEL COMPOUND n China, there is an innovative company, established only 15 years ago that has successfully launched 7 creative compounds with independent intellectual property rights. More than that, the company's work team has developed an herbicide-resistant patent gene, which is applied to various crop seeds and is commercialized globally. The company is one among five in the world capable of integrating compound creation and biotechnical breeding. That company is Qingdao KingAgroot CropScience Co., Ltd. Headquartered in Qingdao, China, Qingdao KingAgroot Crop Science Co., Ltd was founded in 2009 as a world-leading agricultural biotech enterprise committed to improving the efficiency and quality of global farming via new pesticide creation and biotechnical breeding, a contribution to the global food security initiative. Until the end of January 2023, KingAgroot Group has filed for 240 Chinese invention patents, 109 of which have been authorized. The company has also filed for 119 PCT international invention patents and an accumulated 1,239 patents in various countries through PCT or the Paris Convention, of which 185 have been authorized accumulatively. R&D is the key driver of future growth In China, KingAgroot established 7 commercial breeding stations, 6 pesticide test stations; the total lab area exceeds 70,000 sqm, and greenhouse area exceeds 100,000 sqm. KingAgroot has a global-leading R&D team (>850 R&D staff now), and the team member is expected to exceed 1,100 by the end of 2023. After years of development, KingAgroot has built three major innovative platforms, namely new compound innovation platform, biotech trait development platform and commercial breeding platform. Global-leading New Pesticide Innovation Platform KingAgroot has all-round R&D capabilities in herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and plant growth regulators. KingAgroot has successfully launched 4 patented herbicides in China, namely Cypyrafluone, Bipyrazone, Fenpyrazone and Tripyrasulfone. By the end of 2023, another 3 novel patented compounds Fluchloraminopyr-tefuryl, Flufenoximacil and Flusulfinam will be commercialized. New products such as 溴噁草松、氟溴 草醚、噁唑氟虫胺、甲氧嘧啶肟、噁唑草 啶 have entered the development stage. In the future, KingAgroot plans to develop 15 new herbicides, 10 new pesticides, 10 new fungicides, and 5 new plant growth regulators to inject surging impetus into global crop science. I

China Pesticide Industry Watch 57 SPECIALIZATION AND NOVELTY Sponsored by Global-leading Biotech Trait Development Platform KingAgroot has a complete transgenic and gene editing platform, which can realize the genetic transformation of 15 main crops. As to gene editing field, KingAgroot has developed two proprietary techniques, Cas9-mediated sequential editing (CSE) and gene knock-up (KSE). As to GM field, KingAgroot has developed proprietary genes resistant to our patented herbicides, Flufenoximacil and Fluchloraminopyr-tefuryl, as well as various new genes resistant to insects/diseases. The seeds of corn, soybean, cotton, canola and sugarbeet with herbicide tolerance, insect resistance and disease resistance will soon be globally commercialized to greatly improve global agricultural productivity. Commercial Breeding Platform Currently, KingAgroot has built 7 breeding stations in the 4 major corn production areas in China, and the whole process of corn breeding has been fully mechanized and informationized. In 2022, 21 new corn varieties independently developed by KingAgroot entered regional trial stage. Some varieties are expected to obtain certificate in 2024 and then successively access to market. In the future, the first batch of herbicide-tolerant crop seeds will cooperate with patented pesticides to improve global agricultural productivity. New compounds launched and to be commercialized by KingAgroot Structural formula of cypyrafluone KingAgroot Biological Testing Center Cypyrafluone Wheat Cypyrafluone is a brand-new HPPD inhibitor independently created by KingAgroot. It is the first HPPD inhibitor used in wheatfields to control grassy weeds, without cross-resistance with the current mainstream wheat herbicides. It effectively prevents and controls resistant and multiple-resistant grassy weeds such as amur foxtail, flixweed, chickweed and water chickweed. The creation and application of cypyrafluone is an essential milestone in wheatfield herbicidal development history, having been launched in China in 2018. In 2022, it was launched in Pakistan.

58 China Pesticide Industry Watch SPECIALIZATION AND NOVELTY Sponsored by Structural formula of tripyrasulfone Structural formula of flusulfinam Structural formula of fenpyrazone Structural formula of bipyrazone Bipyrazone Tripyrasulfone Fenpyrazone Flusulfinam Rice Cotton Bipyrazone is a brand-new HPPD inhibitor independently created by KingAgroot, safely used in a wheatfield for effective prevention and control of broad-leaved weeds such as flixweed, shepherd’s purse, sarson, chickweed, water chickweed, Lithospermum arvense and carolina cranesbill herb, without cross-resistance with the current mainstream wheat herbicides, having been launched in China in 2018. Tripyrasulfone is a brand-new HPPD inhibitor independently created by KingAgroot, which is used for the first time in a paddy field for post-emergence spraying of stem and leaf without cross-resistance with the current mainstream herbicides for control of rice grassy weeds. It is a top solution to multiple-resistant barnyard grass and mole plant seed and launched to the market in China in 2020. Fenpyrazone is a brand-new HPPD inhibitor independently created by KingAgroot, being a selective systemic benzoyl-pyrazole herbicide for use in a cornfield, with excellent control effect, without cross-resistance with nicosulfuron. It is very safe for corn and is flexible on after-reap crops, having been launched in China in 2020. Flusulfinam is a brand-new HPPD inhibitor independently created by KingAgroot for the effective control of barnyard grass, crabgrass, mole plant seed, and part of broadleaf and sedge weeds. It is active on the stem, leaf and soil. Unlike other HPPD-inhibiting herbicides, it is extremely safe for rice, same for japonica rice and indica rice, to be launched in China in 2023. 甲氧嘧草肟 甲氧嘧草肟 is the latest generation of synthetic hormone patent compound for effective prevention and control of resistant procumbent speedwell in a wheatfield. It can also be used in a rice field and cornfield to prevent and control broad-leaved weeds such as bamboo leaves, sheathed monochoria herb, alternanthera philoxeroides, dayflower and Commelina benghalensis, without cross-resistance with ALS, PPO and PSII inhibitors, to be launched in China in 2025. 氟溴草醚 氟溴草醚 is a soil sealant herbicide developed by KingAgroot for rice, wheat, corn, soybean, peanut and part of broadleaf vegetable crops. 氟溴草醚 is a latest FAT inhibitor, free of cross-resistance with the current mainstream agents. It can be used in rice transplanting, direct dry seeding and direct water seeding, with an excellent effect of sealing and controlling major grassy weeds such as barnyard grass, rice barnyard grass, mole plant seed and crabgrass as well as a part of sedge weeds. Meanwhile, it is effective against young weeds in the early stage after seedlings in paddy fields. 氟溴草醚 is expected to be launched in China in 2026.

China Pesticide Industry Watch 59 SPECIALIZATION AND NOVELTY Sponsored by Structural formula of fluchloraminopyr Structural formula of flufenoximacil Fluchloraminopyr Non-selective herbicides Flufenoximacil Insecticide Herbicides for commercial crops Fluchloraminopyr is a newgeneration systemic and long-acting burndown herbicide independently developed by KingAgroot. It is of a broad herbicidal spectrum for effectively controlling a large variety of glyphosate-resistant and tolerant weeds such as horseweed herb, dayflower, field bindweed, eleusine indica, lecrsia oryzoides and reed. It is effective against the tough shrubs and vines in woodland and nonarable land. Its effect remains stable even under the low-temperature weather condition while effect lasts 1.5 to two times that of glyphosate. Fluchloraminopyr was first registered in Cambodia in April 2022, and is to be launched in China some time in 2023. Flufenoximacil is a newgeneration contact-toxicity burndown herbicide independently developed by KingAgroot, and a PPO inhibitor with a wide herbicidal spectrum. It is extremely fast-acting, which takes effect on the same day it is applied while being flexible on after-reap crops. In addition, flufenoximacil has an ultra-high activity, which reduces the per-unit area use of the active ingredients of burndown herbicides down to gram level, being very environmentally friendly. Flufenoximacil is expected to be launched in China in 2023. 噁唑草啶 噁唑草啶 is the latest PPO inhibiting compound developed by KingAgroot, being an ultra-high activity contact-toxicity burndown herbicide. Its per-unit area use can be calculated at grams, being highly active against horseweed herb and eleusine indica. It is low temperature tolerant, with a broad herbicidal spectrum, free of resistance, being the latest burndown herbicide. It can also be used for PPO-tolerant crop fields, as a powerful solution for resistant weed management. 噁唑 草啶 is expected to be launched in China in 2025. 噁唑氟虫胺 噁唑氟虫胺 is the first patented compound created by KingAgroot in the insecticidal sector. This compound is a GABA-gated chloride channel allosteric regulator, being classified as IRAC group 30, which has a unique mechanism of action and is free of cross-resistance with other insecticides. 噁唑氟虫胺 is of both contact toxicity and stomach toxicity, being also systemic to a certain extent, fast-acting and can kill eggs. Its insecticidal spectrum covers Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Acarina (egg, larva, nymph, adult mites), Hemiptera (aphid), Thysanoptera (thrip), and etc. 噁唑氟虫胺 is expected to be launched in China in 2026. Broclozone Broclozone is the latest DOXP inhibition-based patent compound developed by KingAgroot, which is of both soil activity and stem leaf activity. It fits a wide application to many crops such as wheat, rice, soybean, cotton, garlic, peanut, watermelon, rape and cabbage, with a high applicability and after-reap crop flexibility. Broclozone can effectively solve the resistance problem from major weeds, including Italian ryegrass, cleavers, procumbent speedwell, water chickweed, wild oats, barnyard grass, nightshade, amaranthus retroflexus and purslane, without cross-resistance with the existing mainstream herbicides, being a powerful resistant weed management solution. Broclozone is expected to be launched in China in 2025.

