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Agricultural technology company Syngenta and Japanese agrochemical manufacturer Kyoyu Agri Co. Ltd have formed a commercial collaboration to introduce herbicide solutions based on the novel active ingredient Cyclopyranil to selected rice markets across Asia.

Developed by Kyoyu Agri, Cyclopyranil represents Syngenta’s first rice herbicide formulated around a protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO)-inhibiting mode of action, classified under Herbicide Group 14. Under the agreement, Syngenta will leverage its commercial distribution infrastructure to market formulations containing the active ingredient across key Asian rice-producing countries.

The partnership targets expanding weed resistance in paddy cultivation, providing growers with an alternative chemical tool to safeguard grain yields and farm productivity.

Active Ingredient and Mode of Action

Cyclopyranil is engineered to control a broad spectrum of grass and broadleaf weeds on contact, maintaining efficacy at low application rates:

Dual-Window Application: The active ingredient functions as both a pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicide, allowing growers flexibility in application timing across crop cycles.

PPO Inhibition: Operating as a Group 14 herbicide, the molecule disrupts protoporphyrinogen oxidase enzyme pathways in targeted foliage.

Cross-Resistance Control: The chemical pathway controls weed populations that have developed resistance to alternative modes of action, notably acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) and acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor chemistries.

Combating Weed Resistance and Barnyard Grass

The deployment of novel chemical modes of action addresses an escalating agronomic challenge across global rice ecosystems.

Scientific research has documented more than 190 distinct cases of herbicide-resistant weed species across commercial rice cropping systems worldwide. Among the most widespread and damaging is barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli), an aggressive weed that mimics young rice plants during early vegetative growth stages, complicating manual and mechanical weeding efforts.

Barnyard grass competes directly with cultivated rice for nitrogen, soil moisture, and sunlight, leading to significant volume losses if unmanaged. Repeated reliance on historic ALS- and ACCase-inhibiting chemistries has diminished treatment performance across major production basins, increasing the requirement for contact chemistries with alternative resistance profiles.

Commercial Partnership and Asian Distribution

The agreement unites Kyoyu Agri's primary molecule discovery and synthesis capabilities with Syngenta's regional field development and wholesale distribution networks.

Syngenta and Kyoyu Agri plan to advance regulatory dossiers and local field registrations across designated Asian operating territories ahead of phased commercial product rollouts.