Water Dispersible Granule Agrochemicals Patents: Leaders & Trends 2026
- 31.4% concentration at the top. The five leading assignees together hold 2,203 of the 7,009 records in scope — a formulation space where a handful of crop-protection majors have staked out disintegration, hardness and dust-control claims early and often.
- Filing kept growing through the last complete year. From 391 records in 2021 to 466 in 2024, a 19% rise, with 2023 the peak year so far at 657 — this is not a cooling field, even though 2025-2026 figures will still fill in as publication catches up.
- India is the busiest receiving office. 1,052 records were filed there, ahead of the United States (795), the EPO (760) and the WIPO PCT route (747) — a strong signal that formulation IP in this space is being contested in generic-manufacturing markets as much as in originator jurisdictions.
Filing growth compares 2021 (391 records) with 2024 (466) — a three-year span. 2024 is the most recent year we treat as complete: publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so 2025 onwards are still filling in and any growth rate that ends there would understate the field. Top-5 share is the combined record count of the five largest assignees divided by all 7,009 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
Water dispersible granules (WG) and wettable granules (WDG) are dry, free-flowing formulations designed to disperse rapidly and evenly when added to a spray tank. The patent activity captured here sits at the intersection of formulation science and active-ingredient chemistry: claims over disintegration time, granule hardness, dust content, binder selection, fluid bed granulation and wetting agent combinations, layered on top of the underlying biocide or pesticide molecule.
Because a formulation patent can claim the process, the excipient system, or the active-plus-excipient combination separately, the same underlying chemistry often generates several related filings. Family-level counting, used throughout this page, keeps duplicate continuations and multi-jurisdiction filings from inflating the picture of where real competitive activity sits.
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 7,009-record dataset: how filing volume has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses the records fall into.
Filing trend, 2017-2026
Annual filings rose from 302 in 2017 to a peak of 657 in 2023, with 2021-2024 alone showing a 19% increase (391 to 466). The most recent one or two years understate true activity because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months.
Technology composition by IPC subclass
A01N (biocides/agrochemicals) touches 88.0% of all records, confirming that most filings anchor formulation claims to an active-ingredient class. C07D (heterocyclic compounds, 37.6%) and A01P (pesticide activity, 32.9%) are the next-heaviest classes; smaller but distinct clusters sit in A61K (7.5%), C07C (4.3%), C05G fertiliser mixtures (4.1%), C05D inorganic fertilisers (2.7%) and C07K peptides (2.0%) — each a narrower formulation niche layered on the core WG/WDG process claims.
Shares are the percentage of the 7,009 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Water Dispersible Granule Agrochemicals with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about water dispersible granule agrochemicals and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaRepresentative and most-cited filings
AU2023355035A1 — Bixlozone water dispersible granule compositions (FMC Corporation, 2025-04-03)
Described herein are water dispersible granule (WG) compositions including bixlozone. Also described herein are methods of preparing the compositions. Also described herein are methods for controlling undesirable vegetation with the compositions.Filed by FMC Corporation, this record ties a specific active ingredient (bixlozone) to WG-specific composition and preparation-method claims — a pattern typical of how originator companies extend formulation protection around a molecule.
View full filing| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WO2013050317A1 | Polymorphs of an isoxazoline derivative | 893 |
| 2 | WO2017055473A1 | Microbiocidal oxadiazole derivatives | 582 |
| 3 | WO2017118689A1 | Microbiocidal oxadiazole derivatives | 519 |
| 4 | WO2017093348A1 | Microbiocidal oxadiazole derivatives | 491 |
| 5 | WO2017055469A1 | Microbiocidal oxadiazole derivatives | 488 |
| 6 | WO2017220485A1 | Microbiocidal oxadiazole derivatives | 436 |
| 7 | WO2017153380A1 | Microbiocidal quinoline (THIO)carboxamide derivatives | 418 |
| 8 | WO2018065414A1 | Microbiocidal oxadiazole derivatives | 409 |
| 9 | WO2018158365A1 | Microbiocidal oxadiazole derivatives | 397 |
| 10 | WO2016156085A1 | Microbiocidal heterobicyclic derivatives | 391 |
Citation counts favour older filings simply because they have had longer to accumulate citations inside this corpus — read them as a signal of influence on subsequent filers, not as a ranking of current commercial importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Browse MCP servers →What the numbers mean for filing strategy
Three findings that should shape where a new filing gets positioned, and what freedom-to-operate work needs to check first.
The top of the field is dense, not dominant
31.4% held by five assignees leaves the majority of records — nearly 70% — spread across a long tail of filers. That combination means a new entrant cannot assume the field is closed, but does need to map the leading five assignees' claim scope closely before drafting binder or wetting-agent claims.
