Pesticide formulations and efficacy of major pests and weeds in Brazil and suggestions for formulation development

WU Kang

Technical Director

Shanghai Congshan Consulting Management Co., Ltd

World Agrochemical Network Chinese reported that on November 17-18, 2022, at the 3rd International Agrochemical Preparations and Application Technology Summit Forum (2022 FAT) held by AgroPages, Mr. Wu Kang, Technical Director of Shanghai Congshan Consulting Management Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Congshan Consulting"), made a report entitled "Formulation and efficacy of pesticides of major pests and weeds in Brazil and thoughts and suggestions on formulation development" on the spot.

The report focuses on the analysis of pesticide compound preparations in the Brazilian market, in order to learn from, think and make suggestions for domestic preparation developers in China. The detailed content of the report mainly has five aspects,

Aspect I - Overview of crop cultivation in Brazil;

The second aspect - what are the main pests and weeds in Brazil, and what are the main compound species;

The third aspect - the characteristics of some major compound pesticide varieties newly registered in Brazil in the past two years from 2020 to 2022;

The fourth aspect - Brazil's pests and weeds, insecticides, fungicides, pesticides, how pesticides are applied, and product prevention cases,

Finally, some thoughts and suggestions of the presenter.

I. Overview of crop cultivation in Brazil

From 2017 to 2022, the total area planted in Brazil increased by 18%. Specifically, the four most important crops in Brazil: soybeans, corn, sugar cane, cotton, of which soybeans are the most representative, and the Brazilian soybean crop will increase by 20% in terms of planting area from 2017 to 2022.

Agriculture is dominated by the four major crops of the field, specific to pesticides, each season soybean medicine used about 21 pesticides, corn medicine for 10 kinds, cotton medicine the most, there are 80 kinds, sugarcane medicine is relatively small, only 7 kinds of use. On average, all crops are treated with 16 pesticide products.

In terms of drug cost, the unit cost per hectare is 13 US dollars to sterilize and drug use, which is less than 1 US dollar per mu, that is, the cost of medicine per mu is 6-7 yuan (RMB). Pesticides and herbicides average $9, and seed treatment is less, but seed treatment pesticides are expensive, costing $6 per hectare.

2. Major agricultural pests, weeds and pesticide compound varieties in Brazil

About 4-5 million hectares of wheat and rice are planted in Brazil, a relatively low proportion of all crops. The weed hazards in Brazil are mainly soybean, corn and cotton crops, all of which are grown in dry fields and require large-scale crop rotation, and soybeans, corn and cotton can usually be rotated on the same land.

What are the main weeds in Brazil? It is mainly composed of grasses, broadleaf weeds and sedges. Examples include ryegrass, horse tang, ascend horse tang and ox tendon grass in the family Poaceae, and broadleaf grasses such as small flying canopy, vanilla, Sumaine white wine grass, amaranth and amaranth. Poaceae weeds are the most stubborn in Matang and ryegrass, which were previously rare in Brazil, but may increase in the future. As a weed, ryegrass mainly affects Brazil's soybean and corn crops. But at the same time, ryegrass, in addition to weed properties, can also be used as a cash crop or fodder crop, that is, as a pasture. In Brazil, broad-leaved weeds are dominated by small flying canopy, vanilla and Sumatra white wine grass, which are relatively harmful. The occurrence of amaranth weeds in Brazil is not the most serious, mostly amaranth long.

The main pests in Brazil are still the three crops of soybeans, corn and cotton. Lepidoptera pests such as bollworm, fall armyworm, corn borer and soybean noctuis account for the majority of pests, reaching one-third of the insecticide market. These lepidopteran pests usually don't just occur on soybeans or corn, they can be found on soybeans, corn, and cotton. Specifically, the biggest pest of cotton is the bollweevil, the biggest pest of coffee crops is the coffee fruit beetle, and the sugarcane psyllid on sugarcane crops is also a worldwide problem. Others such as brown bugs, green bugs, and whiteflies are also common pests of soybeans, corn, and cotton crops.

In Brazil, the use of fungicides on soybean crops accounts for half of the total amount of fungicides used in Brazil, and 90% of the fungicides used on soybean crops are used to control soybean rust. The main disease of soybean crops is soybean rust, and others include some advanced diseases, purple spot, gray spot, brown spot. The application of fungicides for maize crops in Brazil is relatively rare, with or without fungicides once a season. White mold is the most serious disease of the Brazilian cotton crop. Other diseases such as wheat rust, rice blast, coffee rust, citrus yellow dragon disease, potato early/late blight, etc.

At present, the most used pesticide preparation products in the Brazilian market are glufosinate 48% water agent. The compound products with an annual sales volume of more than 10,000 tons of herbicides are only toxampine +2,4-D and chloramflunidine +2,4-D. In addition, diuron + cyclozinone is administered on sugar cane in Brazil.

Fungicide compound products, prothiazole + oxime strobin, flupyramide + fluconazole, benzoenfluconazole + azoxystrobin, manganese zinc + prothiazole and cycloconazole + aceoxystrobin are all annual sales of tens of thousands of tons. Prothiazole + oxime, Bayer's new biphenylpyridamide, is used to control soybean rust. BASF's flufenamide + fluconazole, Syngenta's benzoenfluconazole compound. Multi-site, generic compound product manganese zinc + propylthiosin is used in Brazil to control soybean rust. It should be noted that multi-site fungicides can slow down resistance, mainly manganese zinc, chlorothalonil, and non-patent, so manganese zinc is extremely important for Brazilian soybean rust control, and it is also a very good opportunity for non-patented companies.

