On November 3, the 2020 National Science and Technology Award Ceremony was held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. Among the awards, KingAgroot’s patented compound Bipyrazone and application research project, which is incorporated in the project of the “key technology for control of resistant food crop weeds” submitted by Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, was awarded the Second Prize of National Science & Technology Progress Award under the umbrella of National Science and Technology Award.
In the past 20 years, weed resistance has much increased in the agricultural production, resulting in a vicious circle of “increased resistance to weeds - increased use of herbicides,” which imposes a serious threat on food security, food safety and the ecology. The research program aims at solving the problems of resistant weeds existing in China, such as the large variety and wide distribution of resistant weeds, which lead to big losses. After 20-year hard try, as being based on the dynamic monitoring platform, achievements have been made in researches, which include rapid detection, identification of the resistant mechanism of weeds, creation of novel herbicide, establishment of a high-efficient and precision control system for control of resistant weeds. The precision control system has been applied to large area plantations, having produced remarkable economic and ecological benefits.
The HPPD inhibitor Bipyrazone, developed by KingAgroot with its independent intellectual property rights, is free of cross resistance with common wheat field broad-leaf herbicides such as ALS, PPO, PSII and hormones. The product is very effective against resistant weeds in wheat field, with low risk of resistance. Via application of the “differentiated target control by rotated herbicide application against resistance” and the “multi-target herbicide application against resistance” technologies, the product enables a significant reduction of herbicide selection pressure, playing an important role in the precision prevention and control. The application of the system in different regions and by different planting modes shows a significant effect of control, which can reduce dosage by 30% or above.
The Second Prize of National Science and Technology Award stands for China’s high recognition of KingAgroot’s novel herbicidal compound. KingAgroot has made a lot of achievements in development of novel herbicidal compounds. In the past decade, KingAgroot has realized commercialization of four patented herbicides – Cypyrafluone, Bipyrazone, Fenpyrazone and Tripyrasulfone. In the next few years, several novel patented compounds, including Fucaoding (KAI-161452), Fulvancaozhi (KAI-141012) and Fufengcaoan (KAI-151162), are expected to be launched to market. At that time, KingAgroot may become the company that holds largest number of valid patented herbicides worldwide.
By the end of October 2021, KingAgroot has filed for 189 invention patents in China of which 80 have been authorized; has filed 113 PCT invention patents and launched 763 pieces of patents to various countries via PCT or Paris Convention, of which, a total of 157 pieces of patents have been authorized accumulatively.
In recent years, KingAgroot has continued its technical innovation, and is building up higher standard research and development facilities to meet new requirement. On the New Year’s Day this year, the epoch-making KingAgroot Innovation Center, which is located within Sino-German Ecopark, was brought on stream, comprising three world-class research and development platforms: herbicidal compound creation platform, biotech breeding platform and software platform. The innovation center serves as an accelerator of incubation and commercialization of herbicidal breeding, it is also a driving engine to the business growth of KingAgroot.
KingAgroot says that the company is determined to adhere to its mission of “To build a world without famine by exploring life-science”; and will constantly increase spending on innovation to devote itself to world food security.
Established in 2000 by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, the National Science and Technology Award aims at rewarding citizens and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to China’s scientific and technological advancement. The Award consists of five individual awards: National Top Science and Technology Award, National Award for Natural Sciences, National Invention Award, National Science & Technology Progress Award and International Science & Technology Cooperation Award. Among them, the National Science & Technology Progress Award is awarded to Chinese citizens and organizations that have made creative contributions in technical research, technical development, technical innovation, promotion, application and commercialization of advanced scientific and technological achievements as well as in planning and completion of key science and technology research programs.