SPECIALIZATION AND NOVELTY Sponsored by Advanced production and manufacturing capacity KingAgroot has two manufacturing bases in Huai’an, Jiangsu province and Weifang, Shandong province, respectively. Huai’an Manufacturing Base covers an area of >11 ha and total construction area of 40,000 sqm. As one of the earliest intelligent “black light factories” in the industry, the plant realized fully automated production throughout the whole process of manufacturing management, processing, packaging, storage and transportation by utilizing DCS remote control system and other systems. Weifang Manufacturing Base covers an area of 25 ha. The factory (Phase I) is designed to produce 3,500 tons of technical materials and 240,000 tons of formulations per year and the production capacity is expected to be further increased in the long term. The factory will be completed and put into use in the second half of 2023. Global marketing network layout Currently, KingAgroot is actively laying out the global marketing network. In China, our sales team is distributed in 28 provinces/ autonomous regions/municipalities, providing services to hundreds of millions of farmers. In overseas markets, Cypyrafluone series products hit the stand in Pakistan. KingAgroot has embarked on pesticide registration in various countries and regions including South Asia, Southeast Asia, Japan, Australia and South America. KingAgroot is deploying its proprietary pesticides and seeds in global markets. AP

China Pesticide Industry Watch 61 SPECIALIZATION AND NOVELTY Sponsored by

CAC Nantong: Cyproflanilide, a created novel insecticide with unique action mechanism yproflanilide is the first novel insecticide with independent intellectual property rights created by CAC Nantong Chemical Co.,Ltd (CAC Nantong), under the R&D code of CAC-I-785, the CAS registration number of 2375110-88-4 and the molecular formula of C28H17BrF12N2O2. Based on the broad spectrum, high activity and novel action mechanism of diamide compound, the researchers of CAC Nantong have made its systematic study. In the process of molecular designing, the cyclopropyl methyl in the structure of cyclaniliprole was brought into the skeleton of diamide. Through multiple rounds of optimization, cyproflanilide, a novel compound of high insecticidal activity and low toxicity on an aquatic organism, was discovered. Cyclaniliprole General Structure Cyproflanilide Broflanilide Cyproflanilide has a unique action mechanism. According to IRAC, it is classified as group 30, a γ- GAB-gated chloride channel allosteric regulator. It is highly efficient and low toxic, with a broad insecticidal spectrum, good penetrability, fast acting and long-lasting effect, capable of effective prevention and control of Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Thysanoptera pests. Broad insecticidal spectrum: Cyproflanilide can be used to control Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Thysanoptera pests. It has excellent control over Lepidoptera Chilo suppressalis, rice leaf roller, beet armyworm, Plutella xylostella, Spodoptera frugiperda, apple leaf roller, Coleoptera flea beetle and Thysanoptera thrips, especially the resistant Chilo suppressalis. It is a sharp tool for the resistance management of Chilo suppressalis. High biological activity and long-lasting effect: Cyproflanilide has excellent stomach toxicity, contact toxicity, good penetrability and systemicity. It is fast acting with quick effect and its use at low dosage offers excellent control effect. At the dosage of 15-60 gai/hm2 against Chilo suppressalis, especially the resistant Chilo suppressalis, it offers excellent control effect. At the dosage of 15-30 gai/hm2 , it gives an excellent control effect against rice leaf roller, with a longlasting effect. NOVEL COMPOUND C Cyproflanilide Creation Philosophy

China Pesticide Industry Watch 63 SPECIALIZATION AND NOVELTY Sponsored by Crop safety: Cyproflanilide is safe for crops and can be broadly applied to rice, corn, cotton, soybean, fruit tree and vegetable; safe for non-target organism. For resistance management: There is no cross-resistance between cyproflanilide and the existing insecticide varieties such as chlorantraniliprole and abamectin. Chlorantraniliprole is also effective in controlling rice stem borer and rice leaf roller. It is similarly effective against diamondback moth, beet armyworm, flea beetle and thrips, and can be used to control resistant pests on vegetables and fruit trees. Cyproflanilide’s field effect of control of resistant Chilo suppressalis is remarkable. Trials conducted by CAC Nantong in the regions of Jiangxi and Hunan with high resistance from Chilo suppressalis show that cyproflanilide’s effect of control of Chilo suppressalis at dosage of 30-60 gai/hm2 is equivalent to or even better than that of abamectin at 150 gai/hm2 . Cooperation between strongers to expand global market share In 2019, cyproflanilide was granted a Chinese patent (patent number ZL201811555432.3). In the same year, the Chinese common name was approved by the National Pesticide Standardization Committee. In June 2020, the English common “cyprofranilide” was ISO approved. In marketing cyproflanilide, CAC International opted for cooperation with Syngenta, the global agrochemical giant. In 2020, CAC International executed a formal contract with Syngenta Group China, having initiated the Cyproflanilide China Strategic Cooperation Program, which is a new cooperation in the development of cyproflanilide. In 2022, CAC International and Syngenta Crop Protection again signed the Cyproflanilide China Strategic Cooperation Agreement. As a leader in global crop protection, Syngenta is deeply involved in the global crop protection market for long years, possessing rich experience and leading advantages in new product development, promotion, marketing, sales and overall operation. At present, cyproflanilide registration is progressing speedily in China. The registration is expected to be granted in 2024, followed by a market launch. Launching the product will provide a solution to the pain point of the nonavailability of the right products in the Chilo suppressalis-resistant regions. With the advantageous cooperation and the professional service of the work teams of both parties, cyproflanilide is about to play a decisive role in the Chinese crop protection market, which is expected to hit a sale of RMB1 billion. The overseas marketing of cyproflanilide is also going on simultaneously. The compound patent has been filed in 10-plus countries or regions including the United States, Europe and Japan. In the meantime, CAC Nantong has made arrangements for patenting the cyproflanilide mixture, use, formulation, process, crystal form and intermediates, having formed cyproflanilide’s complete patent protection coverage whilst development, registration, and market launch in major overseas markets are in preparation. CAC Nantong has made remarkable achievements in product innovation, which decides the company’s leading position in the segment market. The successful creation of cyproflanilide well proves the company’s capability to achieve the development and market launch of products of independent intellectual property rights, which enables the company’s leap forward in development and a significantly increased industry position versus its past post-patent business operation status. AP

GREEN BIOMANUFACTURING Yonon: Production of L-glufosinate on multienzyme romoting reduced use of chemical pesticides and increased efficiency are the basics of food security assurance and inevitable requirements of green agricultural development. It is an important measure to ensure the quality and safety of agricultural products toward ecological civilization. At present, Glufosinate has become the world’s secondlargest GM crop-tolerant herbicide. For the first time, Yonon has upgraded the fermentation process for the production of L-glufosinate, which is not only a pursuit of excellent product quality and technological innovation but also a positive response to the call of the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture to promote the implementation of the “chemical fertilizer and pesticide use reduction and efficiency increase” initiative. L-glufosinate exists naturally and can be produced via the metabolism of the tripeptide compound Bialaphos inside plants. Nowadays, most glufosinate on the market is of the racemate. Studies show that the herbicidal activity of L-glufosinate is nearly twice that of glufosinate. Therefore, a scale-up promotion and application of L-glufosinate would reduce the amount of use by 50%, thus reducing the impact on the environment caused during farming activities. Moreover, L-glufosinate decomposes quickly in the soil, being less toxic to human and animal. From a policy perspective, the application of L-glufosinate aligns with the national policy of reduction in chemical fertilizer and pesticide use and increase in efficiency. It also aligns with the increasingly popular green development conception. Yonon is proud of being the first company in China to be granted registration of L-glufosinate formulation products. For a long time, chiral pesticide synthesis has been a hot research subject in medicinal chemistry. L-glufosinate has one chiral center, which is configured mainly in four ways: 1) Chiral auxiliary induction, which uses chiral auxiliaries to configure the chiral center through chiral induction; 2) Natural amino-acid chiral source, which is converted to cause acquisition of L-glufosinate, with the help of natural amino acids as the chiral source; 3) Asymmetric synthesis, through the catalytic asymmetric reaction of the chiral catalyst, the chiral center is configured; 4) The racemate resolution, which is done through the chiral resolution of the racemate. However, the current chemical synthesis of L-glufosinate faces the difficulties of a lengthy process, a complex synthesis route, low yield and expensive chiral separation reagents, which is a disadvantage to mass production. While no breakthroughs have been made in chemical synthesis, biocatalysis shows its potential to replace traditional chemical synthesis due to the advantages of strict stereoselectivity, mild reaction condition and high yield. With the team of Professor Wei Dongzhi, an expert in biocatalysis and biosynthesis, Yonon has conducted a dedicated research program, “Green Biomanufacturing and Application of Chiral L-glufosinate,” in virtue of Professor Wei Dongzhi’s 20-plus years of technical advantages of enzyme P

China Pesticide Industry Watch 65 SPECIALIZATION AND NOVELTY Sponsored by engineering and biocatalysis, coupled with Yonon’s accumulated experience in production and application of L-glufosinate. The research program concentrates on the critical technologies of green biomanufacturing of L-glufosinate. The research program has led to the innovative development of the high-activity, high-enantioselective enzyme customization and multienzyme self-assembly biocatalysis; the research program has created a high concentration of substrate and pure water reaction system. Through biocatalytic technology, nearly 100% of glufosinate racemates (D-Isomer and L-Isomer) are converted to L-glufosinate, which is of significant cost advantage. The technical level and quality of Yonon’s products have reached the international leading level, having formed the company’s technological innovation with independent intellectual property rights. The research achievement has been industrialized in Yonon’s Shangyu Factor in Zhejiang Province, where a new production line based on biocatalysis, with an annual 5,000-ton production of L-glufosinate, has been built. In 2020, Yonon’s L-glufosinate product Jinbaisu (L-glufosinate 10% SL) was successfully launched to market, which hit a sale of over 1,800 tons in just the first year, equivalent to a reduction of discharge of 680 tons of the inactive chiral D-Isomer to farmland; in the following year, the sale exceeded 5,000 tons. The product has won a lot of honors such as China’s Most Disruptive Crop Protection Product and China’s Originality Agrochemical Product. In the past three years, Yonon’s promotion team has worked closely with customers from all sales channels across the country to conduct a product launch, sample distribution, field demonstration, and technical training on scientific applications. The promotion team has also given publicity to L-glufosinate’s “efficient, low toxic, green and environmentfriendly” herbicidal concept, as Yonon’s positive response to the country’s agricultural development policy of “reducing the amount of use and increasing efficiency” as well as the “green prevention and control” guideline. So far, Yonon’s L-glufosinate 10% SL series have been certified with the China Green Food Production Means, which are granted registrations for application to citrus orchards, vineyards, banana orchards, cauliflower fields, cowpea fields and non-arable land. Applications to more crops are in the process of registration. Yonon is a high-tech enterprise that stresses on R&D and talent training, having established two technical research centers with high-level technical personnel and four production bases. Yonon has established longterm cooperation with Zhejiang University, East China University of Science and Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology. In 2021-2022, Yonon filed for 18 national and international invention patents. It has spent more than RMB100 million on new product registrations. It has committed a lot of manpower and resources each year to make continuous research and development of efficient, green and safe products. In the years ahead, Yonon will continue its investment in innovation, research and development in pesticide technical, particularly in herbicides, while being prepared to constantly explore and develop insecticides, fungicides and biopesticides. AP

