Fentin acetate, a special chemical containing metal tin, was once a popular fungicide in the market in the early 90s. With the fast development and invest in new active ingredient from multinational corporations, many new products have been discovered and replaced fentin acetate.
Thus, fentin acetate, reduced its market share. However, it has accidently been found this fungicide can be used as a molluscicide in the paddy field and is the most effective one. The demand for fentin acetate has then reached a new peak.
The Early Days of Fentin Acetate
The use of organotin as a fungicide can be traced back to the 1950s when the German company Hoechst developed Batasan. It was used to control blights on potatoes, leaf spot diseases on sugar beet, and anthracnose on beans. Later, the organotin were marketed as fentin acetate and fentin hydroxide.
Amongst the first products to be used for disease control in crop protection, organotin has better efficacy than Copper fungicide, thus, was very popular in the market worldwide. It was later found to be applied on rice blast, coffee leaf rust, etc. The estimated quantity sold is 1000 metric tons per year.
The Fall of Fentin Acetate from Twentieth Century
The application of fentin acetate to managing late blight is later replaced by other products. With the development of a new product with various mode of action and more specific targets, there are more choices for control of Phytophthora infestans (oomycete cause the late blight on a potato). Products like azoxystrobin, mancozeb, pyraclostobin, boscalid, etc. become very popular in the market, compromised by the decline usage of fentin acetate. Nowadays, fentin is applied as a fungicide on sugar beet in some areas. The once legendary fungicide seems to have stepped into its old age.
The Reemergence of Fentin Acetate
With its fall on fungicide side, however, fentin acetate has been accidently discovered as a good molluscicide in paddy fields. With its fall on the fungicide side, however, fentin acetate has been accidently discovered as a good molluscicide in paddy field. The snails in the paddy field have been a headache for farmers for centuries.
Compared to other molluscicide (e.g., niclosamide and metaldehyde), fentin acetate is more effective and not sensitive to temperature. It is now becoming a very popular product for control of snails in paddy field in China and Indonesia. Especially in rainy season when the snails grow quickly, fentin acetate is in high demand.
Pomacea canaliculate, also known as the golden apple snail, is native from Argentina to the Amazon basin. It has been introduced to most of southern, eastern, and southeast Asia and the southern part of the United States. The new environment, where they are not originated from, is favorable for their fast reproduction.
Without predator, Pomacea canaliculate grows fast and destroys local biodiversity. It now has become a big concern in its habitat, especially the paddy field. Finding an effective way to control the rapid spread invasive Pomacea canaliculate became the top priority for farmers to promote the rice yield.
Active ingredients like fentin acetate, metaldehyde, nicotinanilide are most popular as molluscacide in the market, study1 shown that 45% Fentin Acetate has outstanding performance on the paddy fields, with 100 g / 667 m2.
On the other hand, it is not negligible that fentin acetate and fentin hydroxide is considered toxic to aquatic life (also a reason this product is not registered for use in the EU or US). The use in the pond shall be more cautions. Until now there still no products can exceed the performance of Fentin acetate in snail control.
The Future of Fentin Acetate
Besides the issue of snails, large areas of moss might be another concern in the paddy field. The moss covers the water area and block the air exchange between water and surface, thus, impede the nutrient taken for paddy.
Surprisingly, fentin acetate can also affect the moss growth. Experiments have done in different part of China, the result show moss in paddy field can be affected by fentin acetate. In addition to that, fentin acetate, told by our clients, can also be used for pond cleaning.
Perhaps, other usage by fentin will be explored in the future. Presumably, fentin will have exclusive position in the field for a long time.
Xue J, Zhao L Y, Fan D, et al. Effects of different molluscacide on Pomacea canaliculataJournal of Hubei University( Natural Science), 2021, 43(3): 254-257.
About Heben
That concludes the little history of Fentin acetate. For the specific application and instructions not mentioned above, you may refer to our product section to find out more。
Heben is a leading supplier of agrochemical active ingredients and formulated products. We specialize in producing high-quality fungicides that are used in a variety of industries. We are dedicated to providing our customers with the best possible products and services. For more information, you can contact us by Tel: +86 (0)577 55882935 or E-mai at info@hb-p.com
