Total Search - Shanghai Profirst Co., Ltd.
TANK MIX ADJUVANTS
Organosilicone Super Spreader
Silicone Surfactant PASS as Super Spreader
Silicone Surfactant PASS-LF as Low Foaming Super Spreader
Silicone Surfactant PASS-77 as Super Spreader
Silicone Spreader for herbicide, PASS-HB
Main raw material of Silicone surfactant , 1,1,1,3,5,5,5-Heptamethyltrisiloxane
Adjuvants for Drones
Drift Reduction Agent Pro-ATD N
Compatibility Agent Pro-Mix
Water Conditioner/Buffer
Water Conditioner Pro-Buffer L2A
Water Conditioner Pro-Buffer S2A
Tank Cleaner
Tank Cleaner Pro-Clean
Application and Cases
Precision Silicone Adjuvants for Every Spraying Need
Two Essential Adjuvants for Drone Spraying
Evaluating Tank-Mix Systems Throughout the Application Process
Classification of Tank Mix Adjuvants
Pesticides-Tank-Mix-Guide
Classification-of-Adjuvants
Why-Agricultural-Spray-Adjuvants?
Basic-Points-When-Preparing-Pesticide-Spraying-for-Better-Efficacy-of-Pesticides
Why-We-Need-to-Use-Professional-Tank-Cleaner-to-Clean-Tank-and-Spray-Equipment
Use-Organosilicne-PASS-with-Soybean-Herbicides
Organosilicone-PASS-Control-Laphygma-Frugiperda
Silicone-Surfactants-S-Non-silicone-Ones
Mobility-of-a-Polyether-Trisiloxane-Surfactant-in-Soil
Silicone-Antifoam-Emulsion-for-Pesticides
Oil-Adjuvants
Adjuvants-for-Sulfonylurea-Herbicides
Water-Quality-in -Agrochemical-Spraying-Will-Affect-the-Product-Efficacy
Most-Pesticides-Work-Better-Under-pH4-6
Drift-Control-Products-to-Improve-Spray-Pattern
IN-CAN ADDITIVES
Alkyl Polyglucoside
Alkyl Polyglucoside , Pro-APG0810 for Glyphosate
Alkyl Polyglucoside Pro-APG0814
Alkyl Polyglucoside Pro-APG1214
Sodium Dioctyl Sulfosuccinate (Penetrant T)
Penetrant T-70 W
Penetrant T-70 O
For Glyphosate
EM-GLY , for Glyphsoate IPA/ammonium/DMA Salt SL
Thickener EM-AMGLY-T, for Glyphosate Ammonium Salt 360g/L SL
Thickener EM-IPAGLY-T , for Glyphosate IPA/DMA Salt SL
EM-KGLY , for Glyphosate Potassium Salt 540g/L SL
Thickener EM-KGLY-T, for Glyphosate Potassium Salt 540g/L SL
For Glufosinate-ammonium
EM-GLA-W, for Glufosinate-ammonium 150/200 g/L SL
Thickener EM-GLA-TD, for Glufosinate-ammonium 150/200 g/L SL
For Paraquat
Thickener EM-PRQ-T, for Paraquat 276g/L SL
EM-PRQ, for Paraquat 276g/L SL
Thickener EM-PRQ-ST, for Paraquat 276g/L SL (anionic type)
Emulsifier Monomer
Anionic Emulsifier and Surfactant
Nonionic Emulsifier and Surfactant
Amphoteric Emulsifier and Surfactant
Cationic Emulsifier and Surfactant
for EC, EW, SC, WG, WP, OD
EC Adjuvant (Universal Type Pair Emulsifiers)
EW Adjuvant
SC Adjuvant
WG/WP Adjuvant
OD Adjuvant
Thickening Emulsifier For Abamectin EC
Pro-THK , Thickening Emulsifier for Abamectin EC
Thickener and Stabilizer
Food Grade Xanthan Gum, Pro-XTG
Industrial Grade Xanthan Gum, Pro-XTG IN
Organic Bentonite SK-04
Magnesium Aluminum Silicate SF-04
Piperonyl Butoxide (PBO)
Piperonyl Butoxide (PBO)
Application and Cases
Suspension Concentrates and Our Surfactant Solutions
Emulsifiable Concentrates and Our Emulsifier Portfolio
Tailored In-Can Surfactants Solutions for Non-Selective Herbicides
The Chemistry Behind Crop Protection Understanding Surfactant Classes
Precision Surfactants for Pesticide Formulations
Key-to-Get-Good-Efficacy-Surfactants-In-Agrochemical-Formulations
OTHER PRODUCTS & SOLUTIONS
Biocompatible Adjuvants
Alkyl Polyglucoside , Pro-APG0810 , Bio-ompatible
Vegetable Oil Pro-MSO, Bio-compatible
Silicone Surfactant PASS as Super Spreader, Bio-compatible
Food Grade Xanthan Gum, Pro-XTG, Bio-compatible
Soil Application
Super Absorbent Polymer Pro-SAP
Organic Fertilizer
Seaweed Extract
Potassium Humate
Amino Acid 80% Powder
Chloro Silane Monomers
Chloromethymethyldichlorosilane （CAS NO: 1558-33-4）
Chloromethyltrichlorosilane （CAS NO: 1558-25-4）
Dichlorolmethyltrichlorolsilane （CAS NO: 1558-24-3）
(Dichloromethyl)methyldichlorosilane （CAS NO: 1558-31-2）
Chloro(chloromethyl)dimethylsilane （CAS NO: 1719-57-9）
Vinylmethyldichlorosilane （CAS NO: 124-70-9）
Silane Coupling Agents
Diphenyldichlorosilane （CAS NO: 80-10-4）
Methyltrimethoxysilane （CAS NO: 1185-55-3）
1H,1H,2H,2H-Perfluorooctyltrimethoxysilane （CAS NO: 85857-16-5）
1H,1H,2H,2H-Perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane （CAS NO: 51851-37-7）
1H,1H,2H,2H-Perfluorodecyltrimethoxysilane （CAS NO: 83048-65-1）
1H,1H,2H,2H-Perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane （CAS NO: 101947-16-4）
1H,1H,2H,2H-Perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane （CAS NO: 78560-44-8）
Polymer Adhesive
PVP K30 (Polyvinylpyrrolidone Polymer)
Bittering Agent
Denatonium Benzoate
Application and Cases
Amino Acid Advantage in Crop Nutrition
Application-Guide-of-Pro-SAP-Hydrogel
PESTICIDES
Herbicides
Glyphosate
Paraquat
Nicosulfuron
Atrazine
Isoxaflutole
Bispyribac-sodium
Cyhalofop-butyl
Clethodim
Dicamba
S-metolachlor
Herbicide Safeners
Fluxofenim
Isoxadifen-ethyl
Insecticides
Metaldehyde
Dichlorvos
Brodifacoum
Abamectin
Propoxur
Aluminium phosphide
Bromadiolone
Emamectin benzoate
Thiamethoxam
Imidacloprid
Fipronil
Indoxacarb
Lambda-cyhalothrin
Acephate
Spirodiclofen
Dimethoate
Coumatetralyl
(Z)-9-Tricosene or Muscalure
Hydramethylnon
Plant Growth Regulators
Ethephon
Sodium naphthalene-1-acetate
Mepiquat Chloride
Brassinolide
DA-6
Prohexadione Calcium
Biological Pesticides
Bacillus subtilis
Beauveria bassiana
Shanghai Profirst Co., Ltd. is excited to announce the launch of three dedicated Instagram channels –@profirst_en,@profirst_es, and@profirst_ru– designed to provide our global customers with timely product updates, application insights, and industry news in their preferred languages.As a leading supplier of agricultural adjuvants and pesticide solutions, Profirst is committed to strengthening communication with partners, farmers, and industry professionals worldwide. The new Instagram channels will serve as a dynamic platform to:Share product highlights including our adjuvants, in-can surfactants and additives for agrochemical formulations.Provide application tips and case studiesto help growers and formulators maximize crop protection efficacy.Showcase company news, including exhibition participation, product developments, and industry insights.The three channels are tailored for distinct audiences:@profirst_en– English content for international partners and English-speaking agricultural professionals.@profirst_es– Spanish content for customers across Latin America and Spanish-speaking markets.@profirst_ru– Russian content for clients in Russia and CIS countries.“Social media is a powerful tool for agribusinesses to build trust, share knowledge, and connect directly with the farming community,” said the Profirst team. “By launching these multilingual channels, we aim to make our expertise more accessible and engage with our customers in a more personal, real-time way.”In addition to product updates, the channels will feature behind-the-scenes content, educational posts on adjuvant technology, and stories from the field – all designed to support better spraying outcomes and sustainable farming practices.Follow us today:Instagram: @profirst_en | @profirst_es | @profirst_ruWebsite: www.profirst.cnEmail: [email protected]/WeChat: +86-15902190115We look forward to connecting with you on Instagram!
2026-08-13 14:59
Shanghai Profirst has successfully wrapped up our journey at the CAC 2026 exhibition！Over the past few days, it was a great pleasure to reconnect with our long-term partners and meet many new friends from different parts of the world. Every conversation, whether short or in-depth, brought us new insights and opportunities for future cooperation.Exhibitions may only last a few days, but the relationships we build continue far beyond that. We truly appreciate the time and trust shared with all our partners.As we move forward, we look forward to growing together and achieving long-term development in the field of crop protection.Thank you for visiting us — and we hope to see you again at CAC 2027!
2026-08-13 14:29
As the Dragon Boat Festival approaches, Shanghai Profirst would like to extend our warmest wishes to all our customers, partners, and friends.May this traditional festival bring you health, happiness, and prosperity.Holiday schedule is as follows:Holiday Period: June 19–21, 2026Work Resumes: June 22, 2026During the holiday, our team will remain available online. For inquiries, technical support, sample requests, or business cooperation, please feel free to contact us via email or our official channels.Thank you for your continued trust and support.Shanghai Profirst Team
2026-08-13 14:29
Abstract: In 2022, global sales of agricultural microbial preparations will increase from US$3.09 billion in 2017 to US$6.01 billion. The contribution of microbial preparations to agriculture and the environment is the main reason for the increase in sales of such products. Because the target of microbial preparations is more specific than chemical pesticides.Biological pesticides are generally natural compounds or genetic modifiers, mainly including biochemical pesticides (pheromone, hormones, plant regulators, insect growth regulators) and microbial pesticides (fungi, bacteria, insect viruses, protozoa, or genetically modified). The two parts of the microorganism, agricultural antibiotic preparations are not included. According to its composition and source, bio-pesticide in China can be divided into four parts: microbial live pesticide, microbial metabolite pesticide, plant-derived pesticide and animal-derived pesticide. According to the control object, it can be divided into insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, acaricides, rodenticides, plant growth regulators, and the like. As far as the target is concerned, biological pesticides are generally divided into two categories: direct use of living organisms and utilization of physiologically active substances derived from organisms. The former includes bacteria, fungi, nematodes, viruses and antagonistic microorganisms, and the latter includes agricultural antibiotics and plants. Growth regulators, sex pheromones, food intake inhibitors, juvenile hormones, and physiologically active substances derived from plants. However, in the practical application of agricultural production in China, biological pesticides generally refer to microbial pesticides that can be used for large-scale industrial production.The Ministry of Agriculture's Decree No. 10 regulates the registration of special new pesticides. The biological pesticides are classified into:(1) microbial pesticides(2) biochemical pesticides(3) genetically modified pesticides(4) plant-derived pesticides.Plant extracts pesticides refer to pesticides whose active ingredients are derived from plant organisms. The roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds of plants contain various natural active substances. Some active substances, plant volatiles and secondary metabolites have anti-feeding, bactericidal, inducing and avoiding effects, which can interfere with target organisms. Behavior.Botanical pesticidePyrethrum and nicotine are the main plant-derived pesticides with long history and high dosage. Pyrethrum dried flowers can be milled into powder directly as insecticides or as raw materials for mosquito incense. Pyrethrin can be extracted from the dried flower of pyrethrum and then compounded into medicaments. Tobacco contains nicotine which can be used as insecticide. Generally, waste tobacco leaves or tobacco stalks are used as raw materials. Nicotine is extracted by acid and then compounded into insecticidal preparations. The botanical insecticides in China include rote, Sophora flavescens, toosendanin and so on. Botanical pesticides are generally less toxic, harmless to plants,friendly to the environment and so on. However, because of their limited sources or cultivated land, it is difficult to produce them on a large scale and the variety is single.Number of registrations: A total of 11 active ingredients, 192 registrations, involving 124 manufacturing companies. The top three products with the largest number of registrations are matrine, rotenone and azadirachtin, accounting for 84% of the total (matrine products account for more than half, 57%).Microbial pesticideMicrobial pesticides can be produced on a large scale through microbial fermentation industry. If microbial metabolites are used, they can be regarded as chemical substances for microbial biosynthesis, essentially similar to chemically synthesized pesticides. Some people call them "biochemical pesticides". For example, avermectin is an effective insecticide and miticide brake; Jinggangmycin is a fungicide for controlling rice sheath blight. The use of living microorganisms as preparations, such as insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis, is essentially a biological control measure, and the dead worms will be infectious, strictly speaking, it does not belong to the category of chemical control. However, because its preparation and action methods are similar to pesticides, it is considered to be a pesticide. Microbial pesticides generally have the advantages of no harm to plants and friendly to the environment. Bacillus subtilis (Agriculture Fungicide) Beauveria bassiana (Agricultural Insecticide) A total of 22 active ingredients, 468 registered, and 205 manufacturing companies. The top three most registered products are Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus, accounting for 73% of the total.In 2017, China's bio-pesticide industry achieved sales revenue of 31.93 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.7%. In 2018, the supervision of the entire pesticide industry has become stricter, and bio-pesticide has achieved better development results by virtue of its relative environmental protection. According to estimates, the sales revenue of bio-pesticides in China will be about 36 billion yuan in 2018, and the growth rate will reach 12.7%.As of March 2019, there were 468 microbial pesticides registered in China, involving 22 active ingredients and 205 production enterprises. The top three products with the largest number of registrations were Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus, accounting for 73% of the total.The advantages of developing plant-derived bio-pesticides are self-evident. China is a large natural resource with a wide variety of plants, and its active substances contain immeasurable development potential. The low residue and easy degradation of bio-pesticides can reduce the pollution of soil and water bodies to a minimum. As consumer habits around the world change, foods grown from bio-pesticide will also be more acceptable and trusted by consumers.At the beginning of 2019, methyl bromide was banned from use in agriculture. Recently, the EU no longer approves the re-assessment application of chlorothalonil. carbendazim has once again called for ban because of excessive pesticide residues. It can be seen that China is paying more and more attention to pesticide safety issues, pesticides are becoming more and more banned, and the pesticide market is entering. The era of blood transfusion. Green, low-toxic, bio-pesticides with high safety to non-target organisms have attracted the attention of the majority of pesticide companies and the entire pesticide industry.
2026-08-13 14:25
As International Labor Day approaches, we take this opportunity to appreciate the efforts of people across all professions.We especially recognize the dedication of farmers and agricultural professionals, whose work supports global food production and sustainable development.Holiday schedule :Holiday Period: May 1–5, 2026Work Resumes: May 6 (Wednesday)During the holiday, our team will remain available online. For inquiries, technical support, sample requests, or business cooperation, please feel free to contact us via email or our official channels.Thank you for your continued trust and support.Shanghai Profirst Team
2026-06-18 10:01
Q: What is Biocompatible adjuvants ?A : Used on biopesticides (such as microorganisms and extracts), improving microbial viability is the core challenge。Using naturally sourced or easily biodegradable components, to ensure that the activity of biopesticides (such as microorganisms and extracts) is not compromised, while also enhancing efficacy and stability. Adjuvants must protect fragile microbial cells (such as Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus subtilis) during and after application.Q : Do you have biocompatible adjuvants?A: We have biocompatible adjuvants as below , other biocompatible products are coming on the road.Alkyl Polyglucoside , APG, Pro-APG0810 ,Pro-MSO, Silicone Surfactant, PASS as Super Spreader, Food Grade Xanthan Gum, Pro-XTG,the detail as below, http://www. profirst.cn.Once you need samples , more information , please contact : [email protected]
2026-03-31 09:59
Shanghai Profirst Co., Ltd. is excited to announce its participation in the 26th China International Agrochemical & Crop Protection Exhibition (CAC 2026), a leading event in the global agrochemical and crop protection industry.Detailed Information:Dates: March 17–19, 2026Location: National Exhibition and Convention Center, ShanghaiBooth Number: 52M70Shanghai Profirst will showcase our diversified portfolio of products and technical solutions, supporting enhanced agricultural performance and sustainable farming practices.We warmly invite partners, customers, and industry professionals to visit Booth 52M70 to discuss applications and explore potential cooperation✳ Scan the QR code below to schedule your visit directly.
2026-03-31 09:57
Dear Customers , friends, Profirst adjuvants and pesticides website, www.profirst.cn, upgrade completed now. With an all-round improvement finished, the website is formally put into use . We aim to provide an "easy to use" web , easy to look for the right product, easy to look for the application examples for the right product. You can browse the website and check the new features including: 1. Key products are listed on the homepage center.2. The product search function more useful. 3. The applications cases for how to use tank mix , in-can adjuvants , pesticides.For more details , please use this website.Hope you can easily find out the products you need, if you need more information or the price , please feel free to contact us , [email protected] are glad to hear from you.
2026-03-05 09:02
We , Shanghai Profirst Co., Ltd. , add a new office. our international team working in it .The new office address : Room 805, No. 30, Lane 2419, Hunan Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai 201204, China.Research center address: No. 2, Lane 1123, Kangqiao Road,Pudong New Area, Shanghai 201315 ,China.The old office works as Research Center.
2026-03-05 09:02
Dear Valued Customers and Partners,As the Chinese New Year of the Horse is approaching, Shanghai Profirst would like to extend our sincere New Year wishes to you：Happy Chinese New Year and a prosperous Year of the Horse！In traditional Chinese culture, there is a well-known blessing: “Success arrives with the horse,” meaning success and good fortune come swiftly and naturally. On this special occasion, we sincerely wish you smooth progress, fruitful results, and continued success in 2026.Holiday Schedule:• February 15 to February 23, 2026: Holiday period• February 24, 2026: Normal operations resumeDuring the holiday period, our team will remain online to provide essential support. Please feel free to contact us if you have urgent matters.Thank you for your continued trust and support. We look forward to working with you in the Year of the Horse.Shanghai Profirst Team
2026-03-05 09:02
Dear Customers,Merry Christmas!Let's ready to say "HELLO~" to 2026.Our office will be closed during Jan 1st to Jan 3rd. You can contact with us by e-mail during holiday. [email protected] regards,
2025-12-24 17:29
Dear Customers,We're going to on our National Day holidy form October 1st to October 8th. During holidy our office will be closed. We'll go back to work on October 9th.Yor can contact with us by email during holidy. Address is: [email protected] regards,
2025-09-28 15:21
ACE2025 VitenamGlad to meet all the customers at ACE2025 Vietnam from June 25th to June 27th.Let's have a look at the photos of Shanghai Profirst's booth.If you are interested in these products, please feel free to contact us at any time. Our company email address is : [email protected]
2025-07-01 17:54
Dear Customers,We're going to on our Dragon Boat Festival from May 31st to June 2nd and go back to work on June 3rd.Kindly get noticed.
2025-05-26 16:01
Dear Customers,We're going to on Labor Day holiday from May 1st to May 5th. Our office will be closed during holiday and we'll go back to work on May 6th.If you have any inuqiry, please contact us with e-mail. [email protected] regards,
2025-04-24 15:53
Dear Customers,CAC Exhibition 2025 will be held in Shanghai from March 17th to March 19th.Our Booth No. is 72C20Welcome to visit and discuss.
2025-02-24 11:27
Dear Customers,We're going to on our Spring Festival holiday from January 28th to February 4th. During holiday if you have any question please get free to contact with us.Our email address is: [email protected] Happy New Year 2025!
2025-01-22 10:21
Let's Say Hello to 2025~Happy New Year!