CAPACITY FOCUS Lier Chemical: 20,000-ton L-glufosinate production capacity to start running soon -glufosinate is a typical non-selective herbicide. With the changes in the non-selective herbicide market in recent years, the traditional non-selective herbicide varieties have shown increased resistance, reduced cost effectiveness or trending of prohibition in some countries. At this time, glufosinate shows up as a mixture of L-Isomer and D-Isomer, each accounting for 50% while only L-Isomer is active. In the circumstance of the advocated “reduction of the use of fertilizer and pesticide and increase in efficiency of use,” it is imperative to develop L-glufosinate to support the green agricultural development initiative. Meiji in Japan and South Korea initially promoted L-glyphosate with a sale of about 100 tons in 2018 and 2019, respectively. However, due to the asymmetric catalytic process applied in its production, the cost was too high which restrained the production and sale volume. With the registration of Lier Chemical’s product, produced via patented new biological method with independent intellectual property rights, L-glyphosate is produced using glufosinate as a raw material under the catalysis of biological enzymes through chiral reaction, which enabled mass production of L-glufosinate. In theory, the weeding effect of L

China Pesticide Industry Watch 67 SPECIALIZATION AND NOVELTY Sponsored by L-glyphosate is twice that of glufosinate while the market price is only 1.5-1.7 times that of glufosinate. Therefore, after mass production is realized, L-glufosinate can overtake glufosinate in terms of weeding effect, pricing and environmental contribution. To realize the rapid growth of L-glufosinate; reduce the cost of farmer’ application; respond to the national policy of reducing pesticide and fertilizer use while increasing the efficiency of use to support the green control initiative, Lier Chemical has participated in the development of L-glufosinate. It has commissioned the L-glufosntae project in Hunan Lier Biological, a subsidiary of Lier Chemical in Changde, Hunan, where the 20,000- ton L-glufosinate capacity will be built in July 2023; It is estimated that in the second half of 2023, 7000-8000 tons of L-glyphosate capacity will be released to market. In the next three to five years, the demand for L-glyphosate is expected to increase significantly. At the same time, the breakthrough of new processes, the reduction of production costs and the completion of registration will gradually replace glufosinate and some other non-selective herbicides. In all probability, in the future, Lier Chemical will deploy 100,000 tons of L-glufosinate in Jingzhou, Guang’an and other bases according to the market situation, to promote the rapid development of the L-glufosinate industry to benefit global agricultural production. AP Shanghai IPRO-DVA Inspection Technology Co., LTD Shanghai IPRO-DVA Inspection Technology Co., LTD is the largest demostic third-party institution in China, specializing in the quality inspection of exported chemicals (pesticide, fertilizer, etc.), food and agricultural products with CNAS (ISO/IEC 17025) and CMA certificates. Our Services Sampling Inspection and Cargo loading supervision Pre-Shipment Inspection for exported chemicals (pesticide, fertilizer, etc.) Quality inspection for food and agricultural products Development and validation of analytical method Our Partners Helen Zhao Tel: +86-21-67291008 Fax: +86-21-67291003 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.ipro-dva.com Contact

Red Sun: Diquat dichloride aims to create new burndown herbicide market trend SYNTHESIS PROCESS A new series of opportunities for burndown herbicide development The rapid and thorough weeding effect of paraquat is well known, making it a widely used product in agricultural production. However, due to its extreme toxicity to human and lack of dedicated antidote, the sale and use of paraquat aqueous solution was banned in China on July 1, 2016. Since then, the ban has been extended worldwide. In Vietnam, paraquat was banned in March 2017, while in Thailand and Brazil, it was banned from December 2019 and 2020, respectively. As a substitute for paraquat, diquat has made a return in the market. Diquat is a burndown herbicide with contact toxicity that was developed and launched to market in 1958, which can be used in non-arable land weeding, as well as cultivated land protection against weeds. It can also be used as a crop seed drying agent. It offers fast weeding and is passivated rapidly in soil, being widely applied to directional weeding in croplands and orchards. It is effective for controlling annual weeds, such as eleusine indica, horseweed herb, crab grass, purslane, Conyza bonariensis, aglaonema and Equisetum ramosissimum, and is also effective against perennial weeds. Diquat used to be a highly regarded burndown herbicide, until paraquat was introduced in 1962, which occupied a much higher market share than diquat, as the cost of diquat is higher than paraquat. With the ban of paraquat in China and other countries in 2016, a big gap is left over in the burndown herbicide market. Hence, a new round of opportunities of development of diquat has ushered in. At this time, the development and market launch of Red Sun’s diquat dichloride is expected to break into the existing market of burndown herbicides and bring benefit to farmers around the world. A more cost-effective highefficient burndown herbicide - diquat dichloride Diquat can be divided into diquat dichloride and diquat dibromide. Diquat dibromide was commercialized earlier, and is the common variety commercially available on the market. Diquat dichloride is made using dibromide monohydrate solution as a raw material, while chlorine gas is used as and oxidant for oxidization of bromine ion to generate bromine, resulting in diquat dichloride. Diquat dichloride has a better cost advantage than diquat dibromide under the same conditions, with an efficacy level 1.4 times the level of diquat dibromide. Diquat dichloride has a wide herbicidal spectrum, which can effectively control most annual broadleaf

China Pesticide Industry Watch 69 SPECIALIZATION AND NOVELTY Sponsored by weeds and part of grassy weeds, with an excellent effect in terms of controlling the worst weeds in crop fields and against weeds resistant to glyphosate. It is also a fast-acting product, being superior to other herbicide varieties, and has low residue, being passivated and detoxicated in soil while being friendly to the environment and having good fertilizer and water retention. Diquat dichloride is widely used in crop drying, which is beneficial to stubble cleaning and drying, helping improve land utilization, increasing yield, facilitating agricultural mechanization and saving farming costs, being an excellent product variety to replace paraquat and glyphosate. It also helps solve the high-cost issue of applications in favor of farmers. Breaking through paraquat industry chain dominated by foreign companies After 10 years of considerable efforts, in 2016, Nanjing Red Sun independently developed a new green diquat dichloride production process using its industrial chain advantages. The difference between diquat dichloride and diquat dibromide lies in their different cations in the functional group of the product from the process of synthesis. In the past, diquat dibromide used 2-Chloropyridine as the starting material, being synthesized in two steps, catalytic coupling and salt-forming reaction, reacted with 1,2-dibromoethane and compounded into diquat dibromide. The total yield of the reaction is as high as 86%, generating 2.0 tons of wastewater per ton of product and 0.6 tons of zinc chloride waste. Red Sun’s newly developed diquat dichloride production process is a breakthrough against the 60-year domination of the dehydrogenation coupling technology by European and American companies. Red Sun’s production process reduces the cost of diquat by 20% to 30%, generating considerable profits for manufacturers and retailers. Currently, Red Sun has filed for a patent for its diquat dichloride technology, being an exclusive manufacturer of diquat dichloride in China and a legally qualified producer of diquat dichloride mother liquor and soluble concentrate. Chongqing Huage Biochemical, a subsidiary of Red Sun, has a production capacity of 20,000 tons of diquat dichloride converted to 100% content. In 2022, market sales exceeded 2,000 tons valued at RMB200 million. In China, the company’s diquat dichloride has overtaken the diquat dibromide market and parts of the paraquat market. Red Sun’s diquat dichloride has the following 7 major advantages: 1.Certificate advantage Diquat dichloride is a pyridine herbicide independently developed by Red Sun. In terms of mother liquor, Red Sun is the only diquat dichloride 42% mother liquor registrant (registered in May 2018 under No. PD20181694). In terms of formulations, Red Sun’s diquat dichloride 20% SL was granted registration in March 2020, under No. PD20200072. 2.Raw material advantage The intermediate of diquat dichloride is 2,2’-Dipyridyl. Red Sun has a large production capacity of this intermediate, with an obvious raw material advantage. 3.Cost advantage To achieve the same weeding effect, the cost of diquat dichloride is much lower than diquat dibromide. At same cost of application, the weeding effect of diquat dichloride is considerably better than diquat dibromide. 4.Capacity advantage Red Sun is the largest diquat technical manufacturer in China and owns the entire industrial chain, covering the raw material, intermediate, technical, formulation and terminal markets, offering the advantages of cyclic production and ecological protection. Red Sun has established a new diquat industrial chain with independent intellectual property rights. When the production of diquat dichloride and diquat dibromide are both running, the production capacity of diquat is 20,000 tons (converted to 100% content), which will account for more than half of the global diquat production capacity.

70 China Pesticide Industry Watch SPECIALIZATION AND NOVELTY Sponsored by 5.Herbicidal activity advantage Diquat dichloride is made from diquat dibromide by replacing bromide ions with chloride ions. As the oxidation of chloride ion is stronger than bromine ion, the replacement of bromide ions in diquat dibromide by chloride ions makes the newly produced saline in diquat dichloride more active. 6.Production process advantage Red Sun has successfully created a new diquat industrial chain with independent intellectual property rights, which is a leading production process, being environmentallyfriendly and safe with less waste discharge. 7.Application technology advantage In recent years, Red Sun has conducted thousands of field demonstrations on diquat dibromide, and mastered the method for using diquat across the south and north of the country. Red Sun has largely solved the problem of the resumed growth of the grass family, using different diquat formula combinations during different time periods, representing a technical backup for the company’s development of diquat dichloride. In terms of the overseas marketing of diquat dichloride, diquat dichloride is currently undergoing trials in Vietnam, its registration in Paraguay has been completed, its registration process, in cooperation with a multinational company in Brazil, is in progress, and its registration applications in other countries are underway. Premium customers are welcome to cooperate in the registration process. In the coming years after its corporate restructuring, Red Sun will continue to focus on diquat dichloride, which is the major and exclusive product variety for the company, and will promote the product in the international market. Red Sun is working hard to regain the eighth place in terms of global pesticide production, by virtue of its five new technologies and products:, which are nano pesticide, diquat dichloride, 2,2’-Dipyridyl, L-glufosinate and Chlorantraniliprole. If its plan progresses smoothly, Red Sun’s Phase I Chlorantraniliprole will enter production in May this year, followed by the operation of Phase I L-glufosinate in June. AP

