Agrochemical Formulation Patents: Leaders, Trends & White Space 2026
- Filing has flattened, not grown. activity peaked at 74 families in 2021 and had already eased back to the 2022 midpoint of 69 before the recent partial-year drop-off typical of publication lag.
- Formulation chemistry sits on non-active-ingredient IPC classes. C08G, C05G and C08L polymer and fertiliser-mixture codes carry meaningful volume alongside the core A01N/A01P biocide classes, showing where delivery-system claims cluster.
- Co-assignment is rare and concentrated. only 10 co-assignee pairs exist across the whole dataset, and the strongest single pairing accounts for 21 shared filings — most applicants file alone.
What this landscape covers
This dataset tracks patent families combining agrochemical or pesticide formulation language with adjuvant, drift-reduction, rainfastness, controlled-release or tank-mix-compatibility terms, filtered to the A01N, A01P and related biocide/pesticide-activity IPC codes. It captures the delivery-system layer of crop protection filing — suspension concentrates, adjuvant blends and controlled-release carriers — rather than active-ingredient chemistry on its own. Publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so the most recent filing year in any trend understates real activity.
Coverage runs from 2015 through the 2026-07-31 data cut-off, with 1,170 published records forming the assignee ranking. Receiving-office distribution spans the United States, Europe, India, the WIPO PCT route, Australia and Canada, indicating that formulation claims are being pursued across multiple regulatory jurisdictions rather than concentrated in a single market.
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Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 1,170-family dataset: the year-by-year filing curve, and how records split across IPC subclasses.
Filings rose to a 2021 peak, then eased
Filings climbed from 44 in 2017 to a peak of 74 in 2021, before falling back toward the 2022 midpoint of 69. Read alongside the 18-month publication lag, this points to a technology where the claim space has been actively worked through the early 2020s rather than one still accelerating.
Biocide classes dominate, but polymer and fertiliser codes carry real volume
A01N (1,157 records) and A01P (578) confirm this is fundamentally an agrochemical dataset, but the presence of C08G condensation polymers (60), C05G fertiliser mixtures (51) and C08L polymer compositions (44) shows a meaningful secondary layer of formulation and carrier-material claims sitting alongside the active-ingredient codes.
Shares are the percentage of the 1,170 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Agrochemical Formulation Technology with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about agrochemical formulation technology and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe most-cited records in this space
Drift-reduction adjuvant blend for spray-mix application
US20170258078A1, filed by Oxiteno S.A. Industria e Comercio, describes an adjuvant composition combining fatty acid esters with an alkoxylated polyol, added either to an agrochemical formulation or directly into the spray tank mix. The stated function is reducing fine-droplet drift across multiple nozzle types while remaining compatible with a broad range of pesticides and inert components, without increasing droplet size to the point of reduced coverage.Abstract shown as filed; claim scope should be checked against the granted claims before drawing freedom-to-operate conclusions.
View full record| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EP1023832A1 | Aqueous suspension concentrate | 90 |
| 2 | US6117820A | Agrochemical formulation | 79 |
| 3 | WO2007081553A2 | Liquid formulations of carboxamide arthropodicides | 69 |
| 4 | WO2012035015A2 | Composition containing a pyripyropene insecticide and an adjuvant | 67 |
| 5 | US20060276337A1 | Oil suspension concentrate | 61 |
| 6 | WO2008069990A1 | Liquid formulations of carboxamide arthropodicides | 60 |
| 7 | WO2002034047A1 | Agrochemical formulation aid composition and uses thereof | 58 |
| 8 | US6165940A | Non-aqueous suspension concentrate | 57 |
| 9 | WO2010121976A2 | Dispersants for agricultural applications | 51 |
| 10 | WO2000018227A1 | Non-aqueous suspension concentrate | 49 |
Citation counts reflect influence within the searched corpus and skew toward older filings; treat them as a marker of foundational status, not current commercial relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Three read-throughs from the filing trend, IPC spread and citation table above.
Growth has plateaued since the early-2020s peak
The climb from 44 filings in 2017 to 74 in 2021 marks an active build-out period. The pullback to 69 by the 2022 midpoint, ahead of the expected drop-off in the most recent partial year, suggests applicants had largely staked out their formulation positions by then rather than continuing to expand claim volume.
Carrier and delivery chemistry is a distinct sub-layer
Beyond the core A01N/A01P biocide codes, condensation-polymer, fertiliser-mixture and polymer-composition classes together account for over 150 records. This is the controlled-release and carrier-material layer of the field, and it is where formulation-specific claims, rather than active-ingredient claims, tend to sit.
