Song Bao’an: Green pesticides are the key to addressing the problems inherent in China’s conventional agrochemicals.
Green pesticides are a “key” to addressing the problems of conventional pesticides.
Today, the toxicity of major pesticides such as imidacloprid and abamectin to honeybees has drawn global attention, while resistance continues to intensify, with resistance among pests like rice planthoppers and barnyardgrass increasing exponentially. Meanwhile, China’s pesticide formulations and product types are becoming outdated: despite annual pesticide use reaching 900,000 tons, conventional products still dominate, with insecticides accounting for a large share; emulsifiable concentrate formulations comprise more than one-third of all products, and effective alternatives remain scarce.
Furthermore, At present, herbicides such as atrazine, glyphosate, imazethapyr, and tribenuron‑methyl have already developed severe resistance in most weed species, warranting widespread concern. Glyphosate, in particular, has seen remarkably rapid resistance development worldwide since 2005, with more than 40 weed species now exhibiting significant resistance. In rice fields, the area affected by herbicide‑resistant weeds has already reached tens of millions of mu.
Faced with the various challenges confronting China’s traditional pesticides, Academician Song Bao’an emphasized that, Original innovation in green pesticides is a key measure for addressing these existing challenges and holds significant importance for the sustainable and healthy development of China’s pesticide industry.
Across the industry, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has imposed bans on 46 highly toxic and high-risk pesticides and has instituted a designated‑point sales system for existing highly toxic pesticides. Over the next five years, an additional ten highly toxic chemical pesticides will be phased out, and conventional highly toxic pesticides will gradually be withdrawn from the market. Recently, with the release of the latest edition of maximum residue limits for pesticides in food—covering all approved pesticide varieties and major plant‑derived agricultural products—the needs of green agriculture have once again come into focus. This calls for strengthening original innovation in highly effective, low‑toxicity, low‑risk pesticides and for developing and promoting more environmentally friendly, non‑hazardous green pesticides.
Green pesticide development “ “Hard to tackle” , What should we focus on in the future?
Over the past three decades, China has independently developed more than 20 fungicide varieties, including six microbial and natural-product-based pesticides; 18 insecticide varieties, one of which is a natural-product pesticide; 10 herbicide varieties; and six plant growth regulators. As a result, China has become a country with independent capabilities in pesticide innovation.
According to Academician Song Bao’an, At present, technologically advanced countries such as the United States, Germany, and Japan—home to numerous multinational agrochemical companies that enjoy a decisive competitive edge in the biopesticide sector—are investing substantial resources, both financial and human, in the research and development of biopesticides. Abroad, the latest trends in biopesticide development include research on novel formulations, genetically modified plants, integrated seed‑pesticide‑fertilizer technologies, and induced resistance. Biopesticide research has now advanced to the molecular‑biological level. Meanwhile, the number of research projects focusing on Bacillus thuringiensis, induced resistance, arthropods, and related technologies has increased sharply.
Currently, the research trends in the development of new agrochemicals worldwide are characterized by three main features:
First, new biotechnologies are leading the way: Cutting-edge life sciences technologies—such as functional genomics, proteomics, and structural biology—are increasingly converging with research on the development of novel pesticides, particularly disruptive technologies like genome editing.
Second, the application of bioinformatics: Emerging technologies such as high-performance computing, big data, and artificial intelligence are now being applied to the research and development of new pesticides, significantly enhancing the efficiency of pesticide discovery.
Third, the advancement of multidisciplinary development: The global development of agrochemical science and technology has entered a new era, characterized by interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-penetration, the convergence and integration of emerging technologies, and cross-sectoral convergence and consolidation—hallmarks of the latest wave of innovation in pesticide research and application.
In addition, Academician Song Bao’an mentioned that it is necessary to… Focus on the development and widespread application of novel, low-risk, small-molecule pesticides that effectively regulate plant immunity. New-generation, plant‑based, highly effective, low‑risk small‑molecule pesticides can influence, control, and regulate harmful organisms; they are both efficient and safe, significantly reducing the use of chemical pesticides. As such, they represent a mainstream trend in global agriculture and will become one of the key directions for pesticide development. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, a number of China‑developed, independently innovative green small‑molecule pesticides obtained formal registration and were put into production.
Over the next 5 to 10 years, the key priorities of China’s innovative research on green pesticides are:
First, the development of novel, high-efficiency biopesticides and their industrialization technologies. Develop new, safe and highly effective biopesticides based on live microorganisms and active metabolic products as the active ingredients; establish green, efficient, low-cost, and low-pollution manufacturing processes; and create biopesticides that are safe, highly effective, environmentally resilient, and long-lasting.
Second, the development of green chemical pesticides and their industrialization technologies. Based on databases of natural products and small chemical molecules, we are developing AI‑driven, computer‑assisted approaches to design novel pesticide molecular scaffolds. We are also advancing innovative methods for rational drug design grounded in target‑based resistance prediction, thereby mitigating the risks of resistance and cross‑resistance during pesticide development and creating new, highly effective, environmentally safe, green‑chemistry‑aligned pesticide products.
From October 10 to 12, the 21st National Pesticide Conference will feature a keynote address by Song Bao’an, President of Guizhou University and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, on “Current Status and Prospects of Innovative Research in Green Agricultural Development.” Stay tuned.