Although the annual sales volume of more than 10,000 tons of insecticide compound products is not patented, most of them are in a monopoly in Brazil, kung fu + thiamethoxam, thiamethoxam is mainly foliar spraying, thiamethoxam in Brazil So far only Syngenta has thiamethoxam products. High-efficiency cyflumethrin + imidacloprid is a product of Bayer, and biphenyl + butyrothiogram Budweiser is a product of Formic. Other pesticide compound products with annual sales of more than 1,000 tons are chlorantranilamide, which has been patented and can be combined in many dosage forms. For pesticides, some considerations for more compound products on the market in Brazil, the first point, selective pesticides are still a general trend, because the old drugs from carbamate to methrin, amide base are mainly broad-spectrum. When chlorantranilamide and a range of other pesticides began to appear, the selectivity slowly increased. In addition, it is also necessary to consider the broad spectrum, speed, 60 days or 90 days of drug efficacy, and residual efficacy. In addition, bee toxicity is also an important issue, and bee toxicity in Brazil and the European Union is the focus of the re-review. Finally, there are pesticide residue considerations.

3. Analysis of the main compound varieties newly registered in Brazil from 2020 to 2022

BASF Optill Phenazamide + Imidacin Tobacco WG: Suitable for biotic weeding before planting in no-till soybean fields. Benzenesulfamine is tactile and selective; Micusa tobacco is systemic and selective. It is safe for soybeans and has a certain residual effect, and Micha tobacco can make up for the herbicidal spectrum of grasses?

Corteva TENARO dichlorosulfame + fluclopyridinate WG: suitable for weeding before sowing in soybean fields, systemic property. It can control weeds that have emerged and not emerged;

Sumitomo PAYLOAD flumetrazine + chlorsulfuron WG: a selective herbicide in soybean fields belonging to PPO and ALS inhibitors, which is conducive to resistance management, and has contact and systemic properties. Suitable for soybean field before seedling sealing;

ADAMA PLETHORA BR INDANOXURIL + Fluorourea SC: Systemic insecticide for contact and gastric toxicity. Control of lepidopteran pests, coffee berry beetles, etc.

In the last three years, Chinese companies have registered more and more pesticides in Brazil. Among them, the compound products in the product list of Runfeng are toxic weedine +2,4-D, diuron + cyclozinone, azoxystrobin + cycloconazole, atrazine + nitridone. Other Chinese companies, TEDA has two single doses; glyphosate and glufosinate of Xin'an Chemical, Xinfa and Fuhua; Companies such as Yingtai, Yongnong, and Zhongshan have also registered many products in Brazil. From the current point of view, the dosage form development of Chinese companies in the Brazilian market is basically based on single doses, and there is some lack of innovation in compound products.

4. Analysis of the main drug scenarios and product prevention effects in Brazil

Herbicide:

The first stage of resistant weeds since 1996:

• ALS resistant (sulfonylurea, etc.) - Bidens pilosa and Euphorbia heterophylla leiteiro;
• Anti-Accase (DIMs and FOPs) - Digitaria ciliaris and Urocloa plantaginea creeping arm;
• GM soybeans address ALS and Accase resistance.

Since 2005, the second stage of resistance to weeds - glyphosate resistance:

• Lolium multiflorum ryegrass;
• buva (Conyza bonariensis, C. canadensis, C. sumatrensis) vanilla, small flying ponto, Sumaine white wine grass;
• Digitaria Insularis Matang,
• Amaranthus palmeri;
• Eleusine indica;
• 20 million hectares of ryegrass, matang, and feipon-infested soybean fields;
• Future threats: Bulbophyllum longiflora, Amaranth.

Paraquat alternatives:

• Glufosinate is "not enough" good for grasses;
• Metabola PPO herbicide benzenesulfachlor, azolone, flumetronin and glyphosate;
• ADAMA Solutions Araddo: Dimetholone + Fluoxaco EC, Weeding of soybean corn wheat before sowing;
• UPL: glufosinate + refined isometolachlor EW, weeding of soybean corn cotton before sowing (Matan, Ox tendon grass, Brachial grass, Amaranth longamaranth, Platycephalus planta, Ibranthus algo;
• other

Insecticide:

Embrapa 2019 bioassay results of 7 chemical drugs and 1 biological pharmacy for the control of bollworm Helicoverpa armigera

Efficacy evaluation:

• Brompronil, indanoxurandol, methyl salt knockdown effect is fast;
• Flufenamide, chlorantranilamide + kung fu, selectivity of Bacillus thuringiensis against Lepidoptera;
• 8 agents can be effective;

Other product options:

• Rotam 2021 registered product bifenthrin + methrocarb;
• Sumitomo registered the product lice mite urea + thiosingwan in 2020

Germicide:

The resistance of oxime prebiob+ propylthiazole develops rapidly, but the prevention effect is only 67%, and an upgraded version is needed; Many products have a protection effect of less than 70%; Andamadeson manganese-zinc + aceoxystrobin + pentazole performed well;

The pesticides that are being registered, except for chlorothalonil + fluindanamide are not good enough, other products are still good. Pesticides on the market and registered pesticides, and then compounded into multi-site products, their prevention effect can reach more than 70%, and some even reach more than 80%, so multi-site is a very key factor.

5. Thoughts and suggestions on the development of preparations in the Brazilian market

• Choice of biocidal herbicides before sowing? Theoretically, selective herbicides can be used as pre-sowing herbicides
• Glyphosate+(2,4-D, dicamba, PPO Sulfachlor, Azolone, Flumetrazine, Dimethane, Alpha, Alphaquinone, ALS Chlorsulfuron, Imidazolinone Imidamide)
• Glufosinate + (amide spermine isopropyl, sulfonepyrazole)?
• Dimetholone + fluococcus EC?
• Diquat fast?
• Pyrisulfuron?