2024-12-30 16:13
Dear Customers,October 1st is our National Day. Our holiday is from October 1st to October 7th. We'll come back to work on October 8th.September 29th changed to our working day.You can contact with us by email address: [email protected] during holiday.Best regards,
2024-09-23 16:56
Dear Customers,Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival is coming. Our holiday is from September 15th to September 17th. Our office will be closed during holiday.If you have any inquiry, please contact with us by E-mail address: [email protected] regards,
2024-09-09 14:25
Profirst team trip to Beijing in 2024Shanghai Profirst had a team trip to Beijing in the end of April, 2024.As is known to all, Beijing is the capital of China. It has a long history and is famous both at home and abroad.Let's get a glimpse of Beijing. The historical relics and beautiful scenery of Beijing are worth appreciating. Through this trip, we also strengthened the team cohesion. Let's try harder in 2024!
2024-05-06 12:04
Dear Customers,Our office will be closed during May 1st to May 5th due to Labor Day holiday.Yor can contact us by email on holiday. Address is: [email protected] regards,
2024-04-30 13:13
Dear Customers,The Qingming Festival holiday is coming. Our holiday is from April 4th to April 6th.April 7th will be changed to working day.If you have any inquiry, please e-mail us during holiday. Address is : [email protected] Best regards,
2024-04-01 16:42
Dear Customers,CAC Exhibition 2024 will be held in Shanghai from March 13th to March 15th.Our booth No is 21D60.Welcome to visit and discuss.
2024-02-21 11:18
Dear Customers,The Chinese Spring Festival is coming. Our office will be closed from February 8th to February 17th.During our holiday, if you have any inuqiry, please contact with us by e-mail address: [email protected] forward to collaborate with you in the New Year.Best regards,
2024-02-02 10:33
Dear Customers,2024 is coming soon. Our office will on holiday on January 1st.You can contact us with e-mail address: [email protected] New Year!
2023-12-26 09:54
Dear Customer,We're going to on our Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday from September 29th to October 6th. Our office will be closed during holiday.We'll go back to work on October 7th. October 7th and 8th is our working day.If you have any inuqiry during holiday please contact with us by E-mail. Address is :[email protected] regards,
2023-09-25 17:53
Dear Customers,We're going to on Chinese Dragon Boat Festival from June 22nd to June 24th. June 25th is our working day.Our office will close during holiday. Yon can contact with us by email. Address is: [email protected] regards,
2023-06-20 16:03
Dear Customers,The Labor Day holiday is coming soon. The holiday is from 29th April to 3rd May in China.If you have any inquiry during holiday, you can contact with us by e-mail. Address is : [email protected] regards,
2023-04-23 14:14
Dear customers,April 5th is Chinese Qingming Festival. Our office will be closed on this day.If you have any inquiry, plese contact with us by e-mail. Address is: [email protected] regards,
2023-04-03 17:20
Dear Customers,Our office will close during New Year's Day holiday form 31st December to 2nd January. We'll get back to work on 3rd January.Any inquiry, you can contact with us by e-mail. [email protected] New Year 2023!
2022-12-30 14:58
Dear Customers,Our company will on National Day holiday from 1st October to 7th October. We'll back on work on 8th October and 9th October is also our working day.If you have any inquiry, please contact with us by E-mail address: [email protected] regards,
2022-09-30 10:39
Subscribe to Shanghai Profirst* indicates requiredEmail Address * First Name Last Name
2022-09-28 16:40
Dear Customers,As announced by the Central Government, 2022 Mid-Autumn Festival holiday will be from 10th September to 12th September.Please get free to contact with us by E-mail if you have any inquiry. Address is: [email protected] regards,
2022-09-08 10:53
Dear Customers,We are going to on our Dragon Boat Festival on June 3rd.If you have any inquiry, please contact us by E-mail. Address is: [email protected] wishes to you.
2022-05-30 16:40
Dear Customers,The International Labour Day holday is coming soon. We will on holiday from April 30th to May 4th.April 24th and May 7th will be changed to working day.If you have any inquiry during holiday, please get free to contact with us by E-mail. Address is : [email protected] regards,
2022-04-22 10:46
Dear Customers,As the pandemic is becoming serious in Shanghai recently, our goverment informed all non-essential personnel to work at home form March 28th to March 31st.We will work online. If you have any inquiry,please get free to contact with us by E-mail address is: [email protected] regards,
2022-03-28 10:37
Dear Customers,Thank you for your support in 2021.We're going to on our Chinese Spring Festival from January 29th to February 6th. On February 7th we will return to work.If you have any inquires during holiday, please get free to contact with us by E-mail. Address is [email protected] regards,
2022-01-24 16:37
Dear Customers,We'll on our New Year Holiday from 1st January to 3rd January.During holiday,if you have any inquiry, please get free to contact with us by E-mail. Address is : [email protected] regards.
2021-12-24 11:44
Dear Customers,We'll on our National Day Holiday from 1st October to 7th October. Our office will be closed during this time.Kindly noted 9th October is our working day.During holiday,if you have any inquiry, please get free to contact with us by E-mail. Address is : [email protected] regards.
2021-09-26 16:16
Dear Customers,The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival is coming. Our office will closed from September 19th to September 21st .September 18th is changed to our working day.If you have any inquiry, weclome to contact with us by E-mail. Address is : [email protected] regards
2021-09-17 10:54
Thanks for all the guests coming to our exhibition. CAC 2021 ended on June 24th.During the exhibition we discussed the new development of agriculture in the future. Our company will also be committed to more environmental protection, green and healthy agricultural industry chain. To provide more comprehensive optimization services for our customers.You are welcome to contact us at any time, inquiry or discussion.See you in 2022!Let’s share some of our silhouettes in the exhibition.
2021-06-25 13:42
Dear Customers,CAC Exhibition 2021 will be held in Shanghai from 22th June to 24th June.Welcome to our booth No:N1M19 to visit and discuss.
2021-06-18 17:47
Dear Customers,We're going to on Dragon Boat Festival Holiday. The holiday will be from 12th June to 14th June.Any inquires, please get free to contact us with E-mail. Address is: [email protected] wishes to you.
2021-06-10 16:12
Dear Customers,We're going to on International Labor Day holiday. The holiday will be from 1st May to 5th May.25th April and 8th May will be changed into working day. Kindly noted.Any inquires, please get free to contact us with E-mail. Address is: [email protected] wishes to you.
2021-04-23 11:14
Dear Customers,We're going to on our Chinese Spring Festival.From 11th Feb to 17th Feb is our holiday. We'll resume normal work on 18th Feb.If you have any inquiries during holiday, please get free to contact with us. Our E-mail address is: [email protected] you health and happiness.
2021-02-05 15:03
Dear Customers，We’re going to on New Year's holiday from 1st January to 3rd January. During holidays, if you have any enquiry, please get free to contact us with E-mail.Address [email protected] New Year 2021!
2020-12-31 10:42
Dear Customers，Oct 1st to Oct 8th is China's Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day.We will on holiday in the meantime.Sep 27th and Oct 10th are changed to our work days.During holidays, if you have any inquire, please get free to contact us with E-mail.Address is [email protected] you a happy life.
2020-09-25 15:43
2020-09-17 13:46
2020-09-17 13:44
2020-09-17 13:20
Dear experts , peers,have you met farmers did " Cocktail " mixture in fields , for pesticides and fertilizers , then spray all of them to plants at one time ?Do you think it is a good way or not ?May it cause problems ? which problems may cause ? how to solve these problems ?Your comments are welcome.it means sereral pesticides mix together , such as insecticides mix with fungicides , or PGRs ( Plant Growth Regulators )?or several formulations mix together , such as WP, EC, or SC, etc ?or several pesticides mix with fertilizers , such as N, P, K fertilizers , leaf fertilizer ?
2020-09-10 11:14
As every one know, The same field needs to feed more and more people. the number of the people grow up quickly , the pressure to produce more food from the field is more heavily.So people put more and more chemical fertilizers to the field, of coure some of the fertilizers help plants produce more food , from seasons , from years. Some fertilizers left into soil , and made the soil harden, only little passageway , little air , little water can get inside soil particles.How to "soft " the hardened soil ? how to active and reuse the left fertilizers in the soil ? to change the bad factor to a useful , good factor ?may we find out a right way ?We think it is a problem with value ,Please share your opinion with us , please send email to [email protected] you ,
2020-09-10 11:13
1. Why we need to clean tank and spray equipment,A. Many herbicides residual maybe harmful to next cropsIf spray equipment not cleaned properly after using herbicide, and misused on other sensitive crops, it is easy to cause crop damage, affecting the growth of crops and even the final yield.B. Many insecticides maybe harmful to next cropsCan you image , one people use organophosphorus insecticides, not to clean the tank , use this sprayer several days later to spray herbicides in corn field, what is the result ?C. Many fungicides maybe harmful to next cropsD. May decrease the efficacy of next pesticide, especially ones with opposite function, and it will cause more harm.E. Pesticide residues will accumulate and grow up , block the pipes and nozzles.F. if the metal parts of the spray machine are not cleaned, residues will cause metal corrosion. There are plastic sprayers and iron barrel sprayers. The rocker pipes and sprinklers of large rocker sprayers are metal materials.If it is not cleaned, it will corrode continuously, causing premature damage and shortening service life,2. Why need to use professional tank CleanerA. General cleaning methodsThe plastic tank sprayer is washed repeatedly with soap water or washing powder.or with hot alkali water to achieve better cleaning effect.If it is an iron drum sprayer, it is necessary to pour 1% of the black vitriol water (i.e. ferrous sulfate solution) for 2 hours, and soak in hot alkaline water (the same method) for 1 hours.B．The shortage of general cleaning methodsSome oily Herbicides or sticky pesticides difficult to remove by this way, some need to be heated, inconvenient to use, the cleaning effect is not ideal.3. Professional tank Cleaner,A. Remove hard-removed oily pesticide residues more thoroughly, include Sulfonylureas, Phenoxys, Triazoles.B. Prevent the formation of sediment and grow up.C. Prevent corroding of metal parts for spray systems.
2020-09-10 11:09
When using the Drone Spraying pesticides , drift may be happened. Some drift, especially herbicides , may cause slightly or serious pesticide phytotoxicity. How to control the pesticide drift, Drift Reduction Agent is an simple way.After years working in the lab. , the fields, Profirst Co., ltd. now push new product , Drift Reduction Agent Pro-ATD to market , To know more about Drift Reduction Agent Pro-ATD, Please read this page, http://www.profirst.cn/en/products/detail-drift-reduction-agent-pro-atd.html To know how it works , please see this page, http://www.profirst.cn/en/products/detail-agricultural-drift-control-products-to-improve-spray-pattern.htmlSome herbicides may cause Pesticide phytotoxicity to plants, 2,4-D butyl , MCPA , Dicamba, quizalofop-p-ethyl, chlorotoluron, Sulfonylurea herbicides.
2020-08-25 15:39
Our companyhas conducted nine field trials of three products in the last two months. The field trials involved include Pro-MSO Plus 5 times, Pro-SAP 2 times and Pro-SoilWet 2 times. The experimental sites are located in Shanghai, Hubei and Hebei. Preliminary results of the trial were excellent in Pro-MSO Plus. On the basis of repeated indoor laboratory tests, we conducts field tests on the products to test the effectiveness . The tests are conducted strictly according to the recommended method of use. We optimize the formula recipe along with continuous field trials, and continuously inprove product efficacy. Through the comparison of the two photos below, the effect of MSO Plus can be clearly seen.
2020-08-25 15:36
After years working , Profirst put its tank Cleaner into markets .It removes residues of pesticides , especially herbicides , to avoid the damage of the residues to next crops.It cleans the dirt in spray system , include tank, nozzle, keep the pipeline clear.It is easy to use , with good water solubility.The dosage is 0.125% for general purpose cleaning.As the first Tank Cleaner product in China , Profirst Research team did a lot of tests to make sure , the product is high efficacy, and designed the production process carefully to get the qualified product.Profirst will continue their new products research , to put more , unique products to service their customers ! there are two new products are under lab. working !To know the detail of this product, please see,http://www.profirst.cn/en/products/detail-tank-cleaner-pro-clean.htmlNeed sample and price ?Please send Email to : [email protected]
2020-08-25 15:32
Reached Conference center of Yangzhou City in the afternoon of August 3 ， left at noon on August 6, I listened 30 reports around , which were very compact, and many of them were wonderful and useful.The theme of this Conference is solvent friendly, adjuvant efficient and friendly， formulating process friendly , formulation friendly.I sort out the main points as follows according to my concerns,1. New adjuvant products A. In China Market, Vegetable oil seris are the most widely used tank mix, followed by mineral oil, mainly on citrus and fruit trees; the third is organosilicon surfactant. B. The area of appalication for UAV in China is increasing rapidly year by year and developing rapidly. UAV for flight prevention, has been more mature. The current market focus is to develop pesticide formulations and additives suitable for UAV. Generally speaking, liquid formulations are more suitable for flight control, and solid formulations such as DF are also being developed. Due to the characteristics of flight control, low dilution ratio, 5-20 times, it is necessary to conduct in-depth study on the stability and dispersibility of the formulation under low multiple. Special Adjuvants need to research : In addition, in flight control, it is common to use pesticides together , or fertilizers together, Fertilizers are mainly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, belonging to high salt material, which has great damage to the physical stability and efficacy of pesticide formulations. It is necessary to develop some additives in high salt environment to keep up with the actual spraying status! Formulations suitable for UAV , Such as DF, under the development these days. C. In the development of high-performance OD( oil suspension agent ) , started from herbicides and is now a hot spot. D. Polyether block products, non-ionic surfactant, can be developed many functions products, is also a market hot spot.2. New processing technology Nano preparation, has some good effect on formulation . Fine particles can be dispersed better and have better efficacy.3.New application technology and theory The whole process of pesticide spatial transfer, absorption and utilization, and the integrated evaluation of medicine and equipment are the most talking topic. Some experts called , Grown up from Formulation 1.0 Edition to Formulation 4.0 edition.Better environment , Better Life !By Alan , Shanghai Profirst Co., Ltd.Whatsapp,wechat, 0086 13701791095
2020-08-11 10:21
Due to the impact of the epidemic, I had time to think about glyphosate. Glyphosate has been put into production and has made outstanding contributions to human food production because of its excellent broad-spectrum herbicidal performance, simple molecular structure,simple production process, sufficient and readily available raw materials and low price. At present, it is also the largest herbicide in the world, with a production capacity of more than 2 million tons of technical. Glyphosate has been questioned several times, but this time the impact was even greater, and several countries began to ban it. After reading some evidence, it is basically suspected. Suspected to cause cancer,multiple suspicions lead to misunderstanding of facts. Just some doubts, this product has been used for so long, so widely used, used in so many countries, so many research institutions, the conclusion is only suspected. So why do these people now regard the suspicion as real and reject glyphosate altogether? Personal feeling, the main reason is that the society's demand for pesticides is getting higher and higher, more and more perfect. I'll replenish it later when I have time.
2020-07-30 13:21
Dear Customer, We’re going to on Chinese Dragon Boat Festival Holiday from 25th Jun to 27th Jun. Return to work on 28th Jun. Anything interested, please contact us by E-mail address: [email protected]. Wish you health and happiness.
2020-06-24 10:40
Dear Customer May Day holiday， China will on holiday form 1st May to 5th May. 26th Apr and 9th May these two days are our working day. If you have any inquiry during our holiday，please get free to contract us by E-mail address：[email protected] Thank you.
2020-04-24 13:41
Dear Customer, We will on our QingMing Festival holiday from 4th April to 6th April. And come back to work on 7th April. If you have an inquiry, please contact us by email. E-mail address: [email protected] Thank you.
2020-04-03 15:54
Dear Customer, Affected by the novel coronavirus , our company adopted the network version mode this week. From 10th Feb to 14th Feb. We will continue to serve you online. If you have any inquiry, please get free to contact us by E-mail: [email protected] Thank you.
2020-02-11 11:58
Dear Customer, Happy Spring Festival 2020! We will on our Chinese Spring Festival holiday from 21st January to 30th January. And come back to work on 31st January. 1st February is also our work day. If you have an inquiry, please contact us by email. E-mail address: [email protected] Thank you for your concern in the past year and looking forward to our better service in the future.
2020-01-19 11:21
Dear Customer, Happy New Year 2020! We will have a holiday on January 1. If you have an inquiry, please contact us by email. E-mail address: [email protected]
2019-12-31 09:58
Our company went to Shanghai HaiChangOcean Park on November 22, 2019.This is the day when we regain our innocence.We playeda lot of interesting projects.We also watched the wonderful performance.Lovely marine animals and trainers bring us a fantastic audio-visual enjoyment.Through a day of interaction with animals, science knowledge reading, we more deeply understand that animals are the best friends of human beings.We should protect the environment and share the beautiful earth resources with our animal friends.Our company is also always adhere to the principle of Green environmental protection.Let's share some pictures we took on that day.
2019-11-26 17:08
Shanghai Profirst attended the 2019 Ag Formulation & Application Technology Congress during November 14thto 15th.This conference gives everyone the opportunity to communicate and learn from each other. Experts in various fields together to share the most advanced agricultural knowledge,discuss the difficulties encountered in practical production and application. And Looking forward to the future trend of agricultural development.The meeting focused on:1.The changes in China's current pesticide registration rules.2.The application and development of UAV in plant protection field.3.The innovation that spray assistant brings to agricultural development.4.The advanced nanometer pesticide technology.In the future,adjuvantswill account for an increasing proportion of pesticides. In the past, dispersion, wetting and stability as the main line of research will be changed to drug delivery. SC、SE and OD will gradually replace non-environmental protection dosage forms. The combination of nanometer pesticide and UAV is the best choice. Its advantages lie in high operating rate, strong adaptability, water saving, environmental protection. Take advantage of tank mix adjuvants to reduce the use of pesticides. Green energy saving and environmental protection is a long-term development plan. Surfactants are moving towards low toxicity, safety, high performance and specificity. Improve the conductivity of liquid medicine, increase yield and generate income. Various kinds of adjuvants will be popular in the future agricultural development. Our company has been devoted to study and research all kinds of adjuvants and tank mix adjuvants for many years. With rich experience and product quality is guaranteed.We welcome all of you to discuss these issues with us and inquiry for the products. Our Email address: [email protected](President of Profirst: Mr. Alan Chen)(Conference)
2019-11-21 16:34
Dear Customers, To celebrate China's 70th birthday, from October 1st to October 7th is our National Day holiday. We will resume work on October 8th. October 12th is also our working day. If you have any requirements, please get free to contact us by E-mail address: [email protected] Thank you.
2019-09-30 10:58
To strength the raw material supply for Silicone surfactant , we setup the production of Heptamethyltrisiloxane years before cooperating with parters , now the capacity of production is bigger and stable, we have the ability to supply this raw material to customers now. The content is 99.5% , the capacity is 1000 tons per year at this year , got REACH certificate .We will contiue to give our customers , lower price , enough supply , good quality, excellent packing for silicone surfactant .For know more about this product , please see this : http://www.profirst.cn/en/products/detail-heptamethyltrisiloxane.htmlNeed sample ? contact us , Email : [email protected] Tel : +86 21 38122007, www.profirst.cn Hope to hear from you soon. Thank you for your kind attention ! Shanghai Profirst Co., Ltd.
2019-09-22 13:37
Dear Customer, We're going to on Mid-Autumn festival holiday on 13th September. Best wishes for a happy family reunion.If any inquiry, please get free to contact with E-mail address: [email protected] Thank you.
2019-09-12 12:05
These are our office photos,
2019-08-19 09:46
Shanghai Profirst had a company trip to Yellow Mountain inAnhui Province, China. Here we would like to share with you somepictures took there!!!
2019-08-16 09:36
Profirst, CAC2013, Shanghai,Booth 1G35 of Shanghai Profirst had an excellent and very busy time during Feb. 26-28. Customers from more than 60 companies, 15 countries, visited our booth.Many thanks for all of our customers and friends!Our silicone spreader -- PASS surely was the focus star of this fair, earning a lot of attention from the audience, especially for the super spreading ability we saw by instant tests.The test results we can see as follows:In the coming days, a new silicone surfactant, silicone Penetrate will enter the market to serve farmers. It has super spreading ability and super penetrating ability; it is an excellent partner for systemic pesticides. Please pay attention to its Performance.And another focus of Profirst in CAC was the APG, surfactant for Glyphosate SL formulations. APG---Alkyl Polyglucoside, mostly used in Glyphosate aqueous solution like 41%SL, 10% SL. Increase the wetting and penetrating, help the weeds absorb the solution of Glyphosate.If you want to know more about products from Profirst, please contact us:Contacts: Alan ChenEmail: [email protected]: 0086 21 38122007Website: www.profirst.cn
2019-08-15 14:16
On November 18th, all the employees went to travel together for 3 days.The first day we went to Disney, Shanghai.Disney has many interesting projects, such as castle animation,light speed motorcycle,carrousel, pyrotechnics, cartoon character's convoy, seven dwarf mine trucks, pirates of the caribbean, rowing, rotating crazy honeypot, Alice in wonderland maze, thunder mountain rafting, roller coaster and so on. Fantasy Fairy Tale Castle, with cartoon characters, wonderful. Light speed motorcycle, super exciting . The carrousel,very romantic. Animated motorcade, super joy. The dumbo, so cute and fun !The second days to the great world of Shanghai.There are acrobatics, magic mirror, teahouse, opera, VR experience, paper-cut, delicacy. Acrobatic performance,it's perfect. Magic mirror, very interesting. VR experience. Watcinh the street scene a hundred years ago. We do pottery together on the third day.Experience the joy of hands-on DIY. The works of Susan Hu. It's very creative and beautiful.