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NICHE APPLICATION Fosetyl-aluminium: Focusing on European wine grape market, Limin’s product concept upgraded Fosetyl-aluminium: Wide application with great market potential Fosetyl-aluminium is an organophosphorus high-efficient, broadspectrum, systemic and low-toxic fungicide. Besides its good fungicidal effect, the product has the function of induction of plant resistance to disease. In recent years, its market demand has grown with great potential. Fosetyl-aluminium is bidirectionally systemic, both acropetal and basipetal, which can be absorbed by crop roots to ascend to the stems and leaves above ground. It can also be absorbed by upper leaves to descend to the base foliage, being concurrently protective and curative. Fosetyl-aluminium has a broad fungicidal spectrum, effective against diseases caused by downy mildew, phytophthora pathogen and plasmopara, such as vegetable and fruit tree downy mildew, blight, pineapple heart rot, citrus root rot, stem rot, grass stem rot and red pulp. It is applied to a wide range of crops, including various melons, fruits, vegetables and flower plants. Europe is a key market of Fosetylaluminium, mainly used to control wine grape downy mildew. According to Customs data sorted out by AgroPages, China’s main destinations for the export of Fosetylaluminium in 2019 included France, Spain, Italy and Portugal. In recent years, new applications of Fosetyl-aluminium have been discovered, such as its use in the premium cash crop avocado. To this end, market demand for Fosetyl-aluminium has increased significantly. Currently, China has a production capacity of roughly 20,000 tons Fosetylaluminium, of which Limin Group possesses 12,000 tons, ranking far ahead in production output. According to AgroPages, in 2019 China exported nearly 9,451 tons of Fosetylaluminium, with an export value of about $27.68 million, of which Limin Group took up nearly 50%. To shape Fosetyl-aluminium’s international product quality and supply advantage Limin Group is a global leader in the Fosetyl-aluminium production process and production volume. In 2020, Limin Group decided to develop Fosetyl-aluminium and spent RMB230 million on the launch of a 12,000-ton Fosetyl-aluminium technical upgrading project. It aimed to upgrade the company’s existing superior product variety and further enhance its core competitiveness in fungicides. Limin’s Fosetyl-aluminium project construction started in February 2021. The

China Pesticide Industry Watch 73 SPECIALIZATION AND NOVELTY Sponsored by project adopted the micro-reaction, closed separation and drying process, which is fully automatic. It is implemented with the idea of a cyclic economy and clean production, where all economic and technical indicators have reached advanced international level, fully achieving the goal of full green cyclic development. While project construction was going on, Limin Group achieved the international standard accreditation of its Fosetyl-aluminium, a breakthrough in its effort on overseas registration. In December 2021, the Fosetyl-aluminium (TC, WP) standard submitted by Limin Chemical passed reviews twice conducted by JMPS experts. It was approved as an equivalent FAO standard, facilitating Limin’s further product marketing in overseas markets and its international brand building. In April 2022, after a year’s construction, Limin’s Fosetylaluminium technical upgrading project passed the examination by the pilot production experts, and officially put into a trial run. The project adopts a new production process, where the change from batch run to continuous run increases the yield from reaction while reducing loss from production, which is positively impacts the cost reduction. Moreover, the new process enables the recycling of by-products and the renovation of environmental facilities. This paves the way for stable production at the designed capacity. So far, the trial production has been completed, all the processes, technologies and equipment have been validated. The product verification for key customers was completed by the end of the fourth quarter of 2022 and was already brought to full capacity production. At present, Limin’s Fosetylaluminium product sales have been secured via signed contracts, mainly for export to the European wine region. In addition to the Fosetylaluminium technical, Limin’s Fosetylaluminium formulation series, such as 80WP, 80WDG and 90SP are well received in the European market. Product concept upgrade, supported by mancozeb Limin Group is a modern corporate group integrating the research and development, production and sales of pesticide (veterinary drugs) technical and formulations, being one of the Top 50 Pesticide Enterprises in China. Its product portfolio covers three major categories, including fungicides, insecticides and herbicides as well as veterinary drugs, with a territory of trade covering more than 80 countries and regions. Mancozeb is the first business signage of Limin in the Chinese domestic and international market, based on which Limin has succeeded in the independent or collaborative development of various fungicides such as pyrimethanil, zineb, propineb, Fosetyl-aluminium, chlorothalonil and azoxystrobin. These products form a synergistic effect with the existing mancozeb in product mixing, product marketing and complementation of disease prevention and control. In 2017, Limin Group acquired Shuangji Chemical, which enabled the consolidation of China’s production and marketing of mancozeb and dithiocarbamate fungicides, having become the world’s second-largest supplier of such products. In 2019, Limin Group acquired Hebei Veyong through an equity purchase, which realized an all-round product line extension from fungicides to herbicides and insecticides. The acquisition also allows utilization of Hebei Veyong’s overseas registration deployment to consolidate further Limin’s major overseas markets, such as the United States and Brazil. At present, Limin has successfully built up its biological smart manufacturing system and green chemistry research platform, which are concentrated on fermentationbased biosynthesis to shape a phosphorus-grade product portfolio based on glufosinate, Fosetylaluminium and fosthiazate, a sulfurgrade chemical series based on zineb, propineb and lime sulphur, as well as a fluorine chemical series based on lithium battery materials. AP

Pilarbio: Working imaginatively on CS – an innovative cuttingedge formulation he pressure of chemical pesticides on human and animal health and ecological environment has become an increasing concern among governments and international organizations around the world. As part of the goal of environmental conservation, improving the effectiveness of pesticides and the sustainable development of agriculture require higher standards for pesticide formulations and application technologies. Pesticide microencapsulation is one of the measures used for improving the utilization rate of pesticides. This technology uses macromolecular organic materials and utilizes the microcapsule preparation technique to encapsulate chemical pesticide molecules, to improve the lasting effect of pesticide formulations through balanced control via rapid and slow release. Pesticide microcapsule technology can also reduce the amount of pesticides used while improving the utilization rate of active ingredients, therefore, greatly improving the utilization rate of chemical pesticides. These advantages have attracted the attention of pesticide formulation research and development practitioners from around the world. Over the past 10 years, the Chinese pesticide industry has advanced rapidly, with cutting-edge formulation technologies, such as microencapsulation, progressing significantly and becoming one of the fastest growing types of formulation. Accordingly, the CS formulation has become one of the most effective pesticide formulations today. Since 2011, Pilarquim has focused on researching microencapsulation technology for chemical pesticides, with an emphasis on a differentiated development strategy. The company has grown into an international industry leader in pesticide microencapsulation, through its continued work on the innovative development of pesticide formulations, having successfully marketed the high-quality formulation products of Chinese brands to the global market. As one of the drafters of the industry standard for lambda-cyhalothrin CS, Pilarquim has conducted in-depth research on lambda-cyhalothrin CS, covering different contents, control targets, mixture varieties, seed treatment application agents and soil insect control. The research carried out by the company enabled it to discover and highlight all functions of lambdacyhalothrin CS. In 2014, Pilarquim launched its first CS product, PILARMD (lambdacyhalothrin 23%), which became highly regarded by users after it was released in the market. Since then, Pilarquim has worked on the development of lambdacyhalothrin CS and launched several related products, creating its strong product portfolio for the lambda-cyhalothrin CS series. MICROENCAPSULATION T

China Pesticide Industry Watch 75 SPECIALIZATION AND NOVELTY Sponsored by The CS agent produced by Pilarquim has excellent particle size distribution at the optimal particle size (BOD) suitable for uptake by creatures. The CS agent can also ensure proper spreadability on crops or pests to maintain its quick effect. During the early stage, the control release technique of Pilarquim is a zero-level release, which is identical to the release mechanism of regular products aimed at maintaining quick effect. In the later stage, the release technique is level release, which ensures a lasting effect. Syngenta is the first company in the world to produce lambda-cyhalothrin CS formulation. By consolidating the microcapsule technology of Zeon in Japan, Syngenta developed the first synthesized lambda-cyhalothrin + thiamethoxam formulation (ZC) in China. Pilarquim further optimized the technique to synthesize a brand-new mixture ZC product, PILARCLOTRIN, which is based on lambda-cyhalothrin + clothianidin. PILARCLOTRIN offers the respective advantages of lambda-cyhalothrin and clothianidin, which are appropriately combined to have the maximum cotoxicity coefficient, therefore, killing insects more quickly, while the microcapsule technology prolongs the lasting period of PILARCLOTRIN. The mixture can, therefore, effectively reduce the amount of product used and increase efficiency, which is the distinctive feature of the microcapsule technology. In 2021, Pilarquim made one more technical breakthrough in the microencapsulation development, which solved the problem of skin irritation caused by lambda-cyhalothrin to sensitive people during spraying. The new PILARCLOTRIN uses a patented irritation-reducing technique, which adds a special capsule wall material to initially coat the agent while using algae extracts to modify and upgrade the original capsule wall material, having effectively solved the problem of skin irritation. In 2021, Pilarbio, a new group, was established after the integration of Pilarquim’s domestic, overseas and other specialized subsidiaries. Over 10 years of continuous research in microencapsulation technology, Pilarbio developed its technical origination system, including its insecticide-oriented “microcapsule step release” technique, fungicideoriented “twice film formation” technique and herbicide-oriented “wait-for-weed” technique, which uses different production processes, capsule materials, or release curves against various compounds to achieve desired results. The technology has become the core competitive advantage of Pilarbio. Currently, Pilarbio possesses four major product series, which are a fungicide microcapsule series, an insecticide microcapsule series, a herbicide microcapsule series and a seed treatment microcapsule series, which are based upon lambda-cyhalothrin, S-metholachlor, prochloraz and abamectin. Today, more than 20 products have been registered or are waiting for registration approval. With the granting of overseas registrations for a large number of microcapsule products, Pilarbio’s microencapsulation technology has already gone global. In 2021, lambda-cyhalothrin CS was released in the Brazilian market, and over the next three years, more than 20 new microcapsule products are expected to be released to markets both home and abroad. Going forward, Pilarbio is prepared to maintain its R&D spending at more than 4% of annual sales, which will target the following key areas: Moving from slow release towards controlled release; environmentally-friendly material that will supersede synthetic wall materials to reduce the disposal of microplastics in the environment; formulas to be customized for different application scenarios; safer and more environmentally-friendly preparation methods; and scientific evaluation criteria. PILARMD’s Particle Size Distribution Microscope Photos of PILARMD (lambda-cyhalothrin CS 23%) AP

Chengdu New Sun: Making breakthroughs in industrialized application of plant growth regulation coronatine, first time in the world n recent years, extreme weather has occurred more and more frequently, causing intensive abiotic stresses on global agriculture. The abiotic stresses such as drought, high temperature, chilling injury, and salt injury are restraining the regular growth of crops, which reduce seedling tolerance, plant disease resistance, vegetative growth and reproductive growth, resulting in loss of crop yield and decline in quality. Plant growth regulators are usually used to induce a crop’s capability of stress resistance. However, most plant growth regulators have minimal functions and have a concentration requirement. Therefore, the discovery of the jasmonic acid signal molecule regulator coronatine is of significance to improve food security and the healthy and sustainable development of global agriculture. Bacterial toxins are usually the secondary metabolites of microorganisms. These active substances can interfere with the regular physiological function of plant cells or can directly kill cells. Plant pathogens use a series of bacterial toxins to inhibit the host defense to achieve the purpose of infection of hosts. In 1977, Ichihara and others isolated a compound from the culture solution of Pseudomonas syingaepv. acropurpurpurea, a non-host-specific bacterial toxin that can cause verticillium wilt in various plants named coronatine. Through years of study, researchers found that coronatine has functions similar to abscisic acid and jasmonic acid, which are of physiological functions such as regulation of growth, inhibition of aging, promotion of cell differentiation, increase in chlorophyll content and plant adverse resistance. Coronatine is an analogue of the plant hormone methyl jasmonate (MeJA) (Figure 1). As an environment-friendly biological plant growth regulator, coronatine needs only a very low concentration to function. Its biological activity is 100-10,000 times that of methyl jasmonate. Coronatine signal molecules can regulate many physiological and biochemical processes, such as plant growth and development and adversity stress via jasmonic acid approaches. Hence, coronatine Figure 1 Structural comparison of coronatine and methyl jasmonate PGR INDUSTRIALIZATION I

