In December 2024, the "Implementation Plan for Accelerating the Development of Agricultural Microbial Industry in Hubei Province" was issued, sounding the charge for breakthrough development of the agricultural microbial industry nationwide. The plan emphasized that the agricultural microbial industry is a strategic emerging industry and an urgently needed new productive force, of great significance for ensuring national food security and promoting green agricultural development. After five years of construction, Conon Biotechnology's Xiantao Production Base - the largest bacterial fermentation production capacity in China with the most advanced facilities - was completed and put into production last year, raising Conon's production capacity to an internationally leading level of 500,000 tons.

At the end of December 2024, a full-media reporter from Hubei Daily visited Conon's Xiantao Production Base to explore its intelligent production line. Here is the full report:

Hubei-produced Biological Pesticide Fills Multiple Domestic Gaps:
"Nematodes and its Egg Killing" That Can Also Improve Soil

This April, in Hengshan Town, Lianjiang City, Guangdong Province, households were busy harvesting peppers. Farmer Mo Qiong's plot attracted many villagers' attention: "How are your peppers so plump and beautiful?" Mo Qiong told them: "You need to use pesticides to prevent root-knot nematodes. Chemical pesticides won't work; you must use biological pesticides."

Root-knot nematodes, invisible to the naked eye, hide in the soil, gnawing on the roots of fruits, vegetables, and medicinal herbs, causing crop yield reduction. Previously, farmers used chemical pesticides that could only eliminate adult and juvenile nematodes, not their eggs. After planting a crop of peppers and spraying three times, they could only prevent 70% of root-knot nematodes, still resulting in a 30% yield reduction.

The biological pesticide Mo Qiong mentioned is the first domestic microbial pesticide for root-knot nematode prevention, developed jointly by Conon and Huazhong Agricultural University. "A month after application, the nematodes decreased, and the peppers grew well. Compared to before, I earn 1,000 yuan more per mu," Mo Qiong said.

Hu Xiao, Manager of Conon's Product Development Department, explained that chemical agents kill beneficial microorganisms in the soil while eliminating nematodes. The microbial strains in biological pesticides continuously produce active substances that kill nematodes, inhibiting over 80% of egg hatching and causing over 90% of hatched larvae to die. Additionally, they secrete active factors that promote plant growth, continuously improving soil quality, addressing both symptoms and root causes, and enhancing crop yield and quality. The product recently won the Second Prize at the 12th China Technology Market Association Golden Bridge Award.

Eliminating Over 80% of "Little Moths" in One Week

Before 2010, biopesticides were mainly used on cash crops, but in recent years have begun to demonstrate significant effectiveness in food crops.

The fall armyworm, colloquially known as "little moths," is a global migratory pest originating from South America. In 2022, it was included in China's "List of Key Managed Invasive Species" and primarily damages corn. Conon's microbial pesticide - Bt engineering strain G033A - can effectively eliminate these "little moths," filling the domestic gap in microbial pesticides for controlling Coleoptera pests.

In Conon's exhibition hall, Hu Xiao demonstrated the Bt engineering strain G033A to reporters. He explained that by spraying 150 to 300 grams of Bt engineering strain G033A per mu of cornfield, over 85% of fall armyworms can be killed within a week, and it can also eliminate other Coleoptera pests like yellow-striped flea beetles. Bt engineering strain G033A is the first genetically modified insect-resistant engineering strain approved in China, pioneering the use of biotechnology to create new biopesticides. It can prevent pests on crops such as rice, corn, and potatoes, helping farmers improve pest control efficiency and reduce costs.

In 2023, the product was rated as a major new product by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, was demonstrated and promoted nationwide, and was donated to Laos.