2019-08-14 10:08
Photos : Profirst on CAC2017 , During the agrochemical exhibition CAC 2017, the products most asked are as follows: • PASS: super-spreader, silicone surfactant, tank mix adjuvant, best-selling adjuvant • PASS-PH: spreading agent, silicone surfactant, formulation additive for SC, EC • PASS-Powder: spreading agent, silicone surfactant in solid form, formulation addtiive for solid pesticides and water soluble fertilizers • Pro-DFM: silicone antifoam emulsion, quite low dosage to get fast defoaming and lasting antifoam effect • Abamectin thickener: thickening emulsifier for Abamectin, Emamectin, Acetemiprid, Acetachlor • APG0810: wetter/emulsifier for Glyphosate SL, application in personal care, industrial cleaning, house detergent industry, etc• Other: Prohexadione-Ca, 1-NAA Na, Brassinolide, Isoxaflutole, Fipronil, herbicide safener...For more information about these products, please let me know. Contact name: Susan Hu E-mail: [email protected] , [email protected], [email protected] Mobile/Whatsapp: +86-15902190115 Skype: [email protected] Shanghai Profirst Co., Ltd. www.profirst.cn
2019-08-12 17:40
Welcome to Shanghai Profirst Booth No. 1G35 (CAC2013, Shanghai, China)The CAC2013 will be held in Shanghai, China from 26th to 28th Feb, 2013.We, Shanghai Profirst Co., Ltd. (www.profirst.cn), sincerely invite you to visit our Booth No.1G35 in Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC). For your reference, the map of our booth is as follows, please check it.In this exhibition we will mainly introduce PASS (Brand name of our agricultural silicone surfactant) and APG (surfactant for Glyphosate SL formulations, 41% and 10%) to our customers. We will be glad to meet you on the fair and let you know more about our products. To get a general introduction of silicone surfactant, please check the following link: http://profirst.cn/Enweb/Product.149.html. And APG: http://www.profirst.cn/Enweb/Product.194.htmlIf you need some help for attending this exhibition, please let us know. We can help to book the hotel rooms etc. I’m Lily from Shanghai Profirst, you can get in touch with me by the following methods:Alan ChenEmail: [email protected]; [email protected]: 0086 21 38122007; Fax: 0086 21 38122006Whatsapp/mobile: 0086 13701791095; Skype: alanchen8866We hope have chance to meet with you on the fair. If you come, please tell us your visit time.Thanks for your attention.Best wishes ,Shanghai Profirst Co., ltd.
2019-08-08 16:33
Dear all, CAC 2015 is coming soon this March. We Shanghai Profirst invite you to come to our booth no. 1G41 CAC Shanghai 2015 (16th China International Agrochemical & Protection Exihibition) Date: 11-13 March 2015 Venure: Shanghai New International Expo Centre We will focuse on our best seller PASS series on this fair. PASS is an agricultural silicone surfactant with super spreading ability.We will do experiment of PASS at site, also you can feel the magic spreading effect of PASS by test yourself.Also other featured adjuvants like APG (Green wetter for Glyphosate SL)and Thickener(for Abamectin EC) and some pesticide products will show during CAC.For more detailsabout them, please feel free to contact us.If you want to know how to attend the CAC, we would be glad to help you too.Contact us:E-mail: [email protected]: 0086 21 38122007Fax: 0086 21 38122006We look forward to meet you onthe fair. Thank you!
2019-08-08 16:29
On the second day, we went to the Shanghai Madame Tussauds.They are many local and international celebrity wax figures.We visited the wax figures for several hours, these wax figures are especially like real people. It’s so incredible and fabulous.Let’s take a look at the following photos, who do you know? You can share with us:) Yep, these all above, including PART 1, are the most wonderful journey we want to share with you, and it’s time to say bye-bye to our 2018 company tour. Happy dinner together !
2019-08-08 13:39
—— Fun and DeliciousFirst morning, we went to the Shanghai Flim Park, many well-known films were made here. We experienced the 1930s’ style of Shanghai, and pretended to be a super star.It's a very pleasant journey for us. Haha, do you see these railroad tracks? We took the tram with other tourists. It’s kind of old fashion, but very interesting. The day we visited this park is a very beautiful day, with beautiful sunshine, blue sky and white clouds. Then just enjoy the beautiful scene we had seen. First afternoon, we went to Qibao old street. There were so many people, all looking for delicious snacks. Yes, the Qibao streeet offers a glimpse of traditional China, but most importantly, its local snacks are famous and delicious. After visiting the traditional building, a delicacy would be a great ending of the first day tourism.
2019-08-08 13:31
We ， Profirst always do our perfect preparation during exhibitions.This time we participated in the CAC exhibition on March and showed the spirit of our company. We were full of passion to introduce our company and products, and also entertain our customers.The target we aspired is perfect in product and our customers' satisfaction,which encourage us to go ahead and make further progresses.Follow us to review the wonderful moments of the exhibition，
2019-08-08 12:23
A new computer model incorporates how microscopic pores on leaves may open in response to light—an advance that could help scientists create virtual plants to predict how higher temperatures and rising levels of carbon dioxide will affect food crops, according to a study published in a special issue of the journal Photosynthesis Research today.“This is an exciting new computer model that could help us make much more accurate predictions across a wide range of conditions,” said Johannes Kromdijk, who led the work as part of an international research project called Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE).RIPE, which is led by the University of Illinois, is engineering crops to be more productive without using more water by improving photosynthesis, the natural process all plants utilize to convert sunlight into energy to fuel growth and crop yields. RIPE is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.S. Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), and the U.K. Government’s Department for International Development (DFID).The current work focused on simulating the behavior of what are known as stomata—microscopic pores in leaves that, in response to light, open to allow water, carbon dioxide, and oxygen to enter and exit the plant. In 2018, the RIPE team published a paper in Nature Communications that showed increasing one specific protein could prompt plants to close their stomata partially—to a point where photosynthesis was unaffected, but water loss decreased significantly. This study’s experimental data was used to create the newly improved stomata model introduced today.A new computer model incorporates how microscopic, mouth-like pores on leaves (pictured) may open in response to light—an advance that could help scientists create virtual plants to predict how higher temperatures and rising levels of carbon dioxide will affect food crops. Image provided courtesy of Johannes Kromdijk.“We’ve known for decades that photosynthesis and stomatal opening are closely coordinated, but just how this works has remained uncertain,” said Stephen Long, Ikenberry Endowed University Chair of Crop Sciences and Plant Biology at the University of Illinois. “With this new computer model, we have a much better tool for calculating stomatal movements in response to light.”The ultimate goal, Long said, is to identify opportunities to control these stomatal gatekeepers to make drought-tolerant crops. “Now we’re closing in on the missing link: How photosynthesis tells stomates when to open.”Computer modeling has been a major advance in crop breeding. The father of modern genetics, Gregor Mendel, made his breakthrough discovery that pea plants inherit traits from their parents by growing and breeding more than 10,000 pea plants over eight years. Today, plant scientists can virtually grow thousands of crops in a matter of seconds using these complex computer models that simulate plant growth.Stomatal models are used together with models for photosynthesis to make wide-ranging predictions from future crop yields to crop management, such as how crops respond when there is a water deficit. In addition, these models can give scientists a preview of how crops like wheat, maize, or rice could be affected by rising carbon dioxide levels and higher temperatures.“The previous version of the stomatal model used a relationship that wasn’t consistent with our current understanding of stomatal movements,” said Kromdijk, now a University Lecturer at the University of Cambridge. “We found that our new version needs far less tuning to make highly accurate predictions.”From left to right: Scientists Johannes Kromdijk, Stephen Long, and Katarzyna Glowacka improved a model used to make crop predictions by incorporating how microscopic, mouth-like pores on leaves may open in response to light. Credit: Brian Stauffer/University of IllinoisStill, there’s a lot of work to be done to show that this modified model functions in a wide variety of applications and to underpin the relationship between stomata and photosynthesis further.“We have to show that this model works for a diverse range of species and locations,” said former RIPE member Katarzyna Glowacka, now an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “Large-scale simulation models string together models for atmospheric turbulence, light interception, soil water availability, and others—so we have to convince several research communities that this is an improvement that is worth making.”
2019-08-08 11:05
Thrips are sucking insects that feed on vital juice of plants and damage the fruit, leaves, shoot and the appearance of plant.Thrips also carry fungus or virus when feeding on plants. And this could lead to more damage to plants than insect injury only. So some mixtures of insecticide and fungicide also applied to control thrips. In China, the main hosts of thrips include rice, ornamental like rose, chieh-qua (a variety of Benincasa hispida), cotton, eggplant, maize, cucumber and soybean.To control trips, people used to use malathion, isocarbophos (organophosphate) and carbosulfan (carbamate) on rice and imidacloprid (neonicotinoid) on chieh-qua. Now many new products are in the list, such as spinosid and spinetoram (biological), and thiamethoxam (neonicotinoid). Thiamethoxam has 18 registrations in China to deal with thrip. We can say thiamethoxam is the most popular and excellent pesticide to control thrips on China market. It is widely used on rice crop, ornamentals, chieh-qua and cotton.More information about Thiamethoxam: Systemic insecticide, nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists with contact and stomach poison, activates plant resistance proteins to make plant with robust stem and root, and grow better.Welcome to discuss on thrips control. If you have more information about that, please contact as follows: Contact person: SusanMy skype: [email protected] My E-mail: susan@profirst. cn
2019-08-08 10:58
Shanghai Profirst will be on holiday from February 4th to February 10th, 2019 to celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival. February 2nd and February 3rd would be working days.Please contact us by email during this period, we will reply you ASAP.Our email: [email protected] for your attention!Best regards.
2019-08-08 10:38
AgroChemEx 2011 washeld in Shanghai Everbright Convention and Exhibiton Centre from October 20th to 22nd, 2011.During this period, Shanghai Profirst was shown at Booth No. 2C04.The Profirstfactory, registration ability,application cases and packing were successfully shown to the visitors.The following pictures showthe details of Profirst exhibition.
2019-08-07 15:18
The AgrochemEx2012 will be held in Shanghai, China from 20th to 22th Oct. 2012. We, Shanghai Profirst Co., Ltd. (www.profirst.cn), sincerely invite you to visit our booth at 2C42 (Locator No. 2F90) in Shanghai Everbright Convention and Exhibiton Centre.You can check the following map to find our booth.In this exhibition we will mainly introduce PASS (Brand name of our agricultural silicone surfactant) to our customers. We will be glad to meet you on the fair and let you know more about our product. To get a general introduction of this product, please check the following link: http://profirst.cn/Enweb/Product.149.html.If you need some help for attending this exhibition, please let us know. We can help you book the hotel rooms etc, you can get in touch with me by the following methods: Contact person: AlanEmail: [email protected]; [email protected]: 0086 21 38122007; Fax: 0086 21 38122006Whatsapp/mobile: 0086 13701791095; Skype: alanchen8866We hope have chance to meet you on the fair. If you come, please tell us your visit time. Thanks for your attention.Best wishes from ChinaAlan For Shanghai Profirst Co., Ltd.
2019-08-07 15:15
To let you find Shanghai Profirst easily in AgroChemEx2012, we attached the preview of our booth (2C42), please check as follows.If you need some help for attending this exhibition, please let us know. We can help you book the hotel rooms etc.You can get in touch with me by the following methods: Contact person: AlanEmail: [email protected]; [email protected]: 0086 21 38122007; Fax: 0086 21 38122006Whatsapp/mobile: 0086 13701791095; Skype: alanchen8866We hope have chance to meet you on the fair. If you come, please tell us your visit time. Thanks for your attention.Best wishes from ChinaAlanFor Shanghai Profirst Co., Ltd.
2019-08-07 15:14
CAC 2014---The 15th China International Agrochemical & Crop Protection ExhibitionDuration: 2014-03-06 to 2014-03-08Venue: Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC)Address: 2345 Long Yang Road, Pudong Area, Shanghai, 201204, ChinaWe, Shanghai Profirst Co., Ltd. (www.profirst.cn), sincerely invite you to visit our Booth No.1G45. For your reference, I attached the map to our booth, please check it.In this exhibition we will mainly introduce PASS (Brand name of our agricultural silicone surfactant) and PASS in powder formulation. We will be glad to meet you on the fair and let you know more about our products.To get a general introduction of silicone surfactant, please check the following link: http://profirst.cn/Enweb/Product.149.html.If you need some help for attending this exhibition, please let us know. I’m Lily from Shanghai Profirst, you can get in touch with me by the following methods:Alan ChenEmail: [email protected]; [email protected]: 0086 21 38122007; Fax: 0086 21 38122006Whatsapp/mobile: 0086 13701791095; Skype: alanchen8866
2019-08-07 15:08
Enjoy the beautiful Osmanthus fragrans/sweer olive around our company!Hope the breeze bring the delicious fragance to the distance, to your side...Wish you all the best, dear friends!—— Shanghai Profirst Co., Ltd.
2019-08-07 15:02
Want to get the magazine?You can download here: http://www.agropages.com/magazine/detail-8-167.htm.Or contact us foran E-magazine.Contact person: SusanE-mail: [email protected] you to find us on page 48.
2019-08-07 14:52
We will focus on our most strong agricultural adjuvants and pesticides products.Agricultural Adjuvants to be shown: PASS — Agricultural silicone surfactant, super spreader for agrochemicals; Pro-DFM — High efficient nonionic silicone antifoam emulsion, fast defoaming speed and long bubble control for water-based pesticides; Pro-XTG — Xanthan Gum, thickener & suspension stabilizer for water-based pesticidesIf you want to know how to attend the CAC, we would be glad to help you too.Look forward to meeting you on the fair. Thank you!
2019-08-07 12:11
Welcome customers to meet us !
2019-08-07 12:04
The New Email system is based on @profirst.cn , will use along with the existed Email System. The Existed Email system is based on @profirst.biz, is still in using. Thank you for your attention , Shanghai Profirst Co., Ltd.
2019-08-07 12:01
Profirst Announcement :Shanghai Profirst Co., Ltd. Hereby appoint Ms. Susan Huto act as Manager of Agrochemical department.This appointment will take immediate effect.By AlanPresidentShanghai Profirst Co., Ltd.April 16, 2017The Photo of Ms. Susan Hu
2019-08-07 11:59
Shanghai Profirst will be on holiday from December 30th, 2017 to January 1st, 2018. Wish you a prosperous happy new year 2018!
2019-08-07 11:58
Please visit us !
2019-08-07 11:56
ear experts, peers,As you know, agriculture silicone surfactant is widely used in worldwide, and warmly welcomed by farmers worldwide, because the super spreading ability.Our brand name is PASS.Does this product have some shortcoming or it will cause some problem?Do you have this kind of explain or feedback from your friends, customers?Please write email to us to talk about this product, Alan ,[email protected] got some explain from farmers. we are now collecting all the feedback, and edit to a paper called how to use silcone surfactant in right way, to help famers to use its advantage, to avoid its disadvantage. This paper will email to every feedback, will not been shown in public.
2019-08-07 11:50
Dear experts, peers,We are glad to announce, after years research by our technical team, Profirst’s four new products are ready to serve our customers.They are : Penetrant - Pro-MSO Penetrant with spreading- Pro-MSO Plus Water conditioner in Liquid form - Pro-Buffer L2 Water conditioner in Powder form - Pro-Buffer S2 If you need information and the sample for these products, please contact us: [email protected]. More new prodcuts are coming. Please keep attention on us. Shanghai Profirst Co., Ltd. website: www.profirst.cn Email: [email protected] May 15, 2018
2019-08-07 11:43
For better efficacy of pesticides, basic points when preparing pesticide sprayingStep one , prepare the spraying water, Check pH value of the spraying water, Find out the pesticide is acidic or alkaline , by checking the label of the pesticide, Use buffer to adjust pH value of the spraying water if need. Profirst has two water buffer , Pro-Buffer L2 is in liquid , Pro-Buffer S2 is in solid, Step two , choose the right adjuvants, find out the pesticide is a contact one, or a systemic one. Contact pesticide , choose spreader , our product PASS is a super spreader. Systemic pesticide, choose a penetrant, Profirst has two penetrants , Pro-MSO is a penetrant , Pro-MSO Plus is a penetrant with spreading function, Dear experts , customers , your comments are welcome, you can discuss with me , my Email is [email protected], Thank you, Alan Chen Shanghai Profirst Co., ltd. Whatsapp/wechat : 0086 13701791095 Email : [email protected] : alanchen8866
2019-08-07 11:41
May every day be brilliant for you. Best wishes!Shanghai Profirst will be on holiday from December 30th, 2018 to January 1st, 2019. December 29th, 2018 would be a working day.Please contact us by email during this period, we will reply you ASAP.Our email: [email protected] for your attention!Best regards.
2019-08-07 11:11
welcome , friends , customers !
2019-08-07 11:09
For better browse experience, please take a short time to check the following instruction before use. 1. How to search for a product. a. Type the name or CAS no. of the products in the search box on the upper right and click search. b. Browse products section and search on the basis of product classification. 2. How to find more details. a. You can find basic information in the product page. b. For more information, send email to us. [email protected],c. call us: 86 21 38122007, 86 21 38122006We will response asap.
2019-08-06 16:55
Alan Chen, President of Profirst , attending the above seminar during June 13 to 15, 2019.The Seminar on Formulation Technology and Production Process of Pesticide in Year 2019 , sponsored by China Chemical Enterprise Management Association , was successfully held in Nanjing. The purpose of the Seminar is to help professionals engaged in pesticide formulation development improve their R&D capabilities, strengthen the technical reserve of enterprises, and cope with the policy and market demand. Alan had done a lot of discussing with Professors and technical researchers on the new trend of formulation and adjuvants development.
2019-07-31 15:49
Mr. Alan Chen , President of Profirst, attended CPEW2019 in Hangzhou , from July 3rd to July 5th, 2019. He discussed hot points with colleagues on pesticide marketting , chated with friends , exchanged product information.China Pesticide Exporting Workshop in Year 2019 took place on 3-5 July 2019 in New Century HangZhou Grand Hotel, Hangzhou City, China. By AGROPAGES. The event focused on the theme, "Join hands with Chinese partners to develop global potential markets". The conference was open to overseas visitors, and also invited Chinese policy and market analysts; multinational companies; agrochemical distributors and importers deeply rooted in local markets; representatives of leading Chinese manufacturers. nearly 500 person attended the conference.
2019-07-19 17:45
The second annual Indoor AgTech Innovation Summit to be held in New York City, June 19-20 2019, provides an opportunity for over 300 thought leaders to come together and advance the sustainability, profitability and health-focus of the indoor trend that’s changing the dynamics of fresh food production. Enza Zaden is participating in the event for the first time and offers insight into the value of seed breeding innovation for high-tech greenhouses and vertical farms.“Seed that’s bred specifically for controlled conditions is critical to meeting consumer demands and achieving desired business outcomes,” says Freek Knol, Greenhouse Business Manager North America, Enza Zaden USA.Enza Zaden currently offers 12 hydroponic varieties – including Cristabel ‘crispy’ lettuce – with 15 more to be released in the next few years. The unique lighting, mechanics, technical know-how, desired traits, yields and packaging requirements of each indoor growing operation help to inform ideal variety suggestions, and avoid the significant trial-and-error expense of seed bred for open-field growing.Enza Zaden’s dedicated breeding programs are informed by ongoing market trend and consumer preferences research across North America, the EU and Asia, as well as strong partnerships with retail organizations and produce platforms. Insights gained enable innovative adaption of fresh products in partnership with customers.“Technology stakeholders, led by widespread consumer demand for local produce, are setting an aggressive and inspiring pace for dedicated seed breeding and operational innovation that’s never been seen before in the fresh food industry. We’re excited to be part of this exciting, entrepreneurial chapter in fresh and healthy local food production,” says Knol.