China Pesticide Industry Watch 77 SPECIALIZATION AND NOVELTY Sponsored by has a broad application prospect in defoliation, excessive growth control, weeding, promotion of coloring, sugar degree enhancement, lowtemperature seed germination, stress resistance, disease resistance and insect resistance. First coronatine fermentation line established Since the discovery of coronatine, it has been a hot subject of research in plant hormones as to how pure coronatine can be obtained. Due to its complex synthesis process, high cost and difficulty in industrialization, the application of coronatine is quite restricted. After nearly 20 years of scientific research, Chengdu New Sun, along with the Plant Growth Regulator Engineering Research Center of China Agricultural University, has had a series of achievements in the industrial production of coronatine: Application of transposon induced mutation and genetic recombination to construct a high-yield genetic engineering strain of coronatine, which is five to ten times higher than the yield level was reported at home and abroad. A fermentation process was established and optimized, which, after trial production under five tons and 20 tons of liquid fermentation, enabled a shortened fermentation period by seven to eight days, A largescale concentration and purification process based on membrane filtration and activated carbon adsorption has been established, where the fermentation broth passes through an ultrafiltration membrane and a nanofiltration membrane to remove impurities such as bacterial body and macromolecular protein, thus obtaining the concentrated solution of coronatine for use in preparation. By adding activated carbon into the concentrated solution for the purpose of adsorption and desorption, above 50% coronatine crude and above 95% pure coronatine is further obtained. Based on the above technical achievements, in 2021, Chengdu New Sun established the world’s first coronatine fermentation line in China, which solved the problem of potency and yield of fermentation of coronatine from the source. Accordingly, the industrialized production of coronatine is realized in terms of fermentation, extraction and reduction of cost of production to the needs of mass production and promotion for scale-up application. Significant quality and yield increase for field crops In May 2013, after being approved by China Standardization Technical Committee, Chengdu New Sun took the lead in validating the global Chinese common name of coronatine. In terms of the end use of coronatine, Chengdu New Sun’s researchers have developed coronatine 0.006% green soluble concentrate formulation, which has reported a stable performance, having solved the problem of poor stability of biological regulators. Coronatine’s new Figure 2 Effect of coronatine with seed coating on germination rate of soybean Figure 3 Effect of coronatine with seed coating on germination rate of soybean CK Seed coating 200g + 0.05ml COR Seed coating 400 400 0 400 CK COR 10 15 10 10 Seed coating 200g + 0.1ml COR Seed coating 200g + 0.5ml COR Seed coating 200g + 1ml COR Simplified Vigor Index Seed coating 400 + COR 10 Seed coating 400 + COR 15 COR 10 Seed coating 400 CK 20 19.5 18.5 17.5 16.5 19 18 17

78 China Pesticide Industry Watch SPECIALIZATION AND NOVELTY Sponsored by functions have been discovered through continuous development of application scenarios, such as the enhancement of crop’s salt resistance, drought resistance, high (low) temperature resistance, disease resistance and retarding of cotton growth, promotion of defoliation and ripening. Critical technologies for field crop application have been established, which led to the readiness for coronatine’s industrialized production and field application simultaneously. On September 3, 2021, the Institute for the Control of Agrochemicals of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (ICAMA) approved the registration of the coronatine 98% TC and coronatine 0.006% SL filed by Chengdu New Sun New. This meant that coronatine, the epoch-making novel plant growth regulator, is officially granted registration for the first time. So far, Chengdu New Sun has successfully launched to market its coronatine 0.006% SL. Presently, the application of coronatine to soybean, corn, cotton, wheat and rice crops has been significantly effective in quality and yield increase. In terms of seedlings, coronatine seed coating can promote soybean germination and sound seedling under low temperatures. The results of the indoor germination experiment show that the use of coronatine 0.006% COR with seed coating agent to treat soybean can promote the germination rate of soybean seed under 50C lowtemperature condition and improve the root vigor of soybean seedlings. The combined use of coronatine with a central element water-soluble fertilizer and seed coating agent in soybeans can improve the soybean’s low-temperature resistance and emergence rate. It is effective in controlling soybean root rot, and also effective to a certain extent against soybean brown streak, target disease and soybean aphid. Under high salt stress in a cotton field, the use of coronatine 0.10.1 μmol/L can reduce the hydrogen peroxide content in cotton leaves to reduce leaf damage. Cotton seed soaked in coronatine 0.01 0.1 μmol/L for 12 hours can improve the vitality of seeds under salt stress to promote germination and seedling growth, enhancing the salt tolerance of cotton seedlings. The field trial for cotton yield increase via the use of coronatine formulation shows that the plant stem diameter, the number of cotton bolls and the weight of cotton bolls in the coronatine-treated area have all increased. Figure 4 Effect of coronatine on cotton saline tolerance Figure 5 Effect of coronatine on rice ear length Coronatine can be applied to seed dressing before sowing and be sprayed at the rupturing stage and the full heading stage. The results of the rice field demonstrative trial show that the emergence in the coronatine-treated area is higher, where seedlings are thick and robust, with increased ear length at the mature stage, increased number of grains per ear and 18% yield increase. The head rice rate, amylose and protein content of rice are also improved. COR Other product Untreated control

China Pesticide Industry Watch 79 SPECIALIZATION AND NOVELTY Sponsored by Figure 6 Analysis results of experiment of improving quality and increasing yield of rice by coronatine Emergence Rate (%) Plant Height (cm) Yield (kg) Head Rice Rate (%) COR 91.7 55.9 119.7 11.6 128.5 10.9 603.3 8.1 511.1 7.6 88.3 49.7 CK COR CK COR CK Amylose Content (%) Protein Content (%) Besides the field crops, Chengdu New Sun’s application of coronatine has played a vital role in promoting coloring, and sugar degree enhancement in favor of citrus, grape, tomato and apple, which can effectively promote the uniform coloring of fruits and increase the sugar content by 2 ° in average, whilst fruits ripen 7-10 days ahead of time. The company is currently conducting continuous in-depth research and transformative field applications concerning defoliation and weeding. In the years ahead, the innovative applications of coronatine are bound to play an active and extensive role in improving global food security, agricultural product output and quality. They will set off a new round of scientific and technological innovation to drive the advancement of agricultural production and technical development worldwide. Chengdu New Sun is determined to play its sustained and fundamental role in solving the problems of the food crisis, food production and food security. AP

Feature: Fluorine pesticide intermediates The linkage in the industrial chain

FLUORINE INDUSTRY CHAIN China Pesticide Industry Watch 81 Fluorine pesticide intermediates: Global output reaches $3.5 billion, key factor in supply chain stability here are various methods used for the research and creation of novel pesticides, among which, fluorine is a very special and preferred chemical element, due to its high levels of lipid solubility, stability and permeability. Fluorine pesticides use fluorine atoms or fluorine-containing groups to replace other groups on the aromatic rings and heterocycles of pesticide molecules. Because of the presence of fluorine-containing groups in fluorine-containing pesticide molecules, fluorine pesticides can significantly increase pesticide activity while being low toxic and environmentally-friendly, with good application prospects and high added value, therefore, becoming one of the key factors in the development of pesticides across the world. Over the last decade, the world’s fluorine-containing pesticides have developed rapidly, valued at some $60 billion in the global crop market. Its estimated total output value from applications to fluorine intermediates of chemical pesticides is roughly $3.5 billion, while fluorine-containing pesticides account for approximately 30% of overall pesticide sales, covering the development of many new applications, as well as those of old products. The combination of these new and old products has drawn the industry’s attention to fluorine chemicals. In addition, all fluorine-containing intermediates are relevanct to all downstream fluorine-containing pesticides, the upstream fluorinated intermediate structure and the industrial chain, having become a key factor dominating the supply, cost and stability of downstream fluorine-containing pesticide products. Manufacturers of fluorine-containing intermediates must focus on adapting to the development dynamics of novel fluorine-containing pesticides. Rapid growth of fluorine-containing pesticides Total varieties in use Varieties released in last 10 years Varieties released after 90s 2019 global sales T

FLUORINE INDUSTRY CHAIN 82 China Pesticide Industry Watch According to incomplete statistics, among the some 650 pesticides currently used in the crop protection industry, there are around 170 fluorinecontaining pesticide varieties, accounting for about 26% of total. Among them, some 332 varieties were released since the 1990s, including roughly 124 fluorine-containing pesticide varieties, accounting for more than 37% of total. Over the last 10 years, 90 pesticide varieties were released, including some 54 fluorine-containing pesticide varieties, accounting for 60% of total. In 2019, the total global sales of fluorine-containing pesticides were roughly $16 billion, accounting for 32% of total global pesticide sales, but also covering the development of many novel products. Distribution of fluorine-containing pesticide applications At present, fluorine-containing pesticides in application are divided, by type of structure, into fluorine-containing aromatics, fluorine-containing aliphatics and fluorine-containing heterocycles. Among them, fluorine-containing aromatics account for 50%, fluorine-containing aliphatics account for 28% and fluorine-containing heterocycles account for 22%. According to analysis, 28 fluorine-containing pesticides that were newly developed from 2016 to 2020 include a total of 42 configurations, covering 17 fluorine-containing aromatics accounting for 40%, 15 fluorine-containing aliphatics accounting for 36% and 10 fluorine-containing heterocycles accounting for 24%. Classification of fluorine-containing intermediates In recent years, with the development of the fluorinecontaining pesticide industry, fluorine-containing intermediates, which are raw materials for the synthesis of fluorine-containing pesticides, have gradually shown great potential for growth, becoming key ingredients for research of research institutes and enterprises. In contrast to the proportion of fluorine-containing pesticide varieties, according to incomplete statistics, by structure, fluorine-containing intermediates can be divided into aliphatics, fluorobenzenes, benzotrifluorides and fluorinecontaining heterocyclic compounds. Fluorine-containing aromatics account for 50%, fluorine-containing aliphatics account for 28% and fluorine-containing heterocycles for 22%. Classification of fluoride-containing pesticides Structural classification of fluorine pesticides Structural classification of newly developed fluorine-containing pesticides, 2016 to 2020 Fluoride-containing pesticides are widely used. Currently, hundreds of fluoride-containing products have been developed, including herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, acaricides, nematicides and plant growth regulators, whose percentages of use are shown in the chart above. According to statistics, herbicides account for some 40% of fluoridecontaining pesticides; insecticides account for 25%; fungicides account for 17%; acaricides account for 9%; nematicides account for 2%; plant growth regulators for 2%; and others for 5%. Among these categories, fluoride-containing herbicides are mostly made up of fluorine amides and isoxazole herbicides, and fluorine-containing insecticides are mostly neonicotinoid insecticides, pyrethroid insecticides and diamide insecticides, while fluorine-containing fungicides are divided into fluorine-containing SDHI fungicides, triazole fungicides and benzamide fungicides. Structural classification of fluorine-containing pesticides

