Second National Pesticide Industry Innovation Forum Held in Guiyang

Nearly 400 responsible persons and representatives attended the conference, from universities and research institutes such as Nankai University, East China University of Science and Technology, Central China Normal University, Zhejiang University of Technology, Guizhou University, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Zhejiang A&F University, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Shenyang Research Institute of Chemical Industry, as well as from well-known pesticide enterprises such as Nantong Jiangshan Agrochemical & Chemicals Co., Ltd. and Nantong Taihe Chemical Co., Ltd.

The theme conference on 4 July was chaired respectively by Li Zhonghua, Secretary-General of the China Crop Protection Industry Association (CCPIA); Academician Qian Xuhong, President of East China Normal University; and Professor Li Zhong of East China University of Science and Technology. At the meeting, President Sun Shubao, Party Secretary Li Jianjun of Guizhou University and Du Hui, Chief R&D Officer of Nantong Jiangshan Agrochemical & Chemicals Co., Ltd., delivered speeches in turn. President Sun Shubao pointed out that agriculture is an important foundation of the national economy and that pesticides are an important guarantee for stable and high yields in agricultural production; pesticide enterprises should step out of the circle of the industry, face the main battlefield of the national economy, and shoulder the important responsibility of safeguarding national food security. Party Secretary Li Jianjun introduced the development history of the pesticide discipline at Guizhou University and its excellent innovation platforms and teams, saying that the development of the discipline should be better integrated with the national development strategy and make its due contribution to rural revitalisation. Chief Engineer Du Hui introduced the four major business segments of Nantong Jiangshan Agrochemical & Chemicals Co., Ltd., saying that the company adheres to self-driven innovation, increases R&D investment, has achieved remarkable results in safety, environmental protection and comprehensive resource utilisation, and continues to develop under the dual drive of capital and industry.

Academician Song Bao'an, President of Guizhou University; Zhou Puguo, Director of the Institute for the Control of Agrochemicals (ICAMA) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Li Zhonghua, Secretary-General of CCPIA; Professor Liu Changling, Chief Scientist of the Sinochem International Innovation Centre; Professor Yang Guangfu of Central China Normal University; Zhang Lixin, Vice President of Shenyang University of Chemical Technology; Professor Xu Hanhong of South China Agricultural University; and Associate Professor Li Lei of Nanjing Tech University delivered keynote reports in turn.

Academician Song Bao'an pointed out that the leadership of new biotechnology, the application of bioinformatics and the advancement of multidisciplinary development are the international trend in research on the creation of new pesticides, and that RNA pesticides will be another technological revolution in the history of agricultural development. Adopting a natural-product-oriented strategy, combined with asymmetric synthesis and clean synthesis technologies and the development of trunk-injection drip technology, is the primary route to achieve efficient, low-risk, small-molecule green pesticide innovation and an important route to reducing pesticide use while increasing efficiency.

Director Zhou Puguo said that innovation and development cannot be separated from entrepreneurs; innovation in the pesticide industry must be market-demand-oriented, give full play to the role of research institutions, and promote the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. Pesticide management should shift from mechanism innovation to placing equal emphasis on institutional and mechanism innovation, pay more attention to institutional development, continuously improve the pesticide registration management system, and make every effort to promote the healthy development of the pesticide industry and effectively safeguard agricultural production safety, the quality and safety of agricultural products, and ecological and environmental safety.

Secretary-General Li Zhonghua reviewed the achievements in pesticide innovation over the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and introduced the three stages — initial, adjustment and development — that the pesticide industry has gone through since the founding of New China, as well as its innovation system and achievements, saying that on the journey of building a strong pesticide nation, innovation achievements will play an important driving role.

“To do a good job in creating new pesticides, a screening system is indispensable.” Professor Liu Changling introduced the formation process of the intermediate derivatisation method and pointed out that the creation of new pesticides should be market-oriented and that the development process should be considered from the very start of research, so as to reduce the probability of failure. Professor Yang Guangfu introduced pesticide molecular design technology, through which it is said that resistance sites against herbicides can be predicted and herbicide-resistant varieties bred. In his report, Vice President Zhang Lixin pointed out that the GABA receptor is an important target of insecticides and introduced the progress of new drug R&D on the GABA receptor. Professor Xu Hanhong introduced the three stages of the development of guided pesticides — the sugar-guided pesticide stage, the amino-acid-guided pesticide stage and the guided pesticide creation stage — and shared the creation process of a novel pyrazoloquinazoline insecticide. Associate Professor Li Lei introduced micro-interface intensified reaction technology and its application in the pharmaceutical field, saying that when applied to pesticide manufacturing it can multiply the efficiency of chemical synthesis and enhance product competitiveness.

On 5 July, the Taihe Forum, the Miyou Forum and the Fengle Forum were held simultaneously. At the Taihe Forum, responsible persons and related researchers from universities, research institutes and enterprises had in-depth exchanges and discussions on new products such as neonicotinoid insecticides, pyruvate dehydrogenase inhibitor herbicides and abscisic acid plant hormones, as well as products whose patents have expired in recent years, and on new technologies such as molecular design platforms and bioactivity screening. The Miyou Forum shared views on precision application technology, plant-protection aerial spraying, and pesticide formulations and adjuvants. The Fengle Forum focused on pesticide production processes, and experts gave excellent reports on the creation of green fungicides, industrial crystallisation technology and micro-chemical technology.

Against the policy background of “supply-side reform” and “zero growth in pesticide use”, innovation has become the core driving force for the sustainable and healthy development of the pesticide industry. The successful holding of this conference has played an important role in promoting the green and high-quality development of China's pesticides and continuously raising the overall innovation level of the pesticide industry.

At the theme conference of this meeting, an award ceremony for National Outstanding Pesticide Science and Technology Workers was held, at which Academician Song Bao'an, Academician Qian Xuhong, Director Zhou Puguo, President Sun Shubao, Party Secretary Li Jianjun and Professor Liu Changling presented awards to 36 winners. The organisers of the conference openly solicited papers from universities, research institutes, enterprises and relevant individuals, receiving a total of 71 submissions of papers and abstracts, from which 14 award-winning papers were selected by review and vote; certificates were presented to the winners on the afternoon of the theme conference. In parallel, an exhibition marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC and showcasing the achievements of China's pesticide innovation was held, displaying the abundant fruits of pesticide creation in China.