2019-07-13 12:26
Regulations add costs to the products we buy, and if a product is no longer novel, such as herbicide tolerant canola, then the regulations could be lifted, lowering the price of products to consumers.In Canada, new plant varieties are regulated based on the final product, not the process used to create the variety. A herbicide-tolerant canola variety is regulated based on the traits that make the new variety novel, not the breeding process used to create it, such as genetic modification.Canada uses a science-based risk assessment and has safely commercialized more than 100 crop varieties. Canada regulates these plants based on novelty, known as plants with novel traits (PNTs).The question that arises is how long is a specific plant trait novel? Herbicide tolerant (HT) canola was developed using both transgenic and mutagenic technologies, and for 25 years new HT canola varieties have been regulated as PNTs and safely grown. After 25 years, are HT canola varieties really still novel?Nearly all of the canola grown in Canada is herbicide tolerant: 95 percent in 2017. Regulations add costs to the products we buy and if a product is no longer novel, then the regulations could be lifted, lowering the price of products to us as consumers.Webster’s New World College Dictionary defines novel as “new and unusual; especially, being the first of its kind.” Based on this definition, it would be difficult to argue that HT canola or other genetically modified varieties of corn and soybeans could be viewed as novel. Ontario and Quebec are Canada’s largest corn-producing regions, with more than 70 percent of seeded corn being of GM varieties. As one of the six “founding biotech crop countries,” Canada’s 25 years of safe production no longer fits the definition of novel.When it comes to defining novel, Canada also has legal precedence. The issue at hand is that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency does not define novel. In a 1966 lawsuit, (Mihalchuk v. Ratke (1966) 57 DLR (2d) 269) regarding chemical drift from an aerial application, the judge observed that the method of applying chemical by plane was unusual and awarded damages. In other words, it was a new novel technology.A decade later, in an identical case (Cruise v. Niessen (1977) 82 DLR (3d) 190) the judge ruled that aerial application of chemicals was common, and awarded no compensation of damages. The Canadian courts have said that the use of a technology for a 10-year period results in the technology being viewed as a common practice. Why should plant breeding technologies be different?Based on these two court cases, it may be possible to develop an argument that Canada has a regulatory mandate to review if HT crops are still novel when they account for virtually all of the production. Scientific data from PNT variety approvals over the past 25 years demonstrate the technology is equivalent to conventional plant varieties. If there is no scientific rationale for supporting continued regulation of herbicide-tolerant varieties or insect-resistant varieties, then the regulatory oversight should be removed.Previous research I was involved with has shown a direct correlation between the length and uncertainty of regulation and innovation investment. Removing PNT regulations from herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant crops would be expected to improve innovation investment in Canada.With the legal aspect satisfactorily addressed, the sole remaining rational would need to be based on scientific risk assessment data.Based on 25 years of approval, the scientific risk assessment data would appear to support removing regulatory oversight on some of the transgenic and mutagenic traits presently being subject to additional regulatory oversight. Novel is not defined as something that is in perpetuity but as something that has a defined length.The time has come to deem herbicide tolerance and insect resistance as no longer novel.
2019-07-13 12:18
By Kenrick Cai, ForbesAgtech founders and VC backers talked about the opportunities and challenges that automated robots bring to farming.MATT KANG FOR FORBESHow do you teach a computer what a good strawberry looks like? According to AgShift founder and CEO Miku Jha, whose company is innovating food inspections with deep learning, you do it the same way you train a three year old. “You give them a ping pong ball and an egg, and you keep telling them, ‘this is a ball, this is an egg, this is a ball, this is an egg.’ Both are white, but eventually you figure it out. That’s how our minds are wired,” she said.Training a strawberry-inspecting AI program follows that same logic: “We take hundreds of images of bruises in a strawberry, and we keep training the model that this is a bruise. ‘Good berry, bad berry, good berry, bad berry.’ That’s it,” she said.Jha was a part of a panel on automation moderated by Forbes associate editor Alex Knapp on Thursday at the 2019 Forbes AgTech Summit in Salinas, California. She spoke alongside George Kellerman, CEO and managing director of Yamaha Motor’s venture capital arm Yamaha Motor Ventures; Arama Kukutai, cofounder and partner of agtech-focused VC firm Finistere Ventures; and Thomas Palomares, cofounder and CTO of agricultural automation company Farmwise. Panelists discussed whether robots are stealing jobs, and the challenges of building AI, securing VC funding, and looking beyond the United States.The growing intersection between Silicon Valley’s technology and the Salinas Valley’s agriculture hasn’t extended to Silicon Valley’s VC money. Agtech struggles to find investment because it takes longer to grow companies, and also because most investors are “sheep,” Kellerman said. Traditional venture capitalists are opportunistic, following the crowd and chasing the “dumb money.” He argues that agtech companies need VC firms that understand “patient capital,” making a long term investment instead of expecting a quick profit.A major reason agtech can’t iterate as quickly as software is because companies can’t test their innovations year-round. They’re limited by harvesting periods that last only a few months per year. California, especially the Salinas Valley, is a prime location to counter this problem because the area has low seasonality, said Palomares, who made the 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 Manufacturing and Industry List for Farmwise. The company uses robots with computer vision and deep learning capabilities to remove weeds with herbicides. Palomares said the company aimed for weeding first because it isn’t as limited by seasons.Companies bound by harvesting cycles do have other options. It’s a big reason why Kellerman and Kukutai have invested abroad, in such countries as New Zealand and Ireland. Kellerman recalled an early investment in Abundant Robotics, which creates robotic harvesters for apple, which have a mere two-month harvest window every year. “What was interesting is the first iteration of the product, they designed it specifically to fit in a shipping container so they could pack it up and take it to Australia and do another season,” he said.When it comes to agriculture and food-based AI, says Jha, an additional challenge is that datasets have to be built from scratch. “If you build an AI solution for a bank, for example if you’re trying to do fraud detection, you have patterns,” she noted. “It has existed for many decades, so you can use it to get a head start.”Practically speaking, this means today’s automated robots likely aren’t perfect—which can make it a hard sell to growers. “You create a broccoli harvester or a strawberry harvester, it might be 60% or 80% of what a human can do,” Kellerman said. “So, you may have to rethink your business model. If you’re just looking to swap [people] out, it’s not going to happen that way. Technology evolves at an iterative pace.”While automation involves computers doing the jobs that humans otherwise do, that doesn’t mean robots are stealing jobs, said Kellerman, because nobody’s filling those jobs in the first place. When he first plunged into agriculture amid California’s drought crisis, Kellerman said he assumed the biggest problem in the industry was water. Instead, every grower he spoke to told him, “my top three problems are: labor, labor, and labor.”This is one thing that drove Yamaha Motor Ventures’s decision to invest in agricultural automation, he said. It “wasn’t about taking humans out of the loop, it was about filling a gap that exists in the market. A gap that’s getting bigger and bigger every day.”Tech is “augmenting” not replacing the farming workforce, Jha agreed. “Imagine an inspector who has to inspect two pounds of cashews and look for 24 different kinds of physical defects in that cashew and make a decision in under three minutes,” she said. “Imagine the brain fatigue it leads to when you're doing it continuously.”As Silicon Valley furthers its imprint on the Salinas Valley and other agricultural centers, farmers are also getting fatigued by all startups approaching them, Kukutai said. The key for a fledgling agtech company is to target a problem with a market in need. He recalled a joint investment with Kellerman on Invert Robotics, a startup using automation to inspect and clean storage tanks. Invert had the “secret sauce” other companies didn’t, he said. “What was surprising was just how big the addressable markets are. So, going inside tanks and inspecting them or cleaning them was actually a multi-billion dollar market.”
2019-07-13 12:16
The United States and 15 other countries launched a broadside of criticism at the European Union on Thursday, saying its "hazard-based" approach to regulating pesticides and other "critical tools" used by farmers was damaging livelihoods worldwide.Their statement, submitted to the World Trade Organization, said the EU's approach created great uncertainty and diverged from science-based risk assessments, creating disruption that threatened to escalate significantly in coming years.They called on the EU to re-evaluate its approach to product approvals, use internationally accepted methods of setting tolerance levels for potentially harmful ingredients, and stop "unnecessarily and inappropriately" restricting trade.The statement was backed by Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the United States and Uruguay.They said farmers needed to be able to access the "full range of safe tools and technologies" in order to meet the challenge of producing more food."Yet, our farmers' choice of safe tools is increasingly undermined by regulatory barriers that are not founded on internationally agreed risk analysis principles and do not take into account alternative approaches to meeting regulatory objectives," they said."This is already having a substantial negative impact on the production, and trade of, safe food and agricultural products, an impact that is likely to increase in the future."The statement, sent for debate at the WTO's Council for Trade in Goods later this month, said the EU had effectively banned some substances that other WTO members regarded as safe."In implementing these measures, it appears that the EU is unilaterally attempting to impose its own domestic regulatory approach onto its trading partners," they said.Despite repeated requests at the WTO over the past four years, the EU had not explained what level of protection it was seeking or what risks it was trying to mitigate, and it had ignored comments on draft regulations, they said.The EU had suggested farmers could find "alternatives" to meet EU rules, but such demands rang hollow, the statement said, since many farmers had no such economically viable options, with a disproportionate effect on millions of agriculture-dependant families in developing economies and least developed countries.
2019-07-13 12:13
In the same manner that nations collaborate to detect and stop human pandemics, a global surveillance system for crop diseases needs to be created to safeguard agricultural trade and food security, argues a team of experts in Science.More than 20 percent of the five staple crops that provide half the globe's caloric intake are lost to pests each year. Climate change and global trade drive the spread, emergence, and re-emergence of crop disease, and containment action is often inefficient, especially in low-income countries. A Global Surveillance System (GSS) to strengthen and interconnect crop biosecurity systems could go a long way to improving global food security, argues a team of experts in the June 28 issue of Science."As part of efforts to satisfy global demand for food - which could mean increasing agricultural production by as much as 70 percent by 2050 - we need a GSS to reduce food lost to pests," said Mónica Carvajal, a researcher at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and lead author. "A lot of collaboration and discussion is needed to rapidly take action and avoid outbreaks that could negatively impact food security and trade."Carvajal and colleagues hope the GSS framework they propose gains traction in 2020, which was designated International Year of Plant Health by the United Nations. The system would prioritize six major food crops - maize, potato, cassava, rice, beans, and wheat - as well as other important food and cash crops that are traded across borders. The GSS proposal is the result of a scientific meeting convened by CIAT and held in 2018 at the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center in Italy.Inspired by recent outbreaksIn 2015, Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) was discovered in Cambodia but the findings were not reported until 2016. By 2018, the disease had spread to Thailand and Vietnam, and is now estimated to be present in 10 percent of the surfaces cultivated in the region, threatening millions of smallholders who cultivate cassava and generate US$4 billion in export revenue.This year, agricultural authorities from four countries - Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Lao PDR -supported by research organizations including CIAT, published an emergency control plan for CMD in Southeast Asia.Carvajal, who studied the CMD outbreak after its initial report, says that a GSS would help expedite action for future outbreaks."The question I asked was why does it take so long to respond to crop diseases in some cases?" said Carvajal. "What is the limitation to responding faster from the outset?"The GSS proposal draws on lessons learned from the wheat blast outbreak that hit Bangladesh in 2016 and the bacterial outbreak of Xylella fastidiosa that started affecting olive trees in Europe in 2013. The proposal is from a multidisciplinary group of experts from academia, research centers, and funding organizations that work on issues related to plant health and human health.What would GSS do?The GSS would focus on tightening networks "active surveillance" and "passive surveillance" personnel who are on the front lines of disease outbreaks. Active surveillance consists of laboratories at agriculture inspection stations, and customs and phytosanitary inspectors at borders and ports of entry. Despite their formal infrastructure, only an estimated 2-6 percent of cargo can be effectively screened.The second group includes loose networks of farmers, extension workers with national agricultural organizations, scientists and agronomists at research centers and universities, and specialists in agriculture industries."For this infrastructure to be effective, connections between first detectors and downstream responders must be enhanced and actions coordinated," said the authors. "But diagnostic capacity, information sharing, and communications protocols are lacking or weakly established in some regions, especially in low-income countries. Our reflection on many disease outbreaks is that whether in high-income countries or low-income countries, the passive surveillance infrastructure has the most in-field monitoring eyes but the least coordination from local to global."The GSS would tap into cutting-edge technology for rapid disease diagnostics and take advantage of communications networks, including social media, to rapidly share information. The system would have regional hubs and consist of five formal global networks. These would include a diagnostic laboratory network, a risk assessment network, a data management network, an operational management network, and a communications network."Our team realized that there is a big issue with communication, even when we speak the same language and use the same technologies," said Carvajal. "One of the most relevant components is the communications network." The GSS team hopes to contribute to future efforts on strengthening pest outbreak response systems within the International Plant Protection Convention's (IPPC) 2020-2030 Strategic Framework."We encourage the annual G20 Agriculture Ministers Meeting, the World Bank Group, and FAO, among others, to join efforts toward enhancing cooperation for a multi-year action plan for the proposed GSS to more effectively reduce the impact of crop diseases and increase global food security," the authors conclude.Funding and supportThe authors acknowledge support from the Rockefeller Foundation, Gatsby charitable Foundation, BBSRC, BASF Plant Science, and GIZ, and thank Adriana G. Moreira from the IPPC Secretariat and FAO/UN for her thoughtful comments and feedback. The views and opinions in this paper are the product of a group discussion convened at the Bellagio Center Conference Program granted by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Institute of International Education (IIE). The views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions.
2019-07-13 12:11
Crop protection chemical products play a pivotal role in controlling the pests and diseases that infect and damage overall farm produce, and can further reduce the quantity and quality of food production. Excessive and unsuitable applications of crop protection chemicals, such as pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides, among others, through traditional manual spraying, has resulted in an intensification of hazardous elements in the environment. Moreover, these crop protection chemicals demand high prices, leading to an increase in operational costs. Thus, incorporation of precision technologies for spraying of these chemicals has emerged as an ideal alternative to address the limitations faced by farmers. and to ensure ecological sustainability. This article covers the following points in detail about:- Major applications, use cases, and downsides of UAV/drones in the agriculture industry- Stakeholder Analysis: Effect of UAV Based Delivery System on the Adjuvant’s Supply Chain- Companies Producing Adjuvants Compatible with UAV Applications- UAV- The Future of Pesticide SprayingAgricultural UAV Market by ApplicationsThe advancement of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles/ Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAV/UAS) technology in a variety of industries, such as aerospace and defense, healthcare, retail, and others, is resulting in the proliferation of a number of uses across the globe, including the growing usage of UAVs/UAS in agriculture. These UAVs, in conjunction with image data analytics, are being widely used in the agriculture industry. Figure 1. Mega Trends to Impact the Drone Industry in 2019Source: BIS Research AnalysisThe agriculture industry has become a favourite among interested businesses and consumers of drones, and is expected to witness a sharp uptake of drones in the next 5-10 years. There are various ways in which UAVs are effectively reshaping and assisting the overall crop life cycle, based on their imaging, real-time data gathering, processing, and analytical capabilities, including:- Providing precise 3D maps for early soil analysis, useful in planning seeds and nutrient status to further reduce the overall cost of plantation and other expenses- Adjusting the altitude, scanning farms, spraying appropriate amounts of liquid (fertilizers, adjuvants), and ensuring uniform coverage of the affected area- Precisely tracking and assessing the growth of crops and providing data about inefficiencies and deficiencies, as well as bacterial or fungal infections, and ensuring better crop management- Identifying areas of the farm which are dry, less irrigated, and need improvement, with the help of sensors, combined with UAVsUse Cases of UAV Delivery System and Application in the U.S., India, and Africa The U.S. is currently at the forefront of the global agricultural adjuvants market, with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) dictating the use of UAVs for farming operations in the country. The Yamaha RMAX, an unmanned helicopter developed by the Yamaha Motor Company, is being used in the USA. It consists of a two-bladed rotor and is remote-controlled by a line-of-sight user. Initially used only in Japan for agricultural spray applications, the UAV is now approved for operations in Japan, Korea, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S. Another renowned Chinese drone manufacturer, DJI, has introduced the Agras MG-1, designed for precision variable rate application of pesticides. The company is now working on automating these UAVs to apply chemicals to broadacre crops.Likewise, in India, a farmer from the state of Haryana deployed customized drones that can aerially spray pesticides on crops. These drones (still unnamed) are of two versions - manually operated and automatically operated, and can carry a 35 kg load.Even in Africa, some 26% of the countries have stringent regulations governing the use of UAVs. Countries such as South Africa, Mauritius, Rwanda, Morocco, and Tanzania, among others, have successfully deployed UAVs for inspecting crops. In Morocco, UAS is used primarily for efficient application of crop protection chemicals. Les Domaines Agricoles, the largest Moroccan agribusiness, is one such company, which is utilizing UAV technology and image data analytics to ensure effective fertilization.Stakeholder Analysis- Effect of UAV Based Delivery System on the Adjuvant’s Supply Chain UAV/Drone providers effectively contribute a large value to the entire crop supply chain. Spraying of crop protection chemicals for disease, weed, and pest control is currently one of the emerging applications of drones in the agriculture sector. Drone manufacturers are expanding their market capabilities in this industry by partnering with various farm cooperatives and agriculture consultants.Farmers use real-time information extracted with the usage of UAVs to plan their cropping cycle, and also for better decision making. Though the initial cost of implementation is high when compared to the benefits/returns received from this technology, UAVs as a viable technology is a justified investment.Adjuvant manufacturers and companies providing crop protection chemical products can reduce wastage of their stocks and pre-plan accordingly through this data-driven approach. Credit and insurance companies play an important role in the crop cycle, considering that majority of farmers’ livelihoods are largely dependent upon farm produce. Crop insurance protects farmers against any form of loss caused by crop failure, while credit institutions provide much-needed credit to them, to purchase technologically advanced products and utilize their efficient inputs. By analyzing the real-time information generated by UAVs from the field, these companies can judge the credit worthiness of farmers and pay out monetary compensation with a better degree of reliability. Agronomists and distributors operating in the market can also use extracted crop indicators and harvesting schedules to plan their distribution schedules and prevent losses.Figure 2. Stakeholder AnalysisSource: BIS Research AnalysisCompanies Producing Adjuvants Compatible with UAV ApplicationsAdjuvants are primarily used in the agricultural industry to improve the performance of insecticides, pesticides and herbicides, which further improve the effectiveness of the crop protection chemical and help in providing better distribution and drift reduction. As per a report by BIS Research, the global agricultural adjuvants market is expected to grow from $2.8 billion in the year 2016 to $3.6 billion by 2021 at a CAGR of 5.5% from 2016 to 2021. Companies such as Adjuvant Plus Inc., ORO AGRI, Helena Chemical Company, Wilbur Ellis Company LLC, Solvay AG, Nufarm Ltd., Momentive LLC, Akzo Nobel Inc., BASF SE, Evonik Industries, and Elkem Silicones, are the key players operating in the agricultural adjuvants market.Figure 3. Global Agricultural Adjuvants Market and Key Driving FactorsSource: BIS Research AnalysisSpray drift is presently considered to be the most challenging problem faced by applicators and pesticide manufacturers. It can damage plants, animals, and the environment, and can even affect human health. Companies have come up with adjuvants and formulations compatible with UAV applications. These formulations (with their