FLUORINE INDUSTRY CHAIN China Pesticide Industry Watch 83 In China, hundreds of fluorine-containing intermediates have been developed by leading enterprises distributed mainly in the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Liaoning and Jiangxi, while a small number of producers are also distributed in Shandong and Henan. The major production capacity and output of fluorine-containing intermediates in China are as follows: 120,000 tons of production capacity of aromatic intermediates with an actual output of 50,000 tons; 20,000 tons of aliphatic intermediates with an actual output of 10,000 tons; and 3,000 tons of heterocyclic compounds with an actual output of 2,000 tons. These figures highlight the fact that aromatic intermediates are the leading category fluorine-containing intermediates. Distribution of applications of polyfluoride atom pesticides contains 11 fluorine atoms in its molecular structure with excellent insecticidal properties, offering wide market potential and being expected to hit annual sales of $850 million. Volume distribution of fluorine intermediates Structure of broflanilide *Note: Since its patent has just expired, generic production has not yet ramped up; off-patent pesticides within 3 years of expiration are counted as within patent period. Classification of pesticides containing more than 6 fluorine atoms in structure In general, with the increasing number of fluorine atoms, the lipophilicity of fluorine-containing molecules will also increase, as well as their ability to penetrate into biofilms. This allows for better penetration into lipophilic wax, stratum corneum and chitin surface barriers. An analysis also found that most compounds containing more than six fluorine atoms in their structure are insecticides (53%) and acaricides (22%). For example, diamide insecticide broflanilide that was launched in 2020 is a novel insecticide jointly developed by Mitsui Chemicals and BASF, and Major fluorine-containing pesticide varieties - patented pesticides Based on the growth potential of novel fluorine-containing pesticides, patented pesticides can be divided into blockbuster products, key products and expected products. • Blockbuster products - SDHI fungicides, such as fluxapyroxad, benzovindiflupyr and fluopyram, which are fungicides with a compound annual growth rate of 21.9% in recent years. While their patents are about to expire, there is still great potential for growth. • Key products - Flonicamid and sulfoxaflor, which are highlyefficient insecticides with novel mechanisms of action, have witnessed explosive growth in the terminal market in recent years. • Expected products – Mefentrifluconazole, BASF’s epochmaking new product, is scheduled for release in more than 50 countries, and is expected to hit annual sales of $1 billion. Hot Florine Product Sales Value (in 100 mio) Year Patent Valid or Off-Patent * 4.94 1.55 1.9 0.6 1.65 New release 2.64 1.34 1.84 0.55 1.6 New release 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 / 2019 2019 2019 2018 2019 / Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Fluxapyroxad Bixafen Sulfoxaflor Flonicamid Fluopyram Mefentrifluconazole Benzovindiflupyr Sedaxane Tembotrions ORONDIS Pyroxsulam Broflanilide

FLUORINE INDUSTRY CHAIN 84 China Pesticide Industry Watch Major fluorine-containing pesticide varieties - generic pesticides Generic fluorine-containing pesticides are sold widely but are very different from each other. Manufacturers may choose product varieties for development according to their means of profitability and depending on business volumes and profit margins for off-patent product varieties. Lambda-cyhalothrin (cyhalothrin), as a representational old fluorine-containing pesticide variety, has maintained high sales for many years, with a production capacity of more than 10,000 tons in China and cyhalothrin being its key fluorine-containing intermediate. Picoxystrobin, which already shows promising market growth potential in its valid patent period, is a generic product already produced by many companies around the world, with 2-fluoro-6- trifluoromethylpyridine being its key intermediate. While flubendiamide is subject to a proposed ban and sales have declined in some countries, a certain market space still exists, as its largest market is in Brazil, where soybean is the major crop for application. Therefore, the impact of the proposed ban will be limited. Hot Florine Product Sales Value (in 100 mio) Year Patent Valid or Off-Patent * 7.17 2.49 5.7 2.36 3.3 1.93 1.65 6.44 2.49 4.09 2.17 2.93 1.7 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 No No No No No No No No No No No No No Lambda-cyhalothrin Flufenacet Fipronil Fluroxypyr Flubendiamide Clodinafop-propargyl Haloxyfop-R-methyl Trifloxystrobin Picoxystrobin Epoxiconazole Flumioxazin Florasulam Chlorfenapyr AP

FLUORINE INDUSTRY CHAIN China Pesticide Industry Watch 85 TRUSTCHEM® Group founded in 1996 and HQ in Nanjing, China. We are a high-tech pesticide enterprise with integrated capabilities of R&D, custom production and global market development. Our pesticide export business has been ranked among the top 20 in China for five consecutive years. TC 2,4-D-2-ETHYLHEXYL ESTER HALOXYFOP-R-METHYL IMAZAMOX PROTHIOCONAZOLE METHOXYFENOZIDE PINOXADEN HALOSULFURON-METHYL TRIBENURON METHYL FLUMETSULAM FLORASULAM IMAZALIL FORMULATION PINOXADEN 50G/L+ CLOQUINTOCET-MEXYL 12.5G/L EC BUTACHLOR 600G/L EC GLUFOSINATE AMMONIUM 30% SL IMAZAMOX 70% WDG, 40G/L SL FLUMETSULAM 80% WG LAMBDA CYHALOTHRIN 100G/L EC EMAMECTIN BENZOATE 10% +LUFENURON 40% WG THIAMETHOXAM 115G/L+BIFENTHRIN 75G/L SC THIAMETHOXAM 250G/L+ LAMBDA CYHALOTHRIN 250G/L SC IMIDACLOPRID 600G/L FS DIFENCONAZOLE 250G/L+PYRACLOSTROBINE 150G/L SC AZOXYSTROBIN 120G/L+TEBUCONAZOLE 200G/L SC IMAZALIL 40G/L+TEBUCONAZOLE 60G/L+THIABENDAZOLE 60G/L FS METHOMYL 90%SP 2 R&D and 1 QC centers 3 Manufacturer plants in China 9 Companies worldwide 50+ Countries direct operation 150+ICAMA & global registrations Our main products www.trustchem.com +86 13805169527 狄慧萍 (总经理) Susan Dee (General Manager) [email protected]

FLUORINE INDUSTRY CHAIN 86 China Pesticide Industry Watch Sinochem Lantian: Exploringintoaliphatic  fluorine industry chain Important properties of fluorine-containing aliphatic intermediates There are various types of fluorine-containing pesticide intermediates, which are divided by structure into aliphatic fluorides, fluorobenzenes, trifluorotoluene and fluorine-containing heterocyclic compounds. Aliphatic fluoride varieties are less in number, and trifluorotoluene-contained intermediates are generally classified as trifluorotoluene intermediates because of their trifluoromethyl-like structure and performance. The aliphatic fluoride, trichlorotrifluoroethane, is used for the production of cyhalothrin, tefluthrin, bifenthrin and bifenthrin; chlorodifluoromethane is used for the production of flucythrinate, brofluthrinate, primisulfuron(methyl); and ethyl trifluoroacetoacetate is used for the production of thiazopyr. Fluorine-containing intermediates and fluorine-containing pesticides can be subdivided into a number of subindustries, with each having its own development features while being complementary to each other. Fluorine-containing aliphatic intermediates are not the largest variety in the entire fluorinecontaining intermediate industry, but have important properties. Firstly, aliphatics are truly derived from the fluorine chemical industry chain. Although fluorinecontaining aromatics also contain fluorine atoms, their fluorine atoms are mostly hydrogen fluoride or potassium fluoride. The relation between fluorinated chemicals and fluorine-containing aromatics is typically reflected on the upstream atoms of fluorinated chemicals, while the fluorine atom and carbon atom in the fluorine-containing aliphatic series are developed mainly from the entire fluorine-containing industrial chain. Secondly, fluorine-containing aliphatic intermediates are particularly easy to overturn. During the process of fluorination of nonfluorine-containing heterocycles, the fluorine-containing intermediates of the aliphatic series may need to be cyclized. However, it is difficult to predict the role played by aliphatics in the process of cyclization, which may again overturn other products. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the industrial features of the fluorinated chemical industry is required to better master the relationship between fluorinecontaining aliphatic intermediaterelated industries and agrochemical industries. The price trends of fluorinecontaining aliphatic intermediates and fluorinecontaining pesticides can run in parallel or go their own way As shown in the figures shown above, the relationship between

FLUORINE INDUSTRY CHAIN China Pesticide Industry Watch 87 fluorine-containing aliphatic intermediates and fluorinecontaining pesticides may appear similar to the relationship between lambda cyhalthrin acid and lambda-cyhalothrin, or can appear similar to the relationship between 4-(Trifluoromethyl) nicotinic acid and flonicamid, trifluoroacetic acid and chlorfenapyr, or between trifluoroacetic acid, Ethyl 4,4,4-trifluoroacetoacetate and thifluzamide, with each going their own way. In most cases, the probability of this happening is higher. A relationship running in parallel reflects the strong correlation between intermediates and downstream pesticides. For example, the relationship between 4-(Trifluoromethyl)nicotinic acid and flonicamid is a one-onone upstream and downstream relationship, where the prices of the two are strongly correlated. On the other hand, enterprises have been making consolidations between the upstream and downstream. For example, lambda-cyhalothrin is an application of lambda cyhalthrin acid, but most pesticide manufacturers produce their own lambda cyhalthrin acid. Going one’s own way refers to a “one to many” relationship between intermediates and downstream pesticides. Taking trifluoroacetic acid as an example, there are dozens of downstream applications of trifluoroacetic acid, with many factors affecting pricing, and different upstream and downstream industrial chains are independent of chlorfenapyr. Therefore, there is no strong correlation between the two. Moreover, due to the descending effect passed on by the upstream industrial chain, such as the key intermediate ethyl acetoacetate of thifluzamide whose raw material is trifluoroacetic acid, changes to price are passed on to the downstream, causing a stage-by-stage decrease due to different cost proportions. Utilizing advantages to form fluorine-containing pesticide upstream and downstream collaborations The synthesis of fluorinecontaining aliphatic intermediates with fluorine-containing pesticides is a significantly different technical process. The synthesis of fluorinecontaining aliphatic intermediates also creates hazards, such as high temperatures, high pressure, toxic materials and gas phase reactions. In addition, special materialmade equipment is required for special types of reaction. The most important aspect of the pesticidal fluorine atom is its strong penetration capability and the fact that it can pass into the cell membrane of the target body layer-by-layer, which is a difficulty that discourages many downstream manufacturers from trying. There is a certain degree of technical difficulty in pesticide manufacturers’ production