Most applicants file solo; joint filing is the exception
Only 10 co-assignee pairings appear across the full 1,170-family dataset, and the strongest pairing reaches 21 shared filings. That scarcity means most competitive intelligence on this space has to be built assignee-by-assignee rather than by mapping alliance networks.
Filing is spread across major agrochemical markets
The United States and Europe lead narrowly, but India's 131 filings and the 128 PCT-route applications show applicants pursuing broad, multi-jurisdiction protection rather than concentrating on a single home market.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to agrochemical formulation technology, with the prior art for and against each one.
Assignees and recent momentum
Recent-year filing counts show a field where even the most active historical filers have slowed sharply, consistent with the plateau visible in the overall trend.
Even the top recent filer is pulling back
The assignee with the most recent-year activity still only recorded 1 filing in the latest year, down 50% year-over-year. No assignee in the momentum table shows growth into the latest year, reinforcing the plateau seen in the aggregate trend.
Several established names show zero latest-year filings
Multiple assignees with substantial filing histories in this dataset show no filings and a full year-over-year drop in the most recent year. Given the 18-month publication lag, some of this is reporting delay rather than a genuine stop in R&D, but the pattern is consistent across several unrelated filers.
One pairing accounts for the bulk of joint filing
Of the 10 co-assignee pairs identified, the strongest single relationship reaches 21 shared filings between two related entities. The next-strongest pairs sit far lower, in the single digits, meaning cross-company joint IP strategy is not a defining feature of this field.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Croda International Plc | 1 | -50% |
| BASF SE | 0 | -100% |
| E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company | 0 | — |
| Bayer CropScience LP | 0 | — |
| Croda, Inc. | 0 | — |
| Adama Makhteshim Ltd. | 0 | -100% |
| Bayer AG | 0 | -100% |
| Syngenta Limited | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The trend and assignee data point to a field that has passed its filing peak but still has open branches worth checking before committing R&D or freedom-to-operate budget.
Check freedom-to-operate against the most-cited records
The highest-citation patents in this dataset, including the aqueous and oil suspension concentrate filings, are the most likely prior art to surface in an examiner search. Screen new formulation work against these before investing further.
Explore prior art in EurekaMap the under-claimed carrier-material branches
Controlled-release microencapsulation and low-VOC carrier chemistry show thinner filing density than the core biocide classes, which may reflect genuine white space rather than lack of interest.
Run a white space search in EurekaTrack assignees with slowing but non-zero momentum
Several major historical filers show zero or sharply declining latest-year activity. Confirming whether this reflects the publication lag or a genuine strategy shift matters before assuming the field is closing.
Monitor assignee activity in EurekaCommon questions on agrochemical formulation patents
This dataset identifies 1,170 patent families published between 2015 and the 2026-07-31 cut-off, filtered to formulation-specific language such as adjuvant, drift reduction, rainfastness, controlled release and tank-mix compatibility within the A01N and A01P biocide IPC codes. That figure reflects families rather than raw document counts, which is the fairer unit since it neutralises duplicate filings across jurisdictions and continuation applications. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the true count for the most recent one to two years will be higher once pending applications publish.
Not currently. Filings grew from 44 in 2017 to a peak of 74 in 2021, then eased to 69 by the 2022 midpoint, and the recent-year momentum data shows several major assignees at zero filings or down 100% year-over-year. Some of that recent drop is the normal publication lag rather than a real stop in R&D, but the multi-year plateau from 2021 onward suggests the field has moved past its fastest growth phase. Anyone benchmarking activity should compare against the 2021 peak rather than the most recent partial year.
Beyond the core A01N and A01P biocide and pesticide-activity codes, this dataset shows meaningful overlap with C08G condensation polymers, C05G fertiliser mixtures and C08L polymer compositions. These represent the carrier, controlled-release and delivery-system layer of formulation patents, distinct from active-ingredient chemistry. A smaller but notable cluster also touches C07D heterocyclic compounds, C09K materials and B01J catalysis/process classes, pointing to formulation work that borders synthetic chemistry and industrial process engineering.
Overwhelmingly alone. Across the full 1,170-family dataset only 10 co-assignee pairings were identified, and the strongest single pairing reaches 21 shared filings between two closely related entities, with other pairs falling into the single digits. This means competitive mapping in agrochemical formulation has to be built assignee-by-assignee rather than through alliance or joint-venture networks, unlike fields where cross-licensing consortia are common.
The leading receiving offices in this dataset are the United States with 166 records and the European Patent Office with 164, followed by India at 131, the WIPO PCT route at 128, Australia at 112 and Canada at 92. This spread indicates applicants are pursuing protection across major agricultural markets in North America, Europe and South Asia rather than concentrating filings in a single jurisdiction, which is consistent with agrochemical products needing registration and IP coverage in each target market separately.
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. Patsnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.
Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company’s registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.