wetting, spreading, sticking, reducing evaporating, and also spray drifting properties) have the ability to minimize or even eliminate spray application problems by controlling physical and chemical properties.The potential of adjuvants and formulations to reduce spray drift can be judged by measuring spray droplet sizes at different concentrations. Thus, ensuring the selection of the correct adjuvant for spraying though UAVs is one of the main practices adopted to reduce the negative effects of spray drift.Downsides of UAV Delivery System for Spraying Purposes One major downside of deploying UAVs on farms for spraying or other purposes is the exceptional high cost of fully equipped UAVs, including sensors, radars, and related hardware and software. The high prices further increase when combined with the cost of acquiring technical skills and knowledge of piloting UAVs. Though cheaper UAV options are also available, these are primarily ill-equipped and inadequate for farming operations. In the majority of cases related to UAV equipment, increases in the performance directly proportional to the rise in prices.Another key concern for users about UAVs is privacy. A UAV can gather data without being detected, leading to the risk of breach of privacy. There also exists certain safety concerns while dealing with UAVs, hence, these should be equipped with sensors-and-avoid systems to prevent potential collisions.Rules and regulations for the use of UAV/ UAS for agricultural purposes vary across countries. For instance, the use of UAVs for farming purposes is considered a commercial activity by the Federal Government of the U.S. Farmers need to undergo operator training from the FAA and receive a certification in order to qualify for a remote pilot license. It is mandatory for remote pilots to adhere to a specified altitude for UAVs flights, failure to which can lead to heavy fines and penalties.According to Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) by Health Canada, spraying a pesticide with the help of a drone/UAV in Canada is still not allowed under the Pest Control Products Act. One needs to apply to PMRA with data stating the added hazards and risks, in order to receive approval.UAV- The Future of Pesticide SprayingWith the help of current advancements in drone technology, spraying is the one application of UAV technology that is currently witnessing unprecedented growth in the agriculture industry. Deployment of drones in the agriculture sector is gaining at a high rate of acceptance by farmers across the globe. Drones have enabled farmers to gather invaluable data to further augment profits and productivity, along with alleviating environmental hazards. As per a report by BIS Research, the global agriculture drone/UAV market generated over $950 million revenue in 2018, out of which the spraying application of UAVs held approximately 9% of the market value. Figure 4. Agricultural UAV Market by ApplicationsSource: BIS Research AnalysisThe use of drones for various pesticide spraying applications leads to an efficient input of resources by farmers and allows for timely protection of crops from pests. The end users are rapidly identifying the benefits of the efficiency and affordability that drones provide to secure high yields and quality crops. The demand for drones for pesticide spraying is expected to further rise in the upcoming years. However, privacy and safety are still a cause of major concern for farmers. Addressing issues related to privacy, safety, and security can assist in the successful implementation of this technology.UAV technology has effectively bestowed upon users innumerable benefits, which makes it worth taking a risk. Farmers would be able to save time, energy, and money in crop production, along with drone technology effectively working in tandem with environmental protection and efficient degrees of productivity.About BIS ResearchBIS Research is a global B2B market intelligence and advisory firm focusing on those emerging technological trends which are likely to disrupt the dynamics of the market.Our in-depth market intelligence reports on the agriculture and food technologies focus on the market estimations, technology analysis, emerging high-growth applications, deeply segmented granular country-level market data, and other important market parameters useful in the strategic decision-making for senior management. What distinguishes BIS Research from the rest of the players is that we don’t simply provide data but also complement it with valuable insights and actionable inputs for the success of our clients.From: agropage
2019-07-13 12:08
Grace Yuan“Regarding the formulation technology innovation, an agchem company core competence should have the following strategies and objectives: 1) developing new pesticide molecules, 2) discovering new biopesticides, 3) design formulations of either single or combo AIs (both new and generic) with the aid of effective, safe co-formulants, and 4) manufacturing the resultant formulation products in a safe and cost-effective manner, which should be deliverable and efficacious for the farmers,” said Roy C. Chen, PhD, former ADAMA US Formulation Team Leader, in a recent interview with AgroPages.He also shared his views on the future development trends of novel formulation and application technologies, regulatory and R&D challenges that affect formulation innovation and development, as well as core competence to drive formulation technology innovation.Q1. What novel formulation and application technologies are needed to meet the needs for growers over the next 5-10 years in different global regions?In the next 5 to 10 years, the worldwide population will demand more secure and reliable food crop production, in terms of quantity and quality, while adjusting to climate change and reduced arable land. The future of novel formulation technological development for agrochemical companies will center around developing not only new AI molecules by R/D companies, but also combo AIs, or so-called hybrid mixture formulations by most generic companies. The latter direction is due to the need to differentiate oneself in local and global market places. Furthermore, there is also a desire to be environmental-friendly, while keeping safe and efficient applications, and breaking weed resistance, such as those of glyphosate and triazines, among others. Formulation technology could be part of an integrated approach involving a weeder machine, and crop rotations in conjunction with novel agri-formulations. How about using chemical/biological combo formulations to fight against resistance? For example, one could use certain fungal spores in the formulation. The major formulation challenges lie in dealing with formulation mixtures which are becoming more complex, so do the coformulants needed to make that happen. Usually, these include new functional co-formulants, green solvents, biostimulants and other related adjuvants. Q2. What are the regulatory challenges to affect future formulations? Could you share some specific cases of how an agchem company develops agrochemical formulations suited to different global regions?As national authorities manage formulation registrations individually, through various local laws and policies, agrochemical producers may face challenges in cases of the same co-formulants which may not be globally accepted. Therefore, separate versions of the same product formulations may be necessary, so do the corresponding tox data requirement. As a result, more resources are needed for registering the same product. By the same token, managing the downstream supply chain issues would be just as challenging and costly. Furthermore, due to different pesticide regulations among countries, there could be issues involving pesticides in international trade. A recent example concerns glyphosate re-registration in the EU. Because Glyphosate formulations, particularly those coupled with polyethoxylated tallowamine emulsifiers (POEA), have been shown to cause elevated cytotoxic or endocrine disrupting effects, compared to the active ingredient glyphosate. However, this is not an open and shut case for some. Opinions among scientific communities, health officials and environmental authorities/organizations are divided. Essentially, the case touches upon fundamental aspects of risk assessment and product regulation. A very recent news item is that a French court has issued a ban on glyphosate sales in France. Several other countries outside the EU, including Argentina, Australia, Bermuda, Brazil and Canada, are banning or restricting glyphosate use, while the US has not. Because of the glyphosate issues, the fate of POEA Tallowamine coformulant has also been affected. In response, Bayer/Monsanto, the glyphosate formulation manufacturer, is now removing the Tallowamine emulsifier away from all glyphosate formulations. There is also movement in the EU to use alternative weeding methods, in addition to IPM techniques, plus using other safe organic herbicides, such as essential oils, acetic and citric acids, as well as fatty acids, as in soap formulations which may be necessary to help manage post-glyphosate market needs.Q3. What are the challenges in R&D for new formulations and possible solutions? In the broad background of satisfying the overall agricultural production needs in food, fiber and fuel crop productions, farmers usually rely heavily on agrochemicals in modern farming to enhance crop yield, increase plant growth, neutralize the soil, and protect against pests, including weeds, insects, and fungi. The issues are how to increase and optimize the agricultural output in each region through smart utilization of agrochemicals. The corresponding formulation R/D challenges resides in developing new combo formulations, which are becoming more complex to formulate. Take a close look at potential formulation components that a formulator must face; including the chemical active ingredients, wetting agents, emulsifiers, surfactants, dispersants, polymers, solvents, oils, adjuvants, suspension aids, powders, buffers, rheology modifiers, water, adjuvants and more. Their physical and colloidal interactions with one another must be appreciated and acted upon accordingly. Obviously, the goal is to have an end formulation product which must be physically and chemically stable in storage, and easily applicable for tank mixing, while delivering the pesticidal efficacies. More challenging are those combos of agrochemicals and biopesticides. For example, there are biopesticides consisting of bacterial or fungal spores for seed treatments, combined with the chemical insecticide on crop seeds, such as corn, soybean, and cotton. The seed treatment combo formulations may be one of the reasons why the biopesticides market is growing. Prominent examples are BASF’s Poncho Votivo and PV 2.0 (nematicide) and Syngenta’s Clariva Complete (Soybean Cyst Nematicide). Q4. Could you share some cases of digitalization technologies that enhance efficacy for formulation development / application/ delivery?As we are living in a digitized world, it is only natural that digital technology can be utilized or considered in agrochemical formulation development, such as data collection and organization for formulation definition and registration purposes. Databases of co-formulants, including their chemical and physical properties, can be searched for data mining. For now, there is still no computer modeling or simulation of agrochemical formulations. Actual formulations still need to be put together physically, according to compositions on the bench for realistic testing and monitoring. This is an area yet to be explored. A very useful statistical methodology applied to formulation development is the “Design of Experiment ” (DOE). It is a well-established systematic approach to create good formulations. There are commercial computer software packages marketed to perform formulation DOE. This statistical method is a powerful tool for formulation optimization, particularly when multiple ingredients are involved to achieve the final performing formulations. Generally, DOE technique is highly recommended, as most formulators have been trained or are used for employing traditional techniques of changing one-variable at a time (OFAT), versus something like factorial designed experiments through DOE techniques.Other areas of agrochemical digitization start from digitizing lab formulation test equipment, which can be computer controlled and monitored, and examples include lab viscometer and incubators for freeze-thaw tests. Regarding the downstream agrochemical pilot plant operation and the further down-stream production, the associated digitization is expected to follow those of a digitized chemical plant, both in unit operation and unit process. From plant control panel to process unit feedback, modern digital technology can be a great tool, in terms of safety and good quality control. One critically new area for all agrochemical companies to consider is the formulation production simulation for formulation plants. Not only can a normal formulation operation be simulated, but also an inconceivable formulation mishap. A simulation software module can be a cost-effective training tool for pilot scale up and production crews. The final area to consider is formulation plant automation. This can be an effective way to increase productivity, minimize costs and make your facility operate more ergonomically. Plant automation should be well suited to a stepwise type of processing for a production facility which manufactures agrochemical formulations. In the near future, delivering formulations to the field will be done by robots in modern farms, usually by Agbots plus flying drones. Accordingly, agrichemical formulations can have higher concentrations, while formulation types and design also can be more versatile, without human safety concerns. For the same reason, formulation sprays can be more flexible, as well. Furthermore, formulation application can be performed in a high precision manner and be far less polluting to the environment. Q5. What’s the core competence to drive formulation technology innovation in an agchem company? What innovation formulation technologies have been launched in the agchem industry? As far as a modern agrochemical company is concerned, regarding the formulation technology innovation, the company core competence should have the following strategies and objectives: 1) developing new pesticide molecules, 2) discovering new biopesticides, 3) design formulations of either single or combo AIs (both new and generic) with the aid of effective, safe co-formulants, and 4) manufacturing the resultant formulation products in a safe and cost-effective manner which should be deliverable and efficacious for the farmers. Furthermore, regarding the formulation technology innovations necessary to follow up the above strategies, the agrochemical company needs to excel in the traditional formulation technologies such as the emulsifiable concentrate (EC), soluble concentrate (SL), suspension concentrate (SC), water dispersible granule (WG), and wettable powder (WP) by Improving and optimizing the compositions. Have a pipeline of formulation products each year for the market. Beyond the traditional formulations, other specific formulation types may be considered, such as suspo-emulsion (SE), oil dispersion (OD), and capsule suspension (CS) formulations utilized to deal with the specific cases including physical or chemical incompatibility, bioefficacy improvement, reduced environmental toxicity, etc. Typically, these formulation types require longer time to screen and test. Lastly in the case of microbial spore biopesticides, the up-stream fermentation excipients usually are mingled with the spores in the very formulation mixture, that can be a challenge to the formulators!
2019-07-13 12:01
How do we use state-of-art technology to create high-added-value crop varieties while saving time and costs for R&D?BackgroundThe seed industry creates added value by releasing new varieties. Each new variety involves a total spend of around USD 136m, and, depending on the breeding method, takes between eight and ten years to develop. Because the cost of developing a new variety is high, seed companies tend to invest in crops which are widely cultivated, and in large-scale farming systems, such as corn in the US and soybeans in Brazil. However, such a highly-concentrated product portfolio can be risky. The banning of glyphosate usage, for example, affects the sales of 145 corn varieties, 23 soybean varieties, 22 cotton varieties and 15 canola varieties. Therefore, the key to succeed in the seed industry is knowing how to deliver precisely those new varieties that meet the farmers/consumers’ needs.Future Breeding in Seed Companies: Customized BreedingImagine farmers ordering their seed online just like ordering a MacBook: customized color of the potato flesh, customized fatty-acid ratio of the soybean, customized pest/disease resistance, etc. Traits are adjustable according to their needs. What’s more, this also allows yield to be predicted. In this scenario, the seed company makes a production plan according to the orders placed. There’s no pressure on stocks, no waste on research resources. Consumers can choose their food by communicating their needs with the farmers.A Game-Changer Technique, Gene-Editing Tool: CRISPR/CasHow do we move from the current system to such a future scenario? It all starts with the gene-editing tool, CRISPR/Cas. Simply put, this tool allows us to edit the genome, wherever we want, using two main components: CRISPR and Cas. Cas refers to the protein that conducts the cutting of DNA. CRISPR refers to the DNA sequence that guides Cas to the desired location of the genome for cutting, which is initially used by bacteria for its immune system and was first discovered in the E. coli genome in 1987. Since 2012, the CRISPR/Cas system has shown that it can be programmed for targeted DNA cleavage and has been applied in areas such as human disease therapy, animal breeding, and also plant breeding. This system can be used to edit genes in three steps:1. seeking a corresponding place in the genome (DNA sequence) to edit2. cutting the DNA3. removing/replacing the unwanted DNA by desired ones.Gene-editing is like correcting errors in Microsoft Word: seeking a typo (finding a gene to edit), deleting the typo (cutting DNA), replacing with the correct word (paste new DNA).Corteva is using CRISPR/Cas as breeding tool for a corn variety, which shortens the breeding cycle from eight years to five years. The pros and cons of CRISPR/Cas and conventional GMO are shown below.Pros and cons of CRISPR/Cas and conventional GMODifferent from the conventional transgenic methods, CRISPR/Cas requires a precise order for the specific location in the genome to conduct gene-editing. This requires more information about the genome, and only a few crops have accumulated enough knowledge for this (e.g. corn, soybean, and rice).Also Some Concerns When it Comes to Gene-EditingIn the short term, seed companies can edit crops with known gene functions, but many gene functions are still lacking, for example drought tolerance.To speed up the gene-function research in crops, plant scientists have been using state-of-art technologies. These include using drones to collect images, information technology to reveal new regulatory networks, and deep learning to train computers for high-throughput phenotyping. The huge amount of data input facilitates the development of models for predicting yield. Coupled with the latest sequencing techniques and good predictive models, it will be feasible to accurately predict yield by the genome sequence of a crop. This will save a huge amount of time and money in breeding, and reduces risks.Technologies, such as sensors and drones, allow more data to be collected in a given time and space, and this implies more details which can be used to understand crop performance. However, to extract the information from the hundreds and thousands of images, researchers in the area of (bio)informatics are needed. Such experts are hard to find, however, as salaries are often less attractive in the agricultural sector, which means there may be a lack of people available to process the huge amounts of data.Opportunities: Data, Modeling, Gene-EditingTaken together, the keys to achieving customized breeding are data (both phenomic and genomic), modeling, and gene-editing. Firstly, with phenomic and genomic data we establish the relationships between genes and their function. Secondly, by modeling we predict the performance of a given genotype. Lastly, with gene-editing the desired genotype can be created as soon as possible.ConclusionBreeding has been a long and costly task for seed companies, but this is going to change with new technologies. There are three technologies (gene-editing, phenotyping, deep learning), which can play a role in shortening the breeding cycle and reducing costs. Gene-editing allows us to precisely edit the genome of a crop without losing the high-yield background, thus saving time. Phenotyping with drones increases the efficiency of data collection, while deep learning increases the productivity of data processing. With the convergence of the ICT-driven digitalisation taking place in farm practices and with biotechnology, the seed industry will shift to a predictive and customer needs-driven breeding strategy.
2019-07-13 11:58
By Leonardo Gottems, Reporter for AgropagesMarcelo Bressan, Federal Agricultural Tax auditor of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), stated that the use of 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) based agrochemicals will soon be restricted in Brazil.He made this statement during his opening speech at the 37th Soybean Research Meeting, organised by Embrapa in Londrina, Paraná."Regarding restrictions on the use of 2,4-D, the most important issues are creating a barrier so a worker can prepare and apply the product while riding a tractor, and the presence of a 10-meter gap between the plantation and its border where the pesticide cannot be applied, as well as a 500-meter gap from buildings. The restrictions also oblige farmers to prevent uncontrolled contamination outside cultivated areas by equipment used to disperse the product," he explained.The herbicide, 2,4-D, is the second most applied product in soybeans in Brazil, behind only glyphosate , which are the basis of the no-tillage system widely used in the country. The state of Rio Grande do Sul, one of the largest producers of soybeans of Brazil, is already restricting the use of 2,4-D, due to several cases of contamination outside crop boundaries.The first requirement of the new restrictions concerns the conditions of application, as well as knowing potential risks and responsibilities, such as weather conditions, time, wind speed, temperature humidity, and the appropriate equipment. The second requires farmers to register applicators and explain information on their applications and possible risks.It is also proposed that companies should create a fund worth US$1.5 million to mitigate possible damages caused by herbicides. The fund's budget could also be used to upgrade weather stations in the state, collect 2,4-D waste, and facilitate product monitoring.Bressan argued that the agrochemical control system established by Brazilian legislation in 1989 is complex and has many regulations and rules, to guarantee the quality of agrochemicals available for national agriculture, as well as achieve sustainable agriculture and ensure safety and competitiveness.According to a MAPA survey, 2,053 products that control soybean phytosanitary issues are currently registered, along with 155 biological pesticides that are classified as having low toxicity or minimum environmental risk. "It is important to note that the number of biological pesticides registered over the last four years has more than tripled compared to the previous four years," Bressan stressed."Legislation is complex, because of the potential risks of pesticides to human health and the environment, caused by their toxicological and ecotoxicological characteristics. In addition to the state’s involvement in regulating pesticides, the participation of society is also important to the discussions, which is conflicted between the need for more food and the idea of banning the use of pesticides on crops," he added.Regarding the future, Bressan highlighted some proposed changes to the new agrochemical law, which are being discussed by the National Parliament under Bill 6,299."The future use of agrochemicals in soybean crops, with or without the approval of the new agrochemical law, will require challenges to be addressed by the research. Soybean researchers and producers who make the appropriate recommendations and will be required to help make the improvements needed by society, which will involve greater production of food and wealth for the country while caring for the environment and health," he concluded.
