President He Dongsheng explained Sunjoy Agro's mission - "For People, For Nature"

President’s Note: this article elaborates on Sunjoy Agro's mission of "For People, For Nature" and highlights its unwavering commitment to sustainable and innovative growth. It sheds light on the company's efforts towards protecting the planet and creating a better future for generations to come through its eco-friendly practices and products.

Sunjoy Agro has always been devoted to green development, inspired by the concept of "clear waters and green mountains are as valuable as mountains of gold and silver". We are committed to help resolve global agricultural problems and enhance the quality of human life, at the same time, strive to minimize the impact of our agrochemical products, production, and operational activities on the environment. This is the essence of Sunjoy Agro's mission, "For People and For Nature".

Eco-Friendly Mineral-Sourced Fungicides

Copper-based Fungicides represented by Bordeaux Mixture, Copper Oxychloride, and Copper Hydroxide have experienced more than 200 years of development and are currently the sixth largest fungicide in the world, with annual sales of approximately US$600 million. As a world-recognized green fungicide, it still plays an irreplaceable role in organic planting, bacteria prevention, and fungi resistance. On the other hand, Sulfur has a much longer history. The Sumerians used sulfur as a pesticide around 2500 BC, making it the earliest pesticide used by humans.

As mineral-sourced fungicides, Copper and Sulfur come from nature and return to nature, so they are safte for the environment. Even if there is an excessive amount of copper in the soil, it will not be absorbed by plant roots but instead combine with the soil and lose the biological activity. Excessive copper will not accumulate in animal organs or muscle tissue if accidentally eaten, but will be excreted quickly. At present, inorganic copper fungicides are one of the few chemical pesticide types permitted to be used in organic farming.

Copper and Sulfur fungicides are proven to have low risk to humans and the environment with extensive use worldwide for more than 200 years. The United States has added inorganic Copper to the list of pesticides that are exempt from the requirement of a Tolerance. The EU has added Sulfur to the list of exemption from Maximum Residue Limits. Japan specified Copper and Sulfur as Exempted Substances in its Positive List System for Agricultural Chemical Residues in Foods. China includes copper and sulfur in the list of pesticides allowed to be used in AA-level green foods under "Guidelines for the Use of Pesticides in Green Food" (NY/T393-2020).

Once sprayed on the plant surface, copper fungicide does not get absorbed by the plant leaves, instead, it persists to form a protective film that blocks and kills various pathogens. Therefore, the particle size of the copper fungicide and its coverage on the plant surface become key factors that affect its efficacy. Common formulations like wettable powders (WP) and water-dispersible granules (WG) are less effective due to larger particles and uneven coverage. Besides, they can easily cause damage to fruit and foliage due to the high copper ion content. These issues have limited the promotion of inorganic copper fungicides in the Chinese market for many years.

To meet the urgent demand for green prevention and treatment of bacterial diseases and resistant fungal diseases in the Chinese market, as well as solve the problem of inorganic copper formulation problems, Sunjoy Agro exclusively imported the dry flowables (DF) technology from QUIMETAL Company of Chile, the world's copper resource powerhouse. The products produced are "Copperstar" (Copper Oxychloride 84% DF), "Coppersong" (Copper Hydroxide 77% DF), "Zhiduoshou " (Bordeaux Mixture 86% DF) and ", and "Kabai" (Sulfur 80% DF). As green mineral-sourced fungicides, Copperstar, Coppersong, Zhiduoshou, and Kabai have become widely used to control citrus canker, bacterial diseases of melons and vegetables, fruit tree spotted leaf disease, resistant downy mildew and powdery mildew in China, and play an important role in the green planting and organic planting of Chinese agriculture.

