Recent developments of chemical raw material fipronil
09/17/2025 09:38:55
Recently, there have been a series of noteworthy new developments in the field of chemical raw material fipronil. As a third-generation nicotine insecticide, fipronil continues to play an important role in agricultural and sanitary pest control due to its unique advantages.
In terms of market, the market size of fipronil continues to expand. Since global sales reached 105 million US dollars in 2016, it has surpassed 300 million US dollars by 2023, with an average annual compound growth rate of 17%. Japan, as its birthplace, holds 50% of the global market share. In regions such as China, India, and Southeast Asia, the strong demand for agriculture has become the main driving force for the growth of the fipronil market. However, in the European and American markets, due to restrictions on bee protection policies, its growth rate remains below 5%. The field of hygiene medication has become a new growth point in the fipronil market. It is expected that the market size of cockroach baits, termite control agents and other related products will reach 1.5 billion yuan by 2025, with an annual growth rate of over 20%.
From the perspective of technological research and development, the study of the molecular structure and mechanism of action of fipronil continues to deepen. Its molecular formula is C7H14N4O3, which specifically enhances its binding to insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) through the steric hindrance effect of tetrahydrofuran group. Unlike traditional nicotine like compounds, fipronil can activate receptors to excite insects at low concentrations, and block nerve signal transduction at high concentrations. At the same time, its lipophilic structure allows it to more easily penetrate insect epidermis and plant cell membranes, and also has a good control effect on pests such as scale insects on the back of leaves and under the wax layer.
In terms of application, the use of fipronil is diverse and constantly innovative. When treating soil, using 1-2kg of 3% granules per mu can form whole plant protection through root absorption, with a lasting effect of up to 50 days, especially suitable for pest control during vegetable seedling stage; In terms of seed treatment, 8% suspended seed coating agent mixed at a ratio of 1:200 can effectively prevent and control seedling pests such as wheat aphids and corn thrips, and reduce the frequency of spraying during the seedling stage; In the field of hygiene, 0.05% soluble agent is used for indoor residual spraying, targeting pests such as cockroaches and fleas. The film formed after spraying can last for more than 4 weeks. In addition, the strategy of compound efficacy enhancement is constantly being optimized, such as the 1:1 combination of pymetrozine and fipronil for rice planthopper control, which can increase the control effect from 70% of a single agent to 92% and delay the development of pest resistance; The combination of spirochete and fipronil in a 2:1 ratio is effective against citrus psyllids, with a combination of internal absorption and conductivity. The shelf life has been extended from 3 weeks for a single dose to 8 weeks.
At the same time, breakthroughs have been made in the detection technology of fipronil residues. Related studies have screened the nucleic acid aptamers Seq1, Seq12, and Seq14 of fipronil from single stranded DNA libraries using the graphene oxide index enriched ligand system evolution technique (GO-SELEX). The nano gold colorimetric detection method based on the adapter Seq1 and nano gold particles can quantitatively detect fipronil with a detection limit as low as 0.002mg/kg. Compared with traditional detection methods, this method can achieve faster and more convenient on-site detection, and has good potential for application in agricultural production practice.