2019-07-13 11:44
Paul ZhengThe year of 2018, that has just passed is destined to be a hard year for pesticide industry practitioners. According to statistical data of Phillips McDougall, the global pesticide market has been quite weak in its growth. In 2017, the global pesticide sales reached $61.530 billion, 2.6% up year on year, of which non crop application-oriented pesticide sales was $7.311 billion, 2.9% up year on year. Under the background of the world-wide weak economy, the global pesticide market remained slow in 2018. Looking back at the past 2018, there were world-wide decreases of registrations and releases of new pesticide varieties while a number of old varieties were put under dispute such as dicamba, neonicotinoid insecticides and chlorpyrifos. In this article, a few of keywords are chosen as examples to elaborate several major events in the pesticide industry of 2018.Keyword: dicambaOn the 31st October 2018, U.S. EPA announced extension of registration of dicamba up to 20th December 2020, which finally gives the controversial dicamba a breathing space.Dicamba was created by Velsicol Chemical Corporation of the US in 1961, being an excellent post-seedling herbicide for graminaceous crops, with selectivity and systemicity used for control of more than 200 kinds of broadleaf weeds, mainly for applications in North America. As the weed resistance has been growing over recent years, the “novel traits + herbicide” application method to cotton and soybean has emerged accordingly. The novel traits allow for direct spraying of dicamba to crops without any harm, which can eradicate resistant weeds. However, the high volatility of dicamba especially under high temperature condition may cause dicamba to drift, which leads to damages to crops that are not resistant to dicamba. It is for this reason that dicamba has suffered repeated setbacks in the US over the last two years. In 2017, Arkansas State Plant Board received nearly 1,000 complaints against dicamba. As a response, Arkansas State Plant Board implemented a temporary solution to ban the sale and use of dicamba. In the same year, complaints were also lodged in Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota and Tennessee on damages to crops caused by dicamba. Farmers requested temporary prohibition of dicamba before protective measures are put in place to prevent the damages from dicamba. Since then, voices requesting prohibition of sale and use of dicamba have never stopped. All states of the US have approved restrictions of the use of dicamba, thus the product has become very uncertain in the future.Nevertheless, the extension of registration of dicamba in the US on the one hand shows the existence of the problems but on the other hand reveals an acknowledgement of dicamba as an important crop protection tool which is nowadays not irreplaceable. After USEPA’s announcement of extension of registration of dicamba, Bayer, Syngenta and Corteva Agriscience that are the main players of dicamba have expressed their intentions to lay stress on various training activities to help dicamba users to better follow provisions of the labels so as to maximize the potential risk during the use of dicamba. Both government and industries have not tried to evade from the applications of dicamba, this gives us confidence in the development of dicamba in the US.In the 21st century, the “GMO traits + herbicide” application method has become the mainstream of prevention and control of resistant weeds, as well as a future trend of development of dicamba. Pessimistically, in case that registration of dicamba will not be further granted after its expiration in 2020, dicamba will still have its great market potentials in the GM crop market of South America. For now, what dicamba vendors can do is to continue to make effort on development of formulation products to get ready to cope with any changes and chances.Keywords: neonicotinoid insecticide Since EU’s strict restriction from 2013 of the use of the three neonicotinoid insecticides - clothianidin, thiamethoxam and imidacloprid, there have been always speculations that neonicotinoid insecticides might be banned in EU, which has finally come true in 2018.In April 2018, EU passed a resolution by vote to ban the outdoor use of clothianidin, thiamethoxam and imidacloprid, which are allowed to be used only in permanent greenhouse not in contact with honeybees. Among the EU member states, UK took the lead in an action to designate the use of the three neonicotinoid insecticides only in greenhouse and to ban the use of the three products in outdoor environment as of 19th December 2018 including the use as seed treatment. From the 1st September 2018, France banned the sale and use of five neonicotinoid insecticides (clothianidin, imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, thiacloprid and acetamiprid), having become the first EU country to ban the use of neonicotinoid insecticides. Hence, the fate of neonicotinoid insecticides in EU becomes uncertain.Neonicotinoid insecticide has a novel and distinctive action mode, which enables the product, immediately after market launch, to become a fastest growing and most successful insecticide variety with highest level of activity. However, the dispute on its toxicity to honeybees never stops. For many years, scientists have been collecting evidences of the toxicity of neonicotinoid insecticide to honeybees. Articles published on Nature and Science over recent years have revealed that neonicotinoid insecticide will indeed cause damage to the living environment of honeybees and wild bees, this provides neonicotinoid insecticide opponents with a theoretic support. It is widely known that EU has imposed extremely strict rules, governing all aspects of pesticide applications. In view of the available evidences which have proved the toxicity of neonicotinoid insecticide, while bearing in mind that supporters are unable to give a refute with theoretic support, it can be imagined that a complete prohibition of the use of neonicotinoid insecticides in Europe is just a matter of time.Keywords: bioherbicide With worldwide fast-growing organic farming over recent years, organic farming-oriented planting area is increasing year by year. According to statistical data, the global land area managed under organic farming has exceeded 22 million hectares. Organic product market is not only growing in Europe and North America (world’s largest organic market), but is also growing in other countries including developing countries. However, existing organic farming is found in its predicament – very limited bioherbicides are available. At present, bioherbicides available to organic farming are nothing more than non-selective greases and fats such as nonanoic acid. These products are usually re-used, lacking residual activity. Therefore the market is eager to have an excellent herbicide, which will be sure to have great potentials in the future.In 1981, Devine was registered in the US as the first bioherbicide. Devine is a suspension concentrate of chlamydospore based on Ppalmivora pathogenic strain in Florida, used for control of morrenia odorata with above 90% effectiveness and 2-year long-lasting effect, being widely applied to control of weeds in orange orchard. Over the last dozens of years, there has been not a single release of new bioherbicide, which is a long time since the release of the first bioherbicide. However just in 2018, the US biopesticide company Marrone Bio Innovations (MBI) filed to US EPA the new bioherbicide MBI-014, which is highly expected by the market.According to information, MBI-014 is a water dispersible microbial herbicide made of novel thermal inactivated Burkholderia rinojensis (strain A396). The product has a brand new action mode, which is capable of post-emergence control of resistant weeds particularly amaranthus. So far, MBI is still making study on the dosage, adjuvant and herbicidal spectrum related to the application of MBI-014. According to the normal timeline of biopesticide registration process in the US, the product can be expected for market release in around 2020.As is seen from the active ingredient and the process of product development, the implication is that the focus on future bioherbicide development may be shifted to weed’s pathogenic bacteria, which are separated, purified and nurtured in lab, and then inoculated to the original weeds, thus to get monomitic strain by gravity separation technique. In the future, it is foreseen that there will be availability of more and more bioherbicides.Keywords: new pesticide compoundIt is commonly recognized among the industry that development of new chemical active ingredients is becoming more and more difficult. By making a general review of the global pesticide market over recent years, it is noted that the several multinationals headed by Syngenta have somewhat slowed down releases of new compound and instead have focused more on expeditions of new formulas and new application techniques. In 2018, speaking of new pesticide compound, what must be addressed is the insecticide Afidopyropen launched by BASF. In April 2018, Afidopyropen was granted registration in Australia in the trade name of Versys®, which is the first-time registration of the compound in the world, kicking off its first show to the world. Soon after that, registrations were granted in Indian and the US. Now BASF has announced that the compound will be released to China in 2019, which is expected to open a new era of prevention and control of piercing-sucking pests. Afidopyropen is a biological insecticide developed jointly by Meiji Seika Kaisha and Kitasato Institute. The product has a unique chemical structure and action mechanism, having been added to IRAC as the first one of 9D Group as well as the only insecticidal ingredient of the 9D Group. As such, Afidopyropen has no cross resistance to the existing insecticides on the market. As a brand new tool for control of piercing-sucking pests, Afidopyropen provides growers with a rotational option for control of piercing-sucking pests such as aphids particularly for control of resistant pests. It is understood that Afidopyropen is so far the safest compound, which is low toxic to honeybees. Therefore under circumstances of possible complete prohibition of neonicotinoid insecticides in EU, the market potential of Afidopyropen should not be underestimated.Furthermore, BASF’s other created fungicide mefentrifluconazole (trade name Revysol®) was put into production in its Hannibal factory, Missouri at the end of 2018, preparing for the world-wide release of mefentrifluconazole.Mefentrifluconazole is the first novel IPA triazole fungicide discovered, developed and released by BASF, which fills up the gap of zero release of a new triazole fungicide over the last 10 odd years, being expected to become BASF’s blockbuster fungicide towards a sale of 1 billion euros. Up to date, BASF has filed registrations with some 60 countries across Europe, Asia and America covering applications to over 40 crops. The product is expected for release to global market in 2019.Looking into 2019, the global pesticide market will still face adjustment and regulation. The release of new compound will still remain declined, new formulations and new application techniques will still be the orientation of research and development by pesticide enterprises. The fate of conventional chemical pesticides such as chlorpyrifos and acephate will still remain uncertain. And uncertainty lies everywhere.
2019-07-13 10:08
The summer is less than a month old, and it has already made its way into the history books. The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) released its June “State of the Climate” report this morning, reporting that by the end of June, 55 percent of the contiguous United States was considered in “moderate” to “extreme” drought. The last time drought was this extensive was in December 1956 when about 58 percent of the country was in these same drought conditions. It was also the 10th driest June on record, dating back to 1895.In the Midwest alone, the report showed that areas in drought quadrupled in June.According to the report, the corn and soybean agriculture belt has been hit especially hard by the drought over the past three months. The region has experienced its seventh warmest and 10th driest April to June period on record this year, resulting in the fifth most severe Palmer Z Index."Topsoil has dried out and crops, pastures, and rangeland have deteriorated at a rate rarely seen in the last 18 years, yet drought barely registers for the region on the longer-term PDSI because the previous several years have been very wet (in fact, 2008, 2010, and 2011 all rank in the top ten wettest category for April-June),” the NCDC reported. The last time the April to June Palmer Z Index was this dry was 1988, which had the most severe Palmer Z Index and the driest and twelfth warmest April-June. The second, third, and fourth most severe April-June Palmer Z Index occurred in 1934, 1936, and 1987, respectively.The report also summarized climate per region. In the Midwest, June temperatures were slightly above-normal while June precipitation was well below-normal for the southern two-thirds of the region."Rainfall totals were less than half of normal June totals for most of the southern two-thirds of the Midwest and between 10 and 25 percent of normal in scattered pockets of several states,” the report said.No end is in the near future for the drought, and the drought outlook indicates that the drought is only likely to persist – if not further intensify – through the end of September. Source:dairyherdTo save water in agriculture, we suggest the use of agricultural silicone surfactant when spraying pesticides.Agricultural silicone surfactant can save 1/3water than general way of spraying pesticides.If you need to buy this product, please contact us:Shanghai Profirst Co., Ltd. contact person: AlanTel: 86-21-38122007, Fax: 86-21-38122006Email: [email protected]: http://www.profirst.cn
2019-07-11 15:31
Glyphosate is often tank-mixed with dicamba. New research suggests spraying dicamba in warm temperatures and adding glyphosate to a dicamba spray mixture could increase dicamba volatility, potentially leading to increased off-target movement and damage to non-dicamba-tolerant plants.Glyphosate is commonly tank-mixed with dicamba and some GM crops are engineered to tolerate both herbicides.Tom Mueller and Larry Steckel, both professors in the University of Tennessee Department of Plant Sciences, examined dicamba measurements following an application to soil inside a humidome. The dicamba formulations examined were diglycolamine (Clarity) and diglycolamine + VaporGrip (XtendiMax). Both formulations were applied as a mixture with glyphosate (Roundup PowerMax), and XtendiMax was also applied alone. Applications were made across a range of temperatures and monitored for 60 hours. Researchers then used air samplers to collect dicamba from the atmosphere within the humidome.According to study results, as expected, more dicamba was detected in the humidome as the temperature increased, with the largest gains coming when temperatures exceeded 85 degrees. Results also showed that across temperature ranges, the addition of glyphosate to dicamba formulations increased detectable dicamba air concentrations by 3 to 9 times compared to dicamba alone."Greater dicamba detections at higher temperatures are consistent with previous findings, and also correlate with increased complaints of off-target dicamba injury during late June and July," says Mueller."That glyphosate is a contributor to dicamba volatility is not as widely accepted, but our data shows the addition of glyphosate to a dicamba spray solution increased dicamba detection in the atmosphere which would point to increased volatilization."According to Mueller, the most plausible explanation for the increased detection of dicamba was that glyphosate lowered the solution pH, thereby resulting in more dicamba being in acid form, which is known to increase dicamba volatility. With increased volatility comes increased potential for off-target movement of the herbicide and injury to non-dicamba-tolerant plants.Many products containing glyphosate are presently approved to be mixed with dicamba before spray applications. Combining herbicides with different modes of action is a common practice among crop producers to control a wider range of weed species. However, based on Mueller and Steckel's research, UT weed experts are discouraging the addition of glyphosate to XtendiMax, as well as other low-volatile dicamba formulations, Engenia, FeXapan and Tavium."Based on this research, we believe glyphosate in the tank mix could be a culprit in why we're seeing some of the drift in fields these past three years," says Steckel.Dicamba drift has been a hot-button issue in the agricultural community since new and expanded uses for this herbicide were approved in 2017. Off-target dicamba movement, occurring either through physical drift or volatility, has been blamed for the damage of millions of acres of crops, trees and ornamental plants.In an effort to decrease the potential for dicamba drift through volatilization, several states have implemented dicamba spray cut off dates to correspond with the times of year when temperatures consistently rise above 85 degrees. There is currently no spray cut off date in Tennessee, although UT weed scientists recommend not spraying dicamba -- even low-volatile formulations of dicamba -- when temperatures exceed 85 degrees.Those same scientists are also recommending leaving glyphosate out of the dicamba spray mixture."Glyphosate is an important herbicide with many uses. Despite the continued evolution of glyphosate-resistant weeds, farmers would be lost without glyphosate, as it still provides excellent and economical control of many troublesome weed species," says Steckel. "These data would suggest it just doesn't belong in a tank mix with dicamba."
2019-07-11 14:54
An insect that can infest and damage hundreds of hectares of maize fields, literally overnight, is sweeping across Asia – alarming smallholder farmers and threatening livelihoods – but the damage can be limited, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported. Fall Armyworm is native to the Americas. However, since 2016 it has been aggressively moving ever eastwards, sweeping across Africa, and making landfall for the first time in Asia last summer. Fall Armyworm (FAW) was first detected in India in July 2018 and by January of this year, it had spread to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and China’s Yunnan Province. Fall Armyworm on the march in Asia – and here to stay In the case of Sri Lanka, there were reports that up to 40 000 hectares had been infested, damaging some 20 percent of its crops. China is the biggest maize producer in Asia, and second largest producer globally. While economic losses there and in the other Asian countries have not yet been tallied, estimates of economic damage from FAW in Africa ranged from US$ 1-3 billion. In response to the sudden onset of FAW in Asia, FAO is convening a meeting of officials from the affected countries, as well as experts who’ve been tackling the fallout of FAW in Africa and Latin America – and who have been learning ways to limit the damage. “We are here today – together – because we share a growing sense of alarm – but also to learn from each other, particularly from those countries who’ve already been responding to their own infestations,” said Kundhavi Kadiresan, Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific. “We need to work together because this is a pest that has no respect for international boundaries, threatens our food security, our economies, domestic and international trade, and of course the smallholder farmer who wakes up one morning to a cash crop under attack.” Fall Armyworm arrival in Asia “not a surprise” When Fall Armyworm arrived in Africa in 2016, FAO and its member counties in Asia followed the progression closely – and planned for its arrival on this continent. “When Fall Armyworm made landfall in India last summer, its arrival did not come as a complete surprise, we were not caught unaware. And that’s a good start – indeed it was a good head start,” Kadiresan said. The Plant Protection Commission for Asia and the Pacific began raising awareness about the threat early last year, sharing key information on the pest, its spread towards Asia, and how to manage it sustainably in case of infestation. Best practices to slow the spread and limit the damage Once an infestation is confirmed, governments are initiating efforts to continue to raise awareness and monitor the presence and spread of FAW on maize and other crops. FAO has been working with the relevant authorities to initiate awareness programmes that inform and train farmers on integrated pest management techniques. These include identifying natural enemies of the Fall Armyworm, enhancing natural biological controls and mechanical controls, such as crushing egg masses and employing the use of biopesticides. The use of chemical pesticides needs to be very carefully considered, given that FAW larvae hide largely in the ring of leaves (whorl), and that chemical pesticides can have negative effects on environment and public health. This is taken into consideration at policy and field level. With these measures put in place, the negative effects of infestations can be sustainably managed and can help to maintain populations low enough to limit economic and livelihood damage.
2019-07-07 20:50
Late last week, representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut introduced the Keep Food Safe from Glyphosate Act. The bill would require the U.S. Department of Agriculture to routinely test food for glyphosate residues. It would also prohibit spraying of glyphosate, on oats as a pre-harvest drying agent. A member of the U.S. House of Representatives wants the federal government to ban the use of glyphosate on oats before harvest. Late last week, representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut introduced the Keep Food Safe from Glyphosate Act. The bill would require the U.S. Department of Agriculture to routinely test food for glyphosate residues. It would also prohibit spraying of glyphosate, on oats as a pre-harvest drying agent. The language in the bill mentions the use of glyphosate on oats several times. It says glyphosate residues on oats should not exceed 0.1 parts per million (100 parts per billion), which is 300 times lower than the current standard of 30 p.p.m. The bill would also require a labelling change on glyphosate-based herbicides. All labels for pesticides containing glyphosate must include the following: “Unlawful to apply this product prior to harvest of oats,” the text of the bill says. DeLauro, a Democrat, chairs the congressional food safety caucus and is a senior Democrat on the agriculture appropriations subcommittee, which is responsible for funding the USDA. The language in the Keep Food Safe from Glyphosate Act is similar to arguments made by the Environmental Working Group, which is well known for its annual Dirty Dozen report — a list of food with high levels of pesticide residues. Critics say the EWG is nothing but a lobby group for the organic food industry. “Virtually all of their press releases promote profoundly anti-scientific messages,” said Brian Dunning, a science writer and executive director of Skeptoid Media. “They are anti-vaccine, anti-cellphone, anti-biotech, anti-sunscreen and climb aboard every pop-culture train promoting some gross exaggeration or misrepresentation of anything toxic.” Still, the EWG is highly skilled at getting its message into the mainstream media. Last summer it released the results of a study on glyphosate residues in instant oatmeal, granola bars and other food made from oats. Most of the samples had residues well below one p.p.m., but the New York Times and other prominent outlets ran stories based on the EWG report with headlines saying Cheerios and Quaker Oats are contaminated with glyphosate. The EWG claims glyphosate is hazardous to human health because the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a division of the United Nations’ World Health Organization, determined in 2015 that it is “probably carcinogenic to humans.” Many scientists and government regulators, including Health Canada and the European Food Safety Authority, have condemned the IARC classification. They have publicly stated the IARC classification was based on flawed methodology and some argued that IARC scientists deliberately ignored studies showing glyphosate is safe. Earlier this year, Health Canada reiterated its position on glyphosate. “No pesticide regulatory authority in the world currently considers glyphosate to be a cancer risk to humans at the levels at which humans are currently exposed,” it said in January. Nonetheless, the EWG is supporting DeLauro’s bill and the organization mentioned Canadian growers in a news release. “In the past two decades, the Environmental Protection Agency has increased the level of glyphosate residue allowed on oats from 0.1 p.p.m. to 30 p.p.m., largely to accommodate Canadian oat farmers who use it,” the release said. “We know farmers can harvest oats without glyphosate.… This needlessly risky practice must stop,” said Colin O’Neil, EWG’s legislative director.
2019-07-07 20:50
By Dr Melanie Bateman, Lecturer in ICM Masters programme on jointly organised by CABI, University of Neuchâtel. The caterpillars of the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), an invasive moth, can potentially feed on over 350 different species of plants. In the Americas it’s known as a serious pest. It destroys crops of maize, rice, sorghum, sugar cane, peanuts, soybean and non-food crops such as cotton. In maize, fall armyworm feeds on the developing leaves and then the grains, damaging the plant and reducing yield. The fall armyworm was previously found only in the Americas. But in 2016 it appeared in West Africa and is now found in over 40 countries in tropical and southern Africa. It has also recently been reported in India. Research mapping environmental suitability shows that large areas of Asia are highly suitable for fall armyworm. This includes parts of India and China, the world’s second largest producer of maize. The pest presents a threat to food security and its impact on maize alone could devastate the livelihoods of tens of millions of affected farmers. Recent estimates suggest that the potential yield loss due to fall armyworm in 12 major African maize producing countries would be huge. The data show that between 4 million and 18 million tons annually out of a total expected production of 39 million tonnes could be lost. The economic cost is estimated to be US$1–4.6 billion per year. To protect their food supplies, affected countries in Africa are putting in place large-scale emergency measures to control fall armyworm. Many of these focus on the widespread distribution and use of pesticides. But this isn’t the ideal solution for a number of reasons. Firstly, some pesticides are harmful and highly toxic. Secondly, pesticides put many smallholder farmers at risk – many aren’t familiar with the products and may lack the protective equipment to prepare and apply them safely. There are other lower risk alternatives. One of these is biopesticides – naturally occurring substances or organisms that kill pests. In a recently published study we show that biopesticides present safe, low risk options for controlling fall armyworm which can serve as viable alternatives to some of the conventional pesticides currently available or in use in Africa, many of which are highly hazardous. Biopesticide products to control fall armyworm are already commercially available in the Americas and are regularly used by farmers in North and South America. Some African countries are also moving in this direction. For example, South Africa has already provisionally registered several biopesticide products for use against the fall armyworm, and biopesticide trials are underway in many other countries. What we found Our study assessed more than 50 biopesticide active ingredients which have been registered in fall armyworm’s native range in the Americas as well as in some African countries. In our assessments of each biopesticide, we reviewed the literature and regulatory documents with the aim of answering five key questions: Is the biopesticide effective against fall armyworm? Is the biopesticide of low risk to human health and the environment? Is it sustainable? Is it practical for use by small holder farmers? Is the biopesticide available? We recommended follow-up action for biopesticides which passed these key criteria. Through our research we identified 23 active ingredients that we recommended for further consideration. We also identified eight active ingredients that should be brought to market immediately. These include products containing neem plant extracts and Bacillus thuringiensis, two of the most widely used biopesticides globally. This includes fast-tracking product registration, as well as reviewing and updating information materials and recommendations for farmers, as well as taking into account product availability. But much more needs to be done if biopesticides are going to replace chemical pesticides. For example, in the medium-term governments will have to assist farmers by subsidising biopesticides, an approach already being adopted by Ghana. Governments could also consider local production of biopesticides, working in partnership with private sector companies. Challenges There are a host of challenges too. Few biopesticide products are currently registered for use in African countries. And most of those registered aren’t yet widely available or affordable, particularly for smallholder farmers. While some farmers might be willing to pay a premium for a lower risk product, many smallholders have such small margins that they will seek to minimize production costs. So older, off-patent and cheaper pesticides may be preferred, despite their inherent dangers. With greater support from governments, research, the private sector and NGOs, a market for lower risk products could be developed, which would lower prices. Ultimately, biopesticides present an opportunity to lower not just the economic cost of controlling fall armyworm in Africa, but also the cost to the environment and human health. Such an approach should fit into a broader drive to control fall armyworm by using a much more integrated approach that combines a variety of agricultural practices. Known as integrated crop management, this approach involves combining a range of practices with an emphasis on those regarded as “low risk” compared to conventional chemical pesticides. This could include closely monitoring the crop, intercropping, manual removal, biological control, insect-resistant varieties and traditional methods such as applying ash.
2019-07-07 20:49
The Trump administration has proposed to greatly expand spraying of streptomycin — an antibiotic often used with people — as a pesticide on citrus fruits like grapefruits, oranges and tangerines anywhere they are grown. Earlier this month the Trump administration approved the use of another antibiotic, oxytetracycline, on the nation’s citrus groves. Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency has yet to fully analyze how these changes might affect wildlife, people and waterways. The EPA’s latest proposed decision, issued late last week, paves the way for up to 480,000 acres of citrus trees in Florida to be treated with more than 650,000 pounds of streptomycin per year to combat citrus canker and citrus greening disease. Estimates also indicate 23,000 citrus acres are likely to be treated each year in California. The EPA’s push to approve widespread use of the antibiotics as pesticides comes as the rise in human deaths due to antibiotic-resistant bacteria has spurred leading researchers to caution against expanding use of antibiotics like streptomycin, which is used to treat bacterial infections such as tuberculosis. “Trump’s EPA is taking us in a dangerous new direction,” said Nathan Donley, a senior scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity. “Researchers have been telling us for decades to curb the use of antibiotics in agriculture or risk losing them forever. The Trump administration has chosen to ignore the science and blindly sprint down a path that could dead-end at bacterial resistance.” In addition to increasing the risk of antibiotic-resistance, the EPA’s own analysis also indicated that the widespread use of streptomycin could have negative long-term effects on all mammals that forage in treated fields, including chipmunks and rabbits. The EPA has not analyzed how this proposed decision could impact endangered and threatened species that forage or nest in these citrus groves, or rely on waterways contaminated by the antibiotic. As was the case with oxytetracycline, the EPA’s proposed approval comes despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration expressing numerous concerns about the risks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 2 million people are infected with antibiotic-resistant organisms each year, leading to an estimated 23,000 deaths. Due to rising consumer outcry and warnings from leading researchers, antibiotic use has fallen in animals on factory farms. “The Trump EPA is once again bowing to the pesticide industry’s wishes, with no regard for the consequences to human health, wildlife or the environment,” said Donley. “Spraying antibiotics on fruit to fight citrus greening is a short-term fix with dangerous, long-term consequences.” Both the European Union and Brazil have banned the use of oxytetracycline and streptomycin for use as a pesticide on agricultural plants.
2019-07-07 20:48
Thiamethoxam is a neonicotinoid insecticide, which can selectively inhibit the nicotinic acetylcholin esterase receptor of the insect's central nervous system, thus cutting off the functioning of the insect's central nervous system, which causes its paralysis and death. As a seed treatment agent, thiamethoxam has five major advantages: 1. Higher activity Thiamethoxam greatly increases the activity on contact toxicity and stomach toxicity against piercing and chewing insects. Its metabolic clothianidin inside the insect has a higher affinity for the acetylcholine receptor, enabling it to have a higher insecticidal activity. 2. Higher water solubility Thiamethoxam is highly soluble in water; there is no impact on the absorption of wheat and utilization of thiamethoxam. 3. Low resistance Its risk of cross-resistance to the brown plant hopper and cotton aphid is very low. 4. Enhancement of the stress resistance of crops to increase crop growth Thiamethoxam has a unique advantage – the function of enhancement of growth of roots and seedlings. Research revealed that thiamethoxam can activate plant stress-tolerant protein. Meanwhile, it affects the plant in vivo auxin, cytokinin, gibberellin, abscisic acid, peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase and Mouse PAL, which makes the crop's stem and root strong, as well as increases the stress resistance of crops. 5. Long-lasting effect Thiamethoxam has a strong foliar-conducting activity and good root systemicity, enabling it to be fully absorbed in a very short time. When it is applied to soil or seeds, thiamethoxam is absorbed quickly by roots or germinal seedlings. Thiamethoxam then goes upward into all the parts of the plant through the plant xylem; it stays for a long while in the plant body, degrades slowly and lasts longer. Meanwhile, the degradant clothianidin has a higher insecticidal activity.
2019-07-07 20:46
Soybean is one of the most important crops in South America. In Brazil, soybean plays an important role in the economic development. The export of soybean and its processed products is a main source of income of foreign currency in Brazil. The income of many farmers is dependent on the growth of soybean and the yield of soybean. The recent Sino-US trade friction has facilitated a rapid increase in Brazil’s export of soybean to China. In 2017, some 50.93 million tons of soybean imported to China was supplied from Brazil, which accounted for 53.3% of China’s total imports. Compared to soybean in other countries, the soybean of South America is cost effective, with high protein content, while the price appears to be competitive. The favorable situation in exports will stimulate the plantation of more soybean by the farmers of South America. The soybean output of South America this year is expected to hit the second highest record in history, according to the climate condition and satellite remote sensing. The Asian soybean rust has been for long a major disease causing damage to soybean in South America. Since the first-time occurrence of Asian soybean rust in Brazil in 2000-2001, its impact on the soybean crop has lasted for nearly 20 years. The Asian soybean rust tends to occur in warm and humid environments, which may damage the crop leaf and kill crops, resulting in a serious loss of yield.Over the last dozen years, Asian soybean rust has been spreading overall. Farmers have increased the use of fungicides, which has brought about a serious concern over the increasing resistance issue. The increasing resistance may result in a situation where almost no pesticide can be used for the control of diseases. Statistics show that the sale of fungicides in Brazil has tripled that of 10 years ago, while nearly 56% of the fungicide is consumed for application on soybeans. Experts are calling for action by South America to import more new product varieties for the control of diseases, and are considering a soybean rotation practice.After a long-term selection, the pathogen of soybean rust has developed resistance to a single-acting fungicide.Since 2008, soybean growers are facing an erosion in the efficacy of Demethylation Inhibitors, also called Sterol Biosynthesis Inhibitors. After that, the Quinone Outside Inhibitors in 2014 and the last confirmation by Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC) was published in 2017 for the Succinate Dehydrogenase Inhibitor.
2019-07-07 20:45
Researchers in Brazil have confirmed the presence of a new bacterial disease in corn in the state of Parana in southern Brazil. The Agronomic Institute of Parana (Iapar) recently sent out an alert to farmers in the state indicating the presence of the new disease. The new disease is bacterial leaf streak (Xanthomonas vasicola pv.), which is a foliar disease that causes long cloratic streaks on corn leaves. In a severe infestation, as much as 70% of the leaf tissue may be impacted. There are no studies indicating the amount of yield reduction that may be caused by the disease, but researchers estimate that if 40% of the leaf tissue is destroyed thus reducing the photosynthetic activity of the plant, the potential yield losses could be as high as 50%. The disease was first discovered in the United States in 2016 in the state of Colorado and then in Argentina in 2017. Previously, it had been identified in South Africa as far back as 1949. Scientists in the state of Parana have identified 30 corn hybrids that are susceptible to the disease. Since it is a bacterial disease, there are no current treatments other than selecting hybrids that are not susceptible. Scientists have not indicated how widespread the disease is within the state or if it has spread to other regions of Brazil. Since the disease was not previously identified in Brazil, it is possible that more than 30 corn hybrids may be susceptible to the disease. It remains to be seen if this disease will be an impediment to corn production in the state or if it was just the local environmental conditions allowed the disease to flourish this past growing season.
2019-07-07 20:44
The latest go-to guide to how Australia protects itself against exotic plant pests and diseases reveals the tremendous effort being made across the country to sustain our plant industries, unique ecosystems and standards of living. The tenth edition of the National Plant Biosecurity Status Report was released this week by Plant Health Australia (PHA), the national coordinator of the government-industry partnership for plant biosecurity.“This year the National Plant Biosecurity Status Report displays the system through the three layers of protection: pre-border, at the border and post-border, with examples of how this works in specific circumstances,” said PHA Chair Steve McCutcheon. The report details the efforts being made by everyone involved in plant biosecurity, be they the Australian or state governments, industries, research agencies and the community. “The report showcases the investment of $200 million in improving biosecurity surveillance and analysis through the Australian Government’s Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper to better target critical biosecurity risks and help improve market access for Australian producers,” said PHA Executive Director and CEO Greg Fraser. While the Australian Government has responsibility for biosecurity activities pre-border and at the border, the report also covers the roles of state and territory governments in delivering post-border plant biosecurity and operations under their own legislation,” said Mr Fraser. “The report highlights hundreds of scientific projects being undertaken around Australia by researchers and funders seeking to solve challenges affecting plant industries and our unique environment. “Each project sheds light on some aspect of plant or bee biosecurity that will inform better management of pests, crop production and the environment,” Mr Fraser said. Some 700 scientific studies are listed covering pest management, crop improvement, surveillance, diagnostics and the basic biology of pests, crops and other plants. The pests investigated include insects, bacteria, fungi, viruses, nematodes, mites and weeds. The report provides industry profiles of some 40 plant industries and includes 31 case studies that highlight facets of the biosecurity system during 2017 including eradication, communication and awareness, surveillance and regionalised and priority pests. The 2017 edition of the National Plant Biosecurity Status Report was developed from some 90 contributions from plant biosecurity stakeholders.
2019-07-07 20:43
As if corn and soybean farmers didn’t have enough to worry about, there’s this: University of Missouri (MU) weed scientists have discovered a waterhemp population that resists six herbicide sites of action. It all started when farmers in the north-central Missouri county of Randolph reported a population of waterhemp that appeared to resist 2,4-D. MU researchers then conducted field experiments that confirmed 2,4-D (herbicide site of action Group 4) resistance. But they also found the same waterhemp population resisted: • Atrazine (Group 5) • Chlorimuron (Group 2, Classic) • Fomesafen (Group 14, Flexstar, Reflex) • Glyphosate (Group 13, Roundup) • Mesotrione (Group 27, Balance Flexx) Of the eight herbicides applied, only dicamba (Group 4) and glufosinate (Liberty, Group 10) provided acceptable control, say the MU scientists.The MU researchers say six-way resistant waterhemp requires a diversified management approach. Rather than relying on glyphosate, 2,4-D, or any other single herbicide, they recommend a variety of appropriate cultural, mechanical, and biological control tactics. For example, rouging weed escapes this summer and hauling them away from the field can help forestall future waterhemp infestations.
2019-07-07 20:37
Fall Armyworm keeps spreading to larger areas within countries in sub-Saharan Africa and becomes more destructive as it feeds on more crops and different parts of crops, increasingly growing an appetite for sorghum and millet, in addition to maize. The pest could spread to Northern Africa, Southern Europe and the Near East, warned the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today. The agency called for a massive scaling up of the Fall Armyworm campaign to train more than 500 000 farmers to manage the pest through Farmer Field Schools in sub-Saharan Africa. "Fall Armyworm could leave 300 million people hungry in sub-Saharan Africa, having already infested maize and sorghum fields across 44 countries in an area of more than 22 million square kilometres - the combined area of the European Union, Australia and the United States," said Bukar Tijani, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa on the sidelines of a resource partners' meeting in Rome. "We are particularly concerned about the disastrous impact the pest can have on countries already facing crises." To date, FAO has invested more than $9 million from its regular budget, and mobilized $12 million for its Fall Armyworm programmes. "Despite significant contributions from resource partners and governments, there is still a significant financial gap. While we commend contributions made by a wide range of resource partners, including from those African countries affected by the pest, there is a need to urgently fill a critical gap of $23 million to allow FAO effectively support countries in addressing Fall Armyworm challenges in 2018," Tijani said. The pest first appeared in Africa in 2016, in West Africa. By today, it has quickly spread across sub-Saharan Africa, leaving now only 10 countries (mostly in northern Africa) not infested. Smallholders, representing almost all of the tens of millions of maize farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, are worst affected by Fall Armyworm, and any further damage inflicted by the pest would have drastic consequences on their lives. For example, if 20 percent of their annual maize yield was lost to Fall Armyworm, it would result in a deficit of 16 million tonnes of maize, worth nearly $5 billion. Time for massive scaling up of Fall Armyworm campaign "In 2017, FAO and partners built a solid line of defense against the pest," Tijani said. "We have developed tools and put measures into place to tackle Fall Armyworm - from training farmers and extension workers on how to apply "local remedies" such as collecting Fall Armyworm larvae killed by naturally occurring pathogens, making a mixture of these pathogens and applying them on the infested crops to kill the pest, to equipping them with mobile apps so they can recognize their new foe faster, and get immediate advice on how to manage it," he added. "Farmers trained in Fall Armyworm management can now detect infestations earlier, are able to protect their crops better, and report less damage. The foundation is there. We just need to build on it - train over 500 000 farmers through 20 000 Farmers Field Schools across sub-Saharan Africa this year, support highly vulnerable countries where Fall Armyworm is widespread and capacity to manage it is low, develop resources in local languages, and get governments up to speed on sustainable Fall Armyworm measures, such as the use of bio-pesticides," said Tijani. At the meeting, resource partners highlighted FAO's coordination role in tackling Fall Armyworm, and expressed support for FAO's integrated pest management (IPM) approach, which means managing Fall Armyworm in an effective, and economically and environmentally sustainable way. FAO's Fall Armyworm response to date FAO took immediate steps as soon as FAW was detected in Africa, including: bringing together experts to share knowledge and experiences on sustainable Fall Armyworm management; developing tools (farmers' manual, mobile apps, web-platform, FAWRisk-Map) to build better warning, monitoring and response mechanisms; and supporting countries to mitigate pest damage, develop action plans and policies, and train extension workers and farmers. In October 2017, FAO launched a five-year, $87 million Fall Armyworm programme. FAO's Fall Armyworm response is supported by Belgium, Ireland, Japan and the United States of America. More than 30 FAO-supported projects are rolled out across the continent to fight the pest. These include training 20 000 farmers and frontline extension workers to date as part of FAO's Farmer Field Schools to recognize and report Fall Armyworm infestations and use mechanical control, such as crushing of the pest by hand, and apply bio-pesticides (neem, tobacco plants) and natural enemies (ants) to destroy the pest. FAO also provides technical and policy advice on pesticide management and is involved in monitoring the use of chemical insecticides. FAO warns against the heavy use of pesticides, which can be harmful for people, their environment and in the longer run, and recommends the use of bio-pesticides, including those based on bacteria, virus, and fungus, which have been tested, developed, registered and used successfully in the Americas, where the pest has its origin. These measures are in line with a sustainable, long-term management of Fall Armyworm as the pest cannot be eradicated, and African farmers need to learn to manage it with without jeopardising their health and their environment. FAO also developed a framework for partnership so that organisations joining the fight against Fall Armyworm can follow guidelines on sustainable management of the pest when developing their projects and programmes.
2019-07-07 20:37
The 8th Brazilian Soybean Congress wrapped up its four day meeting Thursday in the city of Goiania in the state of Goias. One of the goals of the Congress, which was sponsored by Embrapa, was to elaborate the path forward for the control of soybean rust disease. Soybean rust is native to China and it was first identified in Brazil during the 2000/01 growing season and it quickly became the most important disease infecting Brazilian soybean production. The disease is now present in all the soybean producing regions of Brazil and Brazilian farmers spend approximately US$ 2.2 billion per year on control measures. That cost does take into account lost production caused by the disease. If the disease is not adequately controlled, the disease can cause losses of 30% to 90%. Scientists emphasized that the best way to control the disease was a multipronged approach. A simple way for farmers to save on control measures is to get ahead of the disease by planting early maturity soybeans as early as possible. Brazilian farmers have been planting more early maturity soybeans year after year. These 95-day maturity soybeans may be ready for harvest before the disease becomes a widespread problem. Another way to help control the spread of the disease is to adhere to the soybean-free period that has been established in most Brazilian soybean producing states. Currently, the best method of control is the use of approved fungicides, but many of the fungicides on the market have been losing their effectiveness due to the disease developing resistance. Scientists advise farmers to use a mixture of fungicides with different modes of action to help mitigate the development of resistance. Farmers may also want to plant two soybean varieties currently on the market that exhibit improved resistance to the disease. These varieties have one-gene resistance and scientists are working on multi-gene resistance that will offer more durable protection. Ultimately, the goal is to incorporate resistance genes without giving up high yields or resistance to herbicides and insects. In order to do that, scientists are trying to better understand the disease. They have already identified 851 different proteins that the disease injects into an infected soybean plant. The goal is to identify which of the proteins elicits the plant's own response mechanism. That knowledge, along with the complete DNA sequencening of the disease, may enable scientists to develop complete resistance to the disease. Scientists are hopeful they will reach that point within the next decade.
2019-07-07 20:36
Soybeans are the number one agricultural product in Brazil and Brazilian scientists are constantly on the lookout for new potential soybean pests. Recently, Brazilian scientists have identified for the first time the presence of the Soybean Stem Fly in the cerrado regions of central Brazil. The Soybean Stem Fly (Melanagromyza sojae) is native to Asia and was first identified in Brazil 32 years ago. It first appeared in the soybean fields of Rio Grande do Sul in 1983 and then it reappeared during the 2008/09 growing season and then again in 2015. In 2015, it was identified in 18 different locations in Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, and Parana, which are all in southern Brazil. Now, researchers from the Federal University of Goias, have for the first time identified the fly as being present on volunteer soybeans in the cerrado regions of central Brazil. It is not entirely certain that the fly has been successfully established in South America, but it has also been identified in neighboring Paraguay as well. After it was announced that the fly had been identified in Goias, the Minister of Agriculture for the state of Goias immediately ordered a survey of the area and the destruction of any soybeans found to be infected in an effort to keep it from spreading to other regions. The fly is regarded as one of the most important pests in soybean fields in Asia including China, India, and other regions of Southeast Asia. The fly lays eggs in the soybean stem and the subsequent larva can harm the plant by robbing it of needed nutrients. The earlier the infestation occurs, the more damage that can occur. Yield losses can be in the range of 2% to 36% depending on a number of factors. The pest and its damage to the plant can be hard to detect without the aid of a microscope. At this point, it is unclear what the potential losses may be from the soybean stem fly. Brazilian scientists are always on the lookout for new soybean diseases or pests after soybean rust was discovered in Brazil during the 2000/01 growing season. Soybean rust is potentially the most destructive soybean diseases and if left untreated, losses can be up to 80%. It is also native to China and how it arrived in South America is uncertain. The disease has cost Brazilian farmers tens of billions of dollars in reduced yields and increased chemical costs.
2019-07-07 20:35
EuroWheat has stressed the importance of implementing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies in wheat as fungicide resistance continues to develop across the continent, raising concerns about the impact of Septoria tritici blotch (STB) on yields. The European knowledge hub on wheat reports: “New data on CYP51 mutations related to fungicide resistance in Europe is now available. The continuing development in fungicide resistance emphasises the need to implement IPM strategies including anti-resistance principles such as the use of appropriate doses, alteration between different modes of action and mixtures, and reducing the total number of treatments per season to a minimum.” EuroWheat has provided an update on fungicide efficacy for the control of STB noting that succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHI) “are the only fungicides left that efficiently control Septoria, but based on the mode of action, the risk of pathogen resistance development is high.” It adds: “SDHIs remained highly active against Septoria in most parts of Europe. Ireland has seen lower efficacy from SDHI product in field trials and there is increasing evidence of mutant strains with reduced sensitivity (e.g. C-T79N. C-H152R). Septoria isolates with reduced sensitivity to SDHIs are now believed to be widespread in the UK and Ireland (AHDB conference 2017). Research, funded by AHDB in UK and fungicide manufacturers demonstrates clearly that resistance development and spread can be slowed down through good management.” EuroWheat provides links to recent papers on fungicides and resistance strategies, in addition to a link to the UK’s recommendations for anti-resistance strategies, which are considered applicable for all of Europe. In addition, it offers access to its interactive mapping tool (updated for 2017) monitoring the distribution and evolution of fungicide resistance.For more information: click here.
2019-07-07 20:34
Member States' representatives in a Standing Committee have backed a proposal by the European Commission to further restrict the use of three active substances (imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam, known as "neonicotinoids") for which a scientific review concluded that their outdoor use harms bees. The protection of bees is an important issue for the Commission since it concerns biodiversity, food production and the environment. On the initiative of President Juncker, for whom this is a priority, the College discussed this on 29 March 2017. The restrictions agreed today go beyond the measures already in place since 2013. All outdoor use of the three substances will be banned and the neonicotinoids in question will only be allowed in permanent greenhouses where no contact with bees is expected. Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis welcomed this vote, stressing that "the Commission had proposed these measures months ago, on the basis of the scientific advice from the European Food Safety Authority. Bee health remains of paramount importance for me since it concerns biodiversity, food production and the environment". The Regulation will now be adopted by the European Commission in the coming weeks and become applicable by the end of the year. More information can be found here.
2019-07-07 20:33
Nematodes can make all cash crops infeasible, generating losses of more than US$3,000 per hectare in Brazil. The intensive use of the soil, the lack of crop rotation and the use of varieties without resistance are decisive factors for the proliferation of these worms that attack the plant roots and affect the water and nutrient absorption. According to Leonardo Aquino, Doctor in Plant Breeding at the Federal University of Viçosa and professor of the areas of Vegetable Production, Soil Fertilization, and Plant Nutrition, nematodes became one of the main worries of potato and carrot production in Brazil. “They are widely disseminated in the major regions of these two crops – Southeast, Center-West and Chapada Diamantina (Bahia),” said Aquino. The roundworms (Meloidogyne incognita) and the root-lesion nematode (Pratylenchus brachyurus) are the main species that affect crops in Brazil. The expert warned that if not be combated, these species will be capable of causing considerable losses. “When we talk about crop losses, it is some 20% on an average in carrots, but in some plantings, they will be completely destroyed by nematodes, and 33% in potatoes,” added Aquino. The potatoes reached by the nematodes have limited growth and not much attractant visually to the market due to gill formation, and carrots present deformation of roots and branches. The recommendation of the expert is that the farmer stays attentive to the management system and a choice of crop area without a history of nematodes, besides opting for more resistant varieties to the plague. In the case that the problem already exists, the producer can make the nematode controlled with the use of chemical nematicides or biological.
2019-07-07 18:13
A rapidly evolving pathogen from Europe may spell doom for India’s potato yield, an essential staple crop that also fetches good income to millions of farmers. Scientists at the West Bengal State University have found 19 unique and highly aggressive variants of Phytophthora infestans, a microorganism that causes late blight disease in potato shrinking it from outside and rotting inside. These variants are from the lineage of European 13_A2 genotype and were responsible for the 2013-14 epidemic of late blight in West Bengal that shrank potato yield by 8,000 kg per hectare resulting in many indebted farmers ending their lives. Pathogen population diversity, studied in eastern and north eastern India, was found to be highest in areas near international borders with Bangladesh and Nepal. Both these countries regularly import potatoes from outside. Earlier, a 2012 study by the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Horticultural Research had found European 13_A2 pathogen imported with consignment of potato from Europe and UK to be responsible for late blight outbreaks in parts of south India. India produced over 43 million tonnes of potato in 2015-16 with West Bengal accounting for 19.41 per cent of the produce. The crop is not only a mainstay of millions of farmers but also a staple across the country. Late blight can destroy a field of potato within 2-3 days and its most devastating impact is known as the Irish potato famine of 1840s, which affected over 2 million people in Ireland. The study suggests effective surveillance and detection measures in India because the newly-evolved pathogens are not only more aggressive but also evolving with every season. Most of the variants were found to be resistant to metalaxyl, a commonly used fungicide.“There is a possibility that the pathogen travelled from south to east India while similar pathogens from Bangladesh and Nepal also made their way into the region. They all adapted to local conditions and evolved into 19 unique and stronger variants,” Dr Sanjoy Guha Roy of botany department at West Bengal State University, who was part of the research team, told India Science Wire. The study also shows that there are regional variations in the pathogen and hence there can’t be a uniform control measure across India. The research team is now screening the variants for seven different fungicides and plans to build a database of all the variants and their characteristics including response to currently used fungicides. “The database will help identify the variant infecting any field and ensure quick and appropriate response. We also need to update the database regularly to match the speed at which the pathogen is evolving to avoid massive crop loss,” said Dr Roy. P. Infestans, the organism that causes late blight, has the largest genome among its category of pathogens. Expanding to the size of 240 Mb, the genome mostly consists of repetitive DNA that aids in adaptation and thus makes the pathogen difficult to control. “The new study builds upon previous research on European 13_A2 in India and also maps its variants to regions. It’s essential to constantly monitor the pathogen for effective control of late blight,” commented Dr P. Chowdappa, Director of Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, who was part of the research team that studied late blight in south India. Stronger phytosanitary measures to screen the seeds imported from other countries for any pathogen, and safety measures to prevent transmission of late blight from across the borders can help curb the disease, the study said. “We need to collaborate with other countries through knowledge sharing platforms like Asia Blight and Euro Blight, to monitor spread and control of this widespread disease,” said Dr Roy. Besides Dr Roy, the research team included Tanmoy Dey, Amanda Saville, Kevin Myers, Susanta Tewari, David E. L. Cooke, Sucheta Tripathy, William E. Fry, and Jean B. Ristaino.The study has been published in the journal Scientific Reports.
2019-07-07 18:12
Drought conditions in Argentina are putting severe stress on corn and soybean crops, which are in the critical development stages. "We saw a high variability on the aspects of the crops associated with rain distribution, plots management, soil quality and previous crops," said Ignacio Greco, broker and agronomist at Mercoplate S.A., a brokerage company in Buenos Aires. "It is not easy to generalize the crop conditions and hard to estimate the final yield so far." When DTN talked to Greco, he had just completed a two-week crop tour in the main production region of Argentina. Recent dry weather in Argentina has had a clear impact on both first- and second-crop soybeans, but in different ways. Early planted crops have developed to the later stage and were less affected as, in most of the cases, these crops started with good soil moisture conditions. Second-crop soybeans, on the other hand, are in the critical development stage, and more soil moisture is badly needed for these crops. "It was difficult to find plots in excellent condition, and you can notice that the crops are underdeveloped if you compare them with last year's crop in the same area," said Greco. "Late-planted soybeans are in the most complicated situation, as they were planted with practically no water reserves."In some areas where soybeans were planted after a good wheat harvest, the wheat crop had consumed most of the soil moisture. Less moisture was added later on, as rains were significantly below historical averages after soybeans were planted in December, January and February, added Greco. The newly published weekly report from The Buenos Aires Grain Exchange (BAGE) cut its estimate of Argentina soybean production to 44 million metric tons (1.62 billion bushels), down 3 mmt (110.2 million bushels) from its estimate last week. The report also estimated 52% of the crop is under drought. "Fifty-eight percent of the area is at a critical stage for yield definition under adverse conditions and without chances of recovery for the most developed plots," stated the report, which was released March 1. "Short-term weather forecasts do not project rainfalls." USDA estimated Argentina soybean production at 54 mmt (1.98 bb) in its last WASDE report in February. "Thursday's report from the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange confirms what the soybean and soybean meal markets are already trading, which is significant soybean crop loss is expected to be taking place in Argentina, possibly as much as a 500-million-bushel decline from last year," said DTN Analyst Todd Hultman. "While a specific harvest size is still too difficult to estimate, this unexpected bullish development in soybeans has driven spot meal prices to their highest levels in over a year and a half and pressured the short side of the market with significant liquidation. For now, the event is keeping trends in soybeans and meal up until proven otherwise," Hultman said. Some analysts say that corn conditions are relatively better compared to soybeans, but keep in mind that most late-planted corn is entering the flowering stage under the current stressful weather conditions.BAGE did not change its estimate of corn production this week, keeping output at 37 mmt (1.36 bb), though that is 2 mmt (73.5 mb) lower than last year's production. The corn harvest has started at the center of the agricultural area in the provinces of Cordoba, Santa Fe and Buenos Aires, and now stands at 3.2% complete. "Early corn, in general, is almost done and getting dry quite fast due to weather conditions. Late corn is showing clear signs of stress (in the form) of slower development and leaf rolling," said Greco. "The forecast is not showing signs of improvement soon. I believe BAGE will cut the corn production estimate in its report next week. In my view, there is no reason why you cut soybean production and keep corn untouched," Greco added.
2019-07-07 18:09
Shanghai Profirst Co., Ltd. Announcement :Shanghai Profirst Co., Ltd. Hereby appoints Ms. Susan Huto act as Marketing Director of Shanghai Profirst Co., Ltd.This appointmenttakes immediate effect.By AlanPresidentShanghai Profirst Co., Ltd.March 28, 2019
2019-07-07 18:01
Made from natural raw materials, APG (Alkyl Polyglucoside) is very mild and easy biodegrade product----environmental friendly. With good wetting, penetrating, easy degradation, hydration, resolvable in water, and solubility in high concentration of alkaline or electrolyte solution etc properties. APG can be used in many fields, like industrial and agricultural. In agricultural, mostly used in Glyphosate aqueous solution like 41%SL, 10% SL. Increase the wetting and penetrating, help the weeds absorb the solution of Glyphosate. Usage way: Add in formulation. Dosage: For 41%SL, add APG 10%; For 10%SL, add APG 1.3%.More details please contact :Alan ChenEmail: [email protected]: 0086 21 38122007; Fax: 0086 21 38122006Whatsapp/mobile: 0086 13701791095; Skype: alanchen8866
2019-07-07 16:27
Thanks for all who came to our booth (2C42) in the past Agrochemex2012.The special properties of silicone surfactant PASS attracted more and more attention from our customers, especially for the super spreading ability we saw by instant tests.The test results we can see as follows:As show in the above picture, when we test solutions with different surfactants, the one with our silicone surfactant PASS, performs with super spreading and penetrating abilities, which will help the solution cover more area of leaves and increase the efficiency of pesticides. And another important merit of using this surfactant is that it can be quickly absorbed by leaves so that less will fall down to the field or be washed by rain in just a few minutes after spraying.So, do you want to experience this magic travel with PASS? To save pesticides, water and money, please contact with us by the following methods:Contact person: Alan ChenEmail: [email protected]: 0086 21 38122007Website: www.profirst.cn
2019-07-07 16:26
As a result of continuous marketing for our agrcicultural silicone surfactant PASS in these two years, more and more customers became caring for this product. Since February this year, several customers from some Euro, Southeast Asia and some other countriesvisted our company to know more about it.With super spreading and penetrating abilities, it can save water, pesticides and labor when applied with pesticides. It has potential in global markets, especially in the countries lack of water, with high labor cost, and with strict control in pesticide by government. And finally, it saves money in agricultural application.If you are interested in this product, you're welcome to visit our company, and we willbe gladto let you know more about our product. For general introduction, you can check the following link: http://profirst.cn/Enweb/Product.149.htmlYou can contact withus by any of the following methods:Contact person: AlanEmail: [email protected];[email protected]: 86-21-38122007; Fax: 86-21-38122006Whatsapp/mobile: 0086 13701791095; Skype: alanchen8866Thanks for your attention.News from Shanghai Profirst Co., Ltd.
2019-07-07 16:11
In the CAC2012 exhibition in Shanghai, we, Shanghai Profirstcatched many visitors’ attention by promoting our best selling product agricultural organic silicone additive PASS.It is the same as the well known additive Silwet from Dow Corning. Its super spreading and wetting properties are established by our one minute experiments. And the obvious efficiency of our product PASS aroused many visitors’ interest.If you want to experience the magic effect, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We will give you more details of this product.Contact us:Tel: 86-21-38122007;Fax: 86-21-38122006;Email: [email protected]: www.profirst.cn
2019-07-07 16:06
CAC2012will be held in Shanghai, ChinaDate：6-8th Mar.2012 Address：Shanghai Everbright Convention and Exhibiton Centre Welcome to exhibition stand of Shanghai Profirst (Booth No. 3C25) !
2019-07-07 16:05
We are now promoting our agricultural organic silicon additive (PASS), with good price and quality. You can get it at a best price in this season.If you are interested in this product, please don't miss it. To have a general idea of this product, please click the following link: http://www.profirst.cn/Enweb/Product.149.html. If you want more information about this product, please feel free to contact us by email [email protected]
2019-07-07 16:04
1 Pesticide registration system, generally established.Only very small number of countries or regions, still not established pesticide registration system. The vast majority of countries have established pesticide registration system. 2. Stringent degree of pesticide registration requirements is a positive correlation to each country's level of political and economic development of civilization. High level of development , requires the more stringent degree. Of course, there are some exceptions for this saying. Most of African countries, though still are the less developed regions, but their pesticide registration requirements are strict. It is said to be followed the registration system of former colonial rule. 3 pesticide registration, we divided into four types: A. Simple proof typeThe applicators only need to prepare less than 10 pages of information. Including ICAM certificate, analysis method and specification, it is estimated that no more than 10 countries as this type. The characteristic of this type is that, no complete technical information required. B. Technical data typeBasic features are: a set of registration form, just efficacy reports, no need of other original reports. The main management focus is the efficacy of pesticides, to confirm whether the pesticide has good effect to a specific pest. C. The original report typeThe basic features are many kinds of original reports, including the original report, such as original reports of toxicity, original reports of environmental Impact type, D. Five batches type:Need five batches full composition reports for the technical, or even the full composition of all formulation additives. This type focuses the source of pesticide impurities, to monitor the bad side of pesticides to the world. Most of pesticide registrtion are in Type C.
2019-07-07 16:02
Shanghai Proffirst Co., ltd.held a meeting on pesticide registration . Colleaguesof Regstration Dept. and Marketing dept. attented the meeting .the leader of the companyalso attented this discusion.The meeting discussed the different requirements from different countries. and they also discuss the difficulties of the registration , and how to solve them. and on the meeting , they putforward a conclusionon the registration classification. Registraion dept. will write out the classification next week.
2019-07-07 16:01
AgroChemEx 2011 will be held in ShanghaiDate：From October 20th to 22nd, 2011Add：Shanghai Everbright Convention and Exhibiton CentreWelcome to exhibition stand of Shanghai Profirst (Booth No. 2C04) !
2019-07-07 15:51
All Profirst products areunder strict quality control: 1. Strict tests have beendone before raw materials can accede to manufacturing. 2. According to the customer's needs, Every packaging design will be precisely tailored and elaborated. 3. Every batch of products, can only be shipped undervery strict surveillance with the quality certificate by professionals.
2019-07-07 15:49
Adjuvants package show Liquid pesticides packed in bottlePackageProducts for examplePackage show50mL x 1 x 200Abamectin 18EC 80mL x 50Lambda-cyhalothrin 25EC100mL x 15 x 4Abamectin 18EC100mL x 100Ethofen 480SL250mL x 40Lambda-cyhalothrin 25EC250mL x 80Glyphosate 480SL500mL x 20Glyphosate 480SL. Lambda-cyhalothrin 25EC1L x 20Glyphosate 480SL, Ethephon 480SL, Malathion 57%3.5L x 4Glyphosate 480SL5L x 4Glyphosate 480SL, Paraquat 297AS20LGlyphosate 480SL, Paraquat 276SL, DDVP200L/drum, 1000L/drumSolid pesticides packed in bagPackageProducts for examplePackage show200g x 25Metalaxyl 25WP 500g x 20Mancozeb 80WP500g x 40Mancozeb 80WP800g x 10Imidacloprid 0.5%1kg x 20Mancozeb 80WP25kg/bag, 25kg/drum
Shanghai Profirst offers a comprehensive suite of services to support our partners across the global agrochemical value chain — from product registration and market entry to flexible packaging and fully customized formulations.Our Services1. Registration SupportProfirst helps our customers enter local pesticide markets by providing full registration support and a strong portfolio of products, including: Adjuvants — Organosilicone Super-Spreader PASS Herbicides — Clethodim, Nicosulfuron, Oxyfluorfen Insecticides — Fipronil, Thiamethoxam Fungicides — Azoxystrobin, Difenoconazole, Mancozeb, PyraclostrobinFor more information, please contact Mr. Alan Chen by [email protected]. Varied PackagingFlexible packaging solutions for both liquid and solid pesticides to meet diverse market needs.Liquid pesticides — packed in bottles and drums 50 mL × 1 × 200 — Abamectin 18EC 80 mL × 50 — Lambda-cyhalothrin 25EC 100 mL × 15 × 4 — Abamectin 18EC 100 mL × 100 — Ethephon 480SL 250 mL × 40 — Lambda-cyhalothrin 25EC 250 mL × 80 — Glyphosate 480SL 500 mL × 20 — Glyphosate 480SL 500 mL × 20 — Lambda-cyhalothrin 25EC 1 L × 20 — Glyphosate 480SL, Ethephon 480SL, Malathion 57% 3.5 L × 4 — Glyphosate 480SL 5 L × 4 — Glyphosate 480SL, Paraquat 297AS 20 L — Glyphosate 480SL, Paraquat 276SL, DDVP 200 L / drum, 1,000 L / drumSolid pesticides — packed in bags and drums 200 g × 25 — Metalaxyl 25WP 500 g × 20 — Mancozeb 80WP 500 g × 40 — Mancozeb 80WP 800 g × 10 — Imidacloprid 0.5% 1 kg × 20 — Mancozeb 80WP 25 kg / bag, 25 kg / drum3. Customized SolutionsProfirst is devoted to offering customized crop-protection products to meet the specific needs of our partners: Tank-mix adjuvants — mixture products tailored to local conditions In-can additives — adjusted surfactant formulas with specific colour, viscosity, and performance targets for the final formulation Pesticides — formulations with specific surfactants, mixture products, and tailored active-ingredient content Other products & services — intermediates, biostimulants, fertilizers and nutrition productsWe listen, we make, and we offer!
Welcome to ProfirstShanghai Profirst Co., Ltd. is based in Shanghai, China and established in 2010. The team has over 30 years of experience in the crop protection field.We are focusing on the development, manufacture and foreign sales of a wide range of crop protection products including agricultural adjuvants, pesticides, fertilizers, solvents, and related products and services.Since the establishment, Profirst creates and improves new and useful adjuvants, especially tank mix products with excellent quality. We have done hundreds of tests in Profirst labs day by day, to confirm the quality of products, to improve the efficacy for every product, to control the quality of the raw materials, to make sure the smooth transfer from lab to manfacture plant.Our tank mix adjuvants include organosilicone super spreaders, antifoam, tank cleaner, oil based adjuvants, water conditioner/pH buffer, drone adjuvants (drift control agent, compatibility agent).Our in-can surfactants include emulsifiers, dispersants, wetting agents, synergists for SC, EC, EW, ME, SE, SL, FS, OD, WG, WP.Our strength is developing customized adjuvants and offering registration support for both adjuvants and pesticides. Profirst has an outstanding advantage on pesticide registration. We have an experienced team in dealing with pesticide registration (more than 100 products in 68 countries).We have exported to 30+ countries from Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, etc, and strive to build strong and meaningful commercial relationships with our highly valued customers.
Profirst is devoted to offer customized crop protection products!Tank mix adjuvants:- mixture productsIn-can additives: - adjusted surfactant formula based on the certain formulation- special requirements for the color, viscosity for the final productPesticides: - pesticides with specific surfactant- mixture products- products of specific a.i. contentOther products & services:- intermediates- biostimulants- fertilizers and nutritionsWe listen, we make, and we offer!
Profirst is willing to start the cooperation from registration and help our customers enter into the local pesticides market.Strong products listed as below:AdjuvantsOrganosilicone Super-Spreader PASSHerbicidesClethodimNicosulfuronOxyfluorfenInsecticidesFipronilThiamethoxamFungicidesAzoxystrobinDifenoconazoleMancozebPyraclostrobinFor more information, please contact Mr. Alan Chen by [email protected] .
If you want to get information about any of our products, please contact us!ContactOffice : Room 805, No. 30, Lane 2419, Hunan Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai 201204, ChinaResearch Center : No. 2, Lane 1123, Kangqiao Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai 201315 , ChinaTel: +86-21-38122007, [email protected] Sales(Agrochemicals)Alan [email protected] HuDeputy General [email protected] YangInternational Sales [email protected] Sales(Chloro Silane Monomers & Silane Coupling Agents)Lucy [email protected]