India leads receiving offices, ahead of the US and EPO
India's 1,052 records outpace the United States (795), EPO (760) and WIPO PCT filings (747). For formulation claims specifically, this points to active contesting of generic-manufacturing rights in a jurisdiction where WG/WDG products are widely manufactured and exported.
Momentum is still upward through the last complete year
Filings grew from 391 in 2021 to 466 in 2024, a 19% increase, with 2023 the single highest year on record at 657. This is a field where formulation innovation is still being actively claimed, not one in decline — treat the lower 2025-2026 counts as incomplete data rather than a slowdown.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to water dispersible granule agrochemicals, with the prior art for and against each one.
| Assignee | Co-assignee | Shared families |
|---|---|---|
| Nihon Nohyaku Co., Ltd. | Adeka Corporation | 32 |
| Merial Ltd. | Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA Inc. | 21 |
| Dow AgroSciences LLC | Corteva Agriscience LLC | 16 |
| Merial Ltd. | KNAUF WERNER | 12 |
| Merial Ltd. | SEEGER KARL | 11 |
| Merial Ltd. | MAIER MICHAEL | 11 |
| Bayer CropScience | SEEGER KARL | 11 |
| Merial Ltd. | SCHNATTERER STEFAN | 9 |
Ten co-assignee pairs appear in the dataset, the strongest joint filing relationships linking crop-protection and agrochemical-adjacent entities — evidence of shared formulation development programmes rather than pure single-owner filing.
Who is filing, and where activity is shifting
The ranked leaders span originator crop-protection companies and their formulation-focused affiliates. Recent-year momentum shows one clear leader still filing while several long-standing names have gone quiet in the most recent year captured.
A single assignee holds the largest share by a wide margin
The leading assignee's 985 records sit well ahead of fifth place (141) and tenth place (105), showing a steep drop-off rather than a gradual one. Even so, that leader's own latest-year count fell 74% year-on-year, suggesting recent filing has slowed even as its cumulative lead remains large.
Recent-year activity has cooled for several long-standing filers
Several assignees with substantial historical filings show zero records in the latest year captured, a pattern consistent with publication lag rather than necessarily reduced R&D — but it does mean the most current competitive picture cannot be read from raw recent counts alone.
Joint filings cluster around specific partnerships
Ten co-assignee pairs appear across the dataset, with the strongest pairings linking companies in adjacent agrochemical and animal-health formulation work — a sign that some formulation know-how is being developed and filed jointly rather than in-house alone.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Syngenta Crop Protection AG | 28 | -74% |
| Nihon Nohyaku Co., Ltd. | 1 | — |
| Syngenta Participations AG (Switzerland) | 0 | — |
| Merial Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Rhone-Poulenc Agrochimie SA | 0 | — |
| Dow AgroSciences LLC | 0 | — |
| Iceutica Pty Ltd | 0 | -100% |
| Bayer CropScience | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to specific next checks rather than a single conclusion — freedom-to-operate work and white-space drafting both start from the same numbers.
Check claim scope against the leading five assignees
With 31.4% of records held by five assignees, any new formulation filing on binder selection, disintegration time or dust content should be checked against their specific claim language before drafting.
Explore assignee claims in EurekaWatch the under-claimed IPC branches
C05G, C05D and C07K classes carry a fraction of the filing density seen in A01N and A01P, which may leave room for formulation claims that cross into fertiliser or peptide-active territory.
Run a white-space search in EurekaTrack India and PCT filings as leading indicators
With India ahead of the US and EPO as a receiving office, monitoring filings there and via WIPO PCT routes gives earlier visibility into formulation claims before they reach other jurisdictions.
Set up filing alerts in EurekaCommon questions on WG/WDG agrochemical patents
A WG/WDG formulation patent typically claims the physical form and process — particle size, binder composition, disintegration time, granule hardness, dust content or the fluid bed granulation method — separately from the active ingredient itself. This means a formulation claim can extend protection even after the active ingredient's own patent expires, provided the specific excipient system or process is novel. Filers in this dataset frequently pair a molecule-specific claim with a formulation-specific one in the same or related filings, so checking both is necessary for a full freedom-to-operate picture.
India recorded 1,052 filings in this dataset, ahead of the United States (795), the EPO (760) and the WIPO PCT route (747). WG/WDG products are widely manufactured for both domestic use and export from India, so companies — both originators and generic formulators — file there to secure or contest formulation rights in a major manufacturing base. This does not mean India is where the underlying chemistry originates; it reflects where formulation-specific rights are actