NUFARM Australia has confirmed a partnership with Chinese agricultural biotechnology innovation company, KingAgroot, with plans to develop a new broad-spectrum non-selective herbicide for the Australian market as a stand-alone knockdown.

Nufarm’s regional general manager Asia Pacific Brett Sutherland said under the partnership, Nufarm is working to obtain registration of the KingAgroot developed molecule, Flufenoximacil, or FFO, for the Australian market.

“In our field trials conducted in Australia, Flufenoximacil has shown clear signs of being a strong stand-alone knockdown herbicide with an alternative mode of action and while we are excited about the potential, there is a lot to be done before this becomes reality,” Mr Sutherland said.

Nufarm is planning to conduct trials of FFO in every major cropping region in Australia across both winter and summer-cropping systems.

Field trials will be completed before an application is made to the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to register FFO for use as a broadacre herbicide.

“Our agreement with KingAgroot is very exciting for the Australian agricultural industry as we can now work through the process of trials and evaluation with an end goal of registration for use in Australia, expected before the end of this decade.”

“This is an important collaboration in an emerging partnership, and we anticipate a bright future ahead for new product development.”

KingAgroot CropScience head of bioassay and resistance research Peng Xuegang said FFO was one of the most exciting compounds developed since the establishment of the company.

“It has injected new vitality into the long-dormant non-selective herbicide market, Mr Xuegang said.

“Obtaining registration from the Chinese Government in 2024, it achieved tremendous success in its first year on the market, which fully demonstrates its market potential.

“In the future, we expect Flufenoximacil to also achieve success stories in many more countries around the world.”

“Australia is an important market, and Nufarm is a well-respected global company with deep expertise in agriculture, especially renowned for its capability in non-selective herbicides.

“We are very pleased to have reached a development agreement with Nufarm on this compound.

“We believe that the launch of Flufenoximacil will provide innovative solutions for growers in
Australia.”

Source: Nufarm, KingAgroot