FLUORINE INDUSTRY CHAIN 88 China Pesticide Industry Watch of fluorine-containing aliphatic intermediates towards the upstream, or intermediates manufacturers’ production of fluorine-containing pesticides towards the downstream. Therefore, pesticide manufacturers’ production of fluorine-containing intermediates towards the upstream is not a desirable approach for advancing the fluorine-containing pesticide industry. From a corporate development perspective, the difficulties in the areas of marketing, technical upgrading, research and industrialization are increasing at every stage, but risks are controllable. Currently, Chinese enterprises will choose cooperation only under special circumstances. However, the industrial deployment by multinationals shows that the situation is the other way round. After analyzing their own industrial chain advantage and the advantages of their upstream and downstream partners, multinationals will prioritize cooperation once they can identify the same goals and complementary capabilities as partners. Therefore, the entire industrial chain is no longer a method for increasing profitability at every stage, but is a complete industrial chain that works for a final product, establishing a reasonable segmentation of the fluorine-containing pesticide industry chain, and creating cooperation between the upstream and downstream. The advantages are complemented, interests and risks are shared, and win-win cooperation is achieved in an all-round way. The cooperation between Syngenta and Yangnong in the lambda-cyhalothrin upstream and downstream industrial chain is a successful example of win-win cooperation. In 1985, lambdacyhalothrin was developed and launched by Syngenta, with the raw material lambda cyhalthrin acid being both self-supplied and outsourced. Market demand for lambda-cyhalothrin then increased. Yangnong, which is competitive due to the cost of production of lambda cyhalthrin acid, sells its product to the market. In 2005, Yangnong began increasing its production capacities of lambdacyhalothrin and lambda cyhalthrin acid, having established a point-topoint cooperation relationship with Syngenta. Chinese pesticide enterprises must deal with end products together and work from the perspective of the whole industrial chain. They should also combine the industrial chains of petrochemical, coal chemical and fine chemical to achieve a competitive advantage. When the manufacturers at the upstream and downstream of the industry chain are willing to share the profits out of common end products, a new dimension will open, which will lead to the formation of a brandnew industry chain. AP

FLUORINE INDUSTRY CHAIN China Pesticide Industry Watch 89

FLUORINE INDUSTRY CHAIN 90 China Pesticide Industry Watch An overview of fluorinated pyridine intermediate 1.Pyridine fluorination mainstream technique and difficulties Currently, pyridine fluorination mainstream technique is primarily based on fluorination through the use of hydrogen fluoride, via the chloro-fluorine exchange between liquid hydrogen fluoride and chloride under high pressure, therefore, creating the resulting fluoride. The technique has a wide range of applications and uses a relatively simple process, enabling the fluorination of most pyridines and supported by relevant catalysts. The difficulties facing the technique are the following: 1)Hydrogen fluoride is a highlytoxic substance, being very hazardous to the human body. If the reaction process is not controlled properly, serious injuries may occur. 2)Reaction takes place under high temperature and high pressure, and fluorinated compound is corrosive to most metals and enamels. 3)Directional control is quite complicated, which may lead to the generation of by-products. Using 2,3-dichloro-5- (trifluoromethyl) pyridine (DCTF) as an example, for many years, Huimeng Biotech has extensively researched and developed its proprietary intellectual property rights, having been authorized for a number of patents. The company’s production process has fewer production steps, supported by a well-established equipment unit with high safety standards. The manufactured products, as well as the by-products generated, are noncombustible and non-explosive. The directional synthetic catalysts developed by the company ensure high yields, potentially above 96% while by-products and waste discharge are minimal. Product Huimeng Biotech: Digging into fluorinated pyridine industry chain value content is maintained stably at above 99.6%. Huimeng Biotech is also China’s first scale-up DCTF manufacturer that uses this technique, having become the world’s largest manufacturer with the advanced process for producing products of this type. 2.Classification of fluorinated pyridine intermediate and its downstream applications The key downstream pesticides based on fluorinated pyridine intermediate can be divided into pyridine series, 2-methylpyridine series, 3-methylpyridine series and 4-methylpyridine series, of which 3-methylpyridine series is currently the most widely used in the agrochemical industry. These fluorinated intermediates are primarily applied in pesticide production, with global sales shown in the figures below: FLUORINE INDUSTRY CHAIN

FLUORINE INDUSTRY CHAIN China Pesticide Industry Watch 91 already reached $350 million. Picoxystrobin was registered in China for application to 15 crops, covering foodgrains, fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants. Currently, Corteva and ADAMA are the two main sellers in the global market, offering a large variety of formulation products in large volumes, especially prothioconazole-based formulations, which are expected to witness considerable growth driven by prothioconazole. Fluopyram is a product of Bayer, which launched the series in the market in 2012 one product after another. In 2019, its annual sales reached $165 million. In 2023, it came off patent. So far, it has been sold already in more than 60 countries or regions, and is registered for application on more than 70 crops. Fluopyram is not only excellent in terms of control effect, it can also effectively increase fruit and vegetable yields and prolong shelf life with its good storage property, to maintain superior quality. As a fungicide, fluopyram is also the first low-toxic nematicide that is friendly to users and the environment. Fluazinam is a product of ISK, which was granted registration in the US in 2001. It is a broad-spectrum protective fungicide that is also capable of killing mites and red spiders. Currently, ISK and FMC are the dominant market players, whose single agents and formulations are being promoted by many other companies that are also developing newbuild capacities to begin production while making arrangements for overseas registrations. 2.Herbicide Haloxyfop-P is an APP herbicide developed by Dow AgroSciences, mainly sold in the markets of Argentina, China, Australia, Russia, Brazil, Iran, Paraguay, Ghana and Senegal. Total demand both at home and abroad is roughly 8,000 tons, more than two-thirds the capacity distributed in China, including Jiamusi Heilong’s current capacity of 4,000 tons per year. The product relies on two main intermediates: DCTF and DHPPA . Currently, Huimeng Biotech has built up its independent facilities for production and supply of all major intermediates, which form a complete industry chain under its own control. This could improve the risk-resistance capacity of the company, as well as its tolerance to market price fluctuation, therefore, ensuring a stable supply of quality products to long-term customers. Sales data(USD) of some pesticide intermediates in 2019 (Source: Kleffmann) Fluorinated pyridine industry chain market profile The downstream pesticides based on fluorinated pyridine intermediates mainly include the fungicides, picoxystrobin, fluopyram, fluazinam, and the herbicide, Haloxyfop-P, which are all promising products on the market. 1.Fungicide Picoxystrobin was initially launched in the market by Syngenta in 2001, but it was later transferred to DuPont in 2006. In 2018, it came off patent. Many years ago, its global market sales

FLUORINE INDUSTRY CHAIN 92 China Pesticide Industry Watch 3.Relevance of prices of intermediates to prices of technicals For most off-patent matre products with market stability, pricing is driven by the cost of production. However, there are always exceptions: 1)Fluazinam The product strategy of agrochemical enterprises regarding opportunities and challenges In terms of hot fluorinecontaining patented pesticides and post-patent and off-patent mature pesticides, manufacturers should cooperate with each other in a friendly and coordinated manner, and efforts must be made to plan differentiated focuses of their individual development, to avoid vicious competition, overcapacity and wasting resources. Only through good product strategy and reasonable business deployment can a good market environment be established on a win-win basis through effective coordination. The fluorine-containing pesticide industry sector has a bright future and is full of opportunities. As well as the close attentions from Chinese enterprises, India is also eager to step in. In fact, some downstream industries have already moved into the Indian market. Currently, the production capacity of fluazinam is gradually increasing in India. Indian Haloxyfop-P and Picoxystrobin manufacturers are also planning the production of the two products. Chinese enterprises and Indian enterprises should not only be competitors in this hot industry sector, they should also form partnerships in future business planning in a well-coordinated manner. Beginning with the fluorinated pyridine industry chain development, Huimeng Biotech is digging deep into the important value of upstream and downstream industries, having established new and major intermediates facilities in the Anhui Anhe Base and the Jiamusi Heilong Pesticide Base. The company has extended its product deployment to high-end downstream pesticides, gradually breaking through the downstream to consolidate both the upstream and downstream industry segments. Therefore, a clear industry The price of fluazinam and the price of its key intermediate, DCTF, have had a positive correlation over the last two years, going up and down almost in step. The end of 2021 was the peak season for both over the last two years, when energy consumption was under control and raw material prices were rising. 2)Haloxyfop-P Source: Huimeng Biotech Source: Huimeng Biotech The price of Haloxyfop-P technical has not shown obvious relevance to the price of DCTF, not even to the other intermediate, DHPPA . When pesticide prices are no longer driven by cost of production, what is the major driver of pricing? One important factor is the products of the competition. When competition becomes intense, pricing becomes chaotic. Therefore, what should manufacturers do to promote healthy competition rather than blind competition?

FLUORINE INDUSTRY CHAIN China Pesticide Industry Watch 93 chain was established covering six industry sectors. ● The first refers to a 60,000 tons of Diethyl methylphosphonite annually, extending to 70,000 tons of glufosinate technical. ● The second, beginning from fermentation, refers to an annual production of 80,000 tons of L-homoserine, along with Diethyl methylphosphonite, extending to an annual 90,000 tons of L- glufosinate technical. ● The third refers to an annual 1,000 tons of pyrilamine and annual 1,000 tons of 2-(2,2-difluoroethoxy)- 6-(trifluoromethyl)benzene-1-sulfonyl chloride, extending to 1,000 tons of penoxsulam. ● The fourth refers to Huimeng Biotech’s traditional heterocyclic pyridine industry chain, beginning from dicyclopentadiene and extending to CCMP, CTF, glycose biological fermentation-based production of chiral compound, with an annual 5,000 tons of DHPPA, extending to 1,500 tons of fluazifopp-butyl technical, therefore, forming a complete industry chain. ● The fifth refers to the CCMPbased production of DCTF and an annual 2,000 tons of methyl propionate, extending to 4,000 tons of haloxyfop-methyl technical. ● The sixth refers to Huimeng Biotech’s α-picoline-based annual 6,000 tons of CTC, extending to an annual 2,000 tons of HTF through to 1,500 tons of 3-Isochromanone, for the production of 700 tons of M325 annually. AP

FLUORINE INDUSTRY CHAIN 94 China Pesticide Industry Watch Zhejiang Yongtai Technology: Shaping a fluorine-containing fine aromatic industry Applications of fluorinated aromatic products in the pesticide industry There is a large variety of aromatic fluorine intermediates, which are widely used in the pesticide, medicine, liquid crystal and dyestuff industry sectors. There are various types of fluorinated aromatic compounds, such as BASF’s epoxiconazole and trifludimoxazin, FMC’s carfentrazoneethyl, Bayer’s Flufenacet and bixafen. Among them, Bayer’s Flufenacet is synthesized based on 4-Fluoronitrobenzene, while BASF’s saflufenacil and FarmHannong’s tiafenacil are synthesized by combining the fluorine-containing intermediates, 2-Chloro-4- fluorotoluene and 4-Chloro-2- fluoroaniline. The key starting material of difluorinated products is m-dichlorobenzene. According to registration statistics in China, Flumioxazin has been a fastgrowing fungicide in recent years, with 4-Difluoronitrobenzene being its main intermediate. A common feature of difluorinated products is its repeat fluorination after going through the m-dichlorobenzenefacilitated digestive reaction. During one of the processes, aniline is formed with addition of cyanogen, finally resulting in diflufenican, which is Bayer’s major herbicide. It is also possible for bromination and diazotization to be applied to generate 3,5-Difluoroaniline, which is further processed into diflufenzopyr and 3-Fluorophenol, being the intermediate of BASF’s novel herbicide, trifludimoxazin. Currently, there are only two or three available fluorine pesticide products, being partially replaced by other substances for the sake of activity, but they do exist in the synthesis process. In terms of trifluoro-aromatic compounds, an example is Fluxapyroxad, which is a widely used product obtained from 2,3-Dichloronitrobenzene through high-risk processes, such as fluorination, nitration, reduction, bromination, diazotization. Fluxapyroxad’s production is quite difficult and produces considerable amounts of trifluoromethyl. In addition, the benzene ring which contains trifluoromethyl or trimethoxy is also a fluorinated aromatic compound, such as BASF’s mefentrifluconazol, which contains trifluoromethyl. Tetrafluoro products are mainly used in sanitary insecticides. Yongtai Technology: Integrated production system in the fluorinecontaining industry sector Yongtai Technology, based in Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, is a fluorobenzene fine chemical manufacturer with a complete industrial chain and large production capacity. It is also a global fluorinecontaining fine chemical industry leader, with products used in

FLUORINE INDUSTRY CHAIN China Pesticide Industry Watch 95 Serial number Application of fluorinated aromatic compounds in agrochemical products Category Intermediate Popular varieties of fluorinated pesticides Research and development company The expiration date of the patent Number of technical registrations 2019 sales / $100 million monofluoride difluoride trifluoride tetrafluoride Fluorobenzene N-methyl-o-fluoroaniline 2-Chloro-4-fluorotoluene 4-Fluoroaniline 3-Fluorophenol Epoxiconazole Metamifop Saflufenacil Bixafen Trifludimoxazin BASF Farm Hannong、 FMC BASF Bayer BASF expiration of patent expiration of patent expiration of patent 2025/8/12 2030/6/10 22 5 1 1 0 4.09 0.5 2.17 0.55 NA 2-Fluoroaniline 2-Fluorophenol 4-Fluoronitrobenzene 4-Fluorophenol 4-Chloro-2-fluoroaniline 2,4-Difluoronitrobenzene 2,4-Difluoroaniline 3,5-Difluoroaniline 2,6-Difluoroaniline 5-Bromo-1,2,3- trifluorobenzene 2,3,5,6-Tetrafluoro1,4-benzenedimethanol 2,6-Difluorobenzamide 2,4-Difluoro-3,5- dichloroaniline Carfentrazone-ethyl Halauxifen-methyl Flufenacet Pentoxazone Tiafenacil Flumioxazin Diflufenican Diflufenzopyr Florasulam Fluxapyroxad Dimefluthrin Flufenoxuron Teflubenzuron FMC Dow Bayer SDS Biotech K.K. Farm Hannong SUMITOMO Bayer BASF Dow BASF SUMITOMO BASF BASF expiration of patent 2032/1/23 expiration of patent expiration of patent 2029 expiration of patent expiration of patent expiration of patent expiration of patent 2026/2/15 expiration of patent expiration of patent expiration of patent 30 1 5 2 0 21 13 0 25 1 1 3 0 1.19 0.55 2.49 2.17 1.35 2.93 4.94 0.43 0.53 1 3 9 7 5 2 4 6 8 10 11 12 13 14 17 18 15 16 medicine, lithium battery materials and crop protection. In 2021, the group’s operating revenue reached RMB4.468 billion. Since its establishment in 1999, Yongtai Technology has always focused on the development of the fluorinecontaining industrial chain, by focusing on business deployment in the downstream of intermediates covering medicines, pesticides and materials. Therefore, it created an integrated production system, which includes intermediates, technicals and formulations. So far, the company has established three major production bases, which are located in Zhejiang, Fujian and Inner Mongolia, covering a total area of nearly 2,500 mu (1 mu = 1/15 hectare). Meanwhile, the company owns three R&D centers and four high-tech enterprises in Zhejiang, Shanghai and Hangzhou. Yongtai Technology’s partners are distributed all over the world, and include top 50 pharmaceutical, pesticide and chemical enterprises. The company possesses the industry-leading directional fluorination technology, which can place a fluorine atom in any optional position on the aromatic ring, as well as a patented SDHI fungicidal

FLUORINE INDUSTRY CHAIN 96 China Pesticide Industry Watch intermediate production process, which is concentrated on special fluorine-containing intermediates and can be modified to create applications for different terminal markets. The micro-channel continuous reaction technology of Yongtai Technology can convert the traditional process into micro process and continuous process, which reduces the risk of reaction. Besides its rich R&D experience, Yongtai Technology is making continuous optimization on its process and can make a flexible switchover of capacity, as backed up by the capacity support from several production bases. Integration and consolidation of industrial chain in the face of challenges and opportunities Over the past decade, the Chinese chemical industry was constantly challenged by external regulatory policies and a competitive environment. After the “321 accident,” the entire industry was subjected to a strict restrictions and controls. In Jiangsu, Shandong and other major chemical production provinces, thousands of factories with sub-standard environmental facilities and major safety hazards were closed down. Afterwards, chemical enterprises in the eastern coastal provinces continued to migrate to the western provinces with rich resources, labor, low energy costs and large environmental facilities, which made the Chinese industry chain more evenly distributed, and changed their operations from the previous “extensive pattern” to today’s so-called “refined pattern.” In recent years, the Indian chemical industry chain has quickly and effectively developed, and the fluorinated chemical industry has advanced from refrigerant production towards the fluorinated fine chemical industry. Compared to China, India is under less pressure from developed countries, but has the advantages of demographics and low costs. Its low labor costs, low waste disposal costs and low manufacturing costs are likely to compete with China. To increase its competitiveness and adapt better to the development needs of the entire industry, Yongtai Technology has conducted a series of integration strategies by re-examining its industrial chain. Before 2019, Yongtai Technology had five subsidiaries in Binhai, Jiangsu Province, covering a total area of more than 800 mu while spending nearly RMB1 billion. In October 2019, the company set up Inner Mongolia Yongtai Chemical Co., Ltd., in Wuhai, Inner Mongolia, which is its fullrange fluorinated aromatic compound production base with a capacity of 18,000 tons. At the end of 2021, the production base was endorsed by Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs as a China’s “designated manufacturer of pesticide technical.” Currently, Inner Mongolia Yongtai Chemical has a production capacity of 900,000 tons of methanol, 5 million tons of calcium carbide and 150,000 tons of liquid chlorine, covering over 70 varieties of fine chemicals, including pesticides, pharmaceuticals and intermediates. At present, an investment of over RMB2 billion has been made. The total investment in Phase I is RMB3.5 billion, and after its production output value becomes fully operational, this will exceed RMB6 billion. According to the company’s plan, an output value of RMB2 billion and profit and tax of RMB350 million in 2022 are expected. Inner Mongolia Yongtai Chemical is designed and built in line with the criteria of “pipelining, sealing, continuous run and full process automation.” Each production workshop has received an investment of some RMB90 million, of which spending on their work safety facility is between RMB45 million to RMB48 million. While developing, screening and designing of the process, priority was given to the greenest and Inner Mongolia Yongtai Chemical Crop protection plate

FLUORINE INDUSTRY CHAIN China Pesticide Industry Watch 97 safest processes. In the meantime, its systems for treating waste gas, waste water and hazardous waste were designed in accordance to the higher standards. Inner Mongolia Yongtai Chemical utilizes the industrial and regional advantages of Wuhai to shape the Yongtai Group’s “cyclic and highquality new production base,” where the company is taking full advantage of the rich natural gas and the electric power supply in western China, to create an intensive, cyclic and integrated industrial base that will help reduce operating costs and improve management efficiency. At the low-carbon industrial park, a vast space is reserved for the future development of the company. AP

Editor's note Philanthropic deeds list of Chinese agrochemical companies or China, the years 2020 to 2022 were when the battle against poverty entered the final stage, and it released a new “14th Five-Year Plan”. The rapid socio-economic development was unexpectedly interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and natural disasters such as floods have cost people their lives and properties. Facing the pandemic and disasters, Chinese agrochemical companies have taken the initiative to assume their social responsibilities by supporting public-interest programs from various aspects, such as “funds, supplies, manpower and technology” on the strength of their advantages in their respective fields, making significant contributions towards epidemic prevention and control, post-disaster assistance, poverty alleviation, school education support, etc. At the end of 2022, China welcomed the opening of the whole society and gradually stepped out of the epidemic. In this context, AgroPages solicits philanthropic deeds of agrochemical companies from the industry and presents the Philanthropic Deeds List of Chinese Agrochemical Companies for the first time in this publication. The list, which ranked alphabetically, includes both large state-owned companies and small and mediumsized private companies, shows the excellent image of Chinese agrochemical companies. In recent years, these companies have actively assumed social responsibilities, projected positive energy, and offered the world the entrepreneurial spirit of the Chinese in the new era, which features closely combined enterprise development with the prosperity of the country, the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the well-being of the people. F