Dry Flowables (DF) is produced by wet method, which is first processed into suspension concentrate (SC) and then sprayed, granulated, and dried. Compared with WP and WG produced by dry methods, DF has the characteristics of high content, fine particle size, rapid disintegration in water, and cloud-like diffusion. Taking Copperstar (Copper Oxychloride 84% DF) as an example, the average particle size (D50) of suspension is about 2 microns, while that of the ordinary Copper Oxychloride WP is about 20 microns. The 10 times difference in particle size means a 1000 times difference in particle volume. When sprayed with the same concentration, the particle volume difference between DF and WP is equivalent to the comparison between 1000 sesame and 1 peanut grain. Due to its extremely fine particle size and adhesion, Copperstar DF not only forms a protective film on the leaf surface to enhance the bactericidal effect but also reduces the risk of phytotoxicity due to the uniform distribution of copper ions. The DF technology solves the dilemma of safety and effectiveness and opens the bottleneck restricting the development of copper fungicide.

Based on imported copper fungicides, Sunjoy Agro further studies the Copper plus mixture with low-toxicity and high-efficiency active ingredients to expand the application scope and reduce the dosage amount. Sunjoy Agro has successively launched Coppera (Copper Oxychloride 300g/L + Pyraclostrobin 100g/L SC) and Songtone (Copper Oxychloride 72% + Cyazofamid 6% WG) on the market, which is respectively used in the prevention and control of mixed bacterial and fungal diseases, and resistant Downy mildew and Phytophthora. More copper mixtures such as "Copperbell" and "Copperfight" are still under development or registration.

Eco-Friendly DF Formulaiton

To reduce environmental impact, improve effectiveness, reduce dosage, and increase efficiency, agrochemicals need to use efficient and low-toxic active ingredients with low impurity and minimal solvents and auxiliaries. Our DF formulation not only has the advantages of fine particle size, rapid disintegration, high suspension rate, and convenient use and storage but also rarely uses various solvents and additives in the production process. We use high-purity technicals to achieve a continuous production process, enabling few dust adhesions during production, storage, and use, which is safer for operators and users. Therefore, DF is a green and environmentally friendly formulation with great development prospects.

Taking the opportunity of importing DF technology from Chile, Sunjoy Agro conducted in-depth research on the DF production process and successively developed "Jedi" (Emmamectin Benzoate 9.1% WG), "Yitian" (Difenoconazole 10% WG), "Fuhuan" (Difenoconazole 70% WG), "Minato" (Thiophanate-methyl 70% WG), and other excellent DF products.

In the process of researching and producing DF formulations, Sunjoy Agro discovered that many active ingredients are not suitable for the traditional DF production process, which is the high-tower spray granulation production. Because the temperature in the high tower can be as high as 130°C, some low-melting-point technicals will liquefy and form dead particles that will not disintegrate. Some technicals will lose efficacy due to severe decomposition, such as Cyazofamid. In addition, the dispersion system of some commonly used additives such as sodium lignosulfonate will also be destroyed at high temperatures. Therefore, DF products produced by conventional high-tower spray granulation at high temperatures often have insufficient active ingredient content, many dead particles, poor suspension rate, and reduced actual field performance.

To solve the problem, Sunjoy Agro has developed a unique "two-stage" low-temperature DF production process. It can control the temperature of the entire production process within 50°C to ensure that the active ingredients and dispersion system will not be destroyed by high temperatures. The more "active" the formulation is, the higher its biological activity will be. In October 2022, China’s first set of low-temperature DF production lines was put into use in Sunjoy Agro’s new solid formulation workshop. The first two DF products "Rowsong DF" (Cymoxanil 56% + Cyazofamid 14% DF) and “Songtone DF” (Copper Oxychloride 72% + Cyazofamid 6% WG) then began to be launched on the market.

Eco-Friendly Seed Treatment Products

“Each seed sown in spring rewards the fruitful crops in autumn.” The quality and safety of seeds determine crop harvest and farmers’ income.

Repeated cultivation has led to various soil-borne and seed-borne diseases, underground pests, and nutrition imbalances worsening year by year, thereby promoting the need for seed treatment products with insecticidal, fungicidal, and nutritional functions. As the most cost-effective, low-volume application method with the least impact on the environment, seed treatment products are in line with the national policy of agrochemical reduction, efficacy improvement, and green agriculture.

