China's first biopesticide against rice golden apple snail granted registration

On January 16, 2025, Wuhan Guokegelv Ecological Technology Co., Ltd was granted in China registration of extended application of tea saponin 30% AS to control of rice golden apple snail, which is the first biopesticide registered in China for control of rice golden apple snail. The original registration was for control of tea lesser leafhopper, poplar, fall webworm, alfalfa caterpillar, asparagus snail and officinale slug.

Tea saponin is a botanical pesticide extracted from camellia seed, which is contact-toxic and stomach-toxic, being capable of directly killing pests and molluscs while also expelling pests and molluscs to certain extent. 

Golden apple snail is a gastropoda and amphibious freshwater mollusk, which is one of the first 16 alien species invading China, being mainly distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Hainan, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Chongqing, Shanghai, Sichuan and Taiwan, which are all south of Yangtze River.

Prior to this registration, there were 73 valid pesticide registrations in China granted for control of golden apple snail, including 59 niclosamides, 12 metaldehydes, 1 calcium cyanamide and 1 emamectin benzoate.metaldehydes (Niclosamide, metaldehyde and emamectin benzoate.metaldehyde are chemical pesticides while calcium cyanamide is an inorganic mineral pesticide).