Improving the ecological environment has led to a continuous increase in the bird population around farmland. Birds eating crop seeds such as rice and corn not only cause heavy losses to farmers but also bring huge risks to the birds themselves. Farmers in some areas will use highly toxic pesticides or chemical substances to treat seeds, spread poisonous bait, set traps, install bird control netting, and other means to kill birds. Balancing the economic benefits of increasing agricultural production and income with the social benefits of protecting birds and the environment is a major challenge for the green development of agriculture.

Seed treatment products are an important development direction of Sunjoy Agro. Over the years, many research results have been achieved in seed nutrition and the prevention and control of soil-borne and seed-borne diseases (Fusarium, Rhizoctonia solani, Pythium, bacteria, etc.). If multiple functions such as insecticide, fungicide, nutrition, stress resistance, bird repelling, and seed protection can be combined into one product, the entire seed treatment business will be promoted.

To develop bird repellent that is safe for birds and "repels birds without harming birds", Sunjoy Agro established the first bird repellent laboratory in China and compiled the group standard T/ZNX of the Zhejiang Pesticide Industry Association 019-2021 "Test Guidelines for Bird Repellent Activity - Cage Feeding Method" and T/ZNX 020-2021 "Test Guidelines for the Effectiveness of Bird Repellents in Repelling Bird Damage in Directly Seeded Rice Fields", which are the first domestically produced tests on birds Group standards for repellent testing practices. After 10 years of research, Sunjoy Agro's unique bird repellent technology – Jing Gong Technology - was gradually formed.

In the process of researching zinc fertilizer, Sunjoy Agro discovered that certain zinc-containing compounds have excellent bird repellent properties under specific physical and chemical conditions, therefore, Sunjoy Agro applied for and obtained the China Invention patent No.  ZL202210414835.6. Based on this invention, after repeated field experiments and technical verification, Sunjoy Agro successfully created China's first water-soluble fertilizer that combines the function of stimulating growth and repelling birds – Jing Yu series of products.

In 2023, Jing Yu series products were used to promote seed dressing to repel birds in approximately 2.5 million acres of hybrid direct-seeded rice, 350,000 acres of conventional direct-seeded rice, and 2.1 million acres of spring corn in Hubei, Anhui, Shandong, Sichuan, and Gansu provinces. Whether it is to repel small and medium-sized birds such as sparrows and turtledoves from eating seeds in direct-seeded rice fields or to repel large and medium-sized birds such as pheasants and magpies from eating corn seedlings in corn fields, the Jing Yu series products have demonstrated excellent protection and have been widely praised by farmers. In addition, Sunjoy Agro has also promoted fruit protection by spraying on approximately 100,000 acres of apple, peach, grape, and other fruit trees and significantly reduced the proportion of various birds eating mature fruits while not affecting the quality of the fruits or causing any adverse effects.

Amino acid is a widely used biostimulant and is easily absorbed by plants. It promotes plant root development and nutrient absorption, enhances metabolic function, improves photosynthesis, stimulates and regulates plant growth, induces plant defense responses, and improves plant tolerance to various stresses such as low temperature, drought, and salinity.

While studying the use of amino acids as biostimulants, the researchers at Sunjoy Agro discovered that certain amino acids and their metal complexes, under specific formula conditions, have efficient repellent functions for birds. This breakthrough created a new way of applying plant protection using amino acids. Thus, Sunjoy Agro applied for and obtained Chinese invention patent No. ZL202211040320.0. Soon, a series of amino acid water-soluble fertilizers with the bird-repellent functions will be available on the market in the form of seed dressing or spraying. This fertilizer not only acts as a biostimulant to increase crop yield and improve quality, but also repels birds to protect the seeds, seedlings, and fruits in a way that is almost harmless to birds. By recognizing the importance of the balance between human activities and nature, Sunjoy Agro has contributed to the development of eco-friendly agriculture.

ABOUT NINGBO SUNJOY AGROSCIENCE CO., LTD

Sunjoy Agro is a global supplier of premium crop protection solutions pursuing technical innovation and value creation. 

For more information about Sunjoy Agro products or services, please contact us at info@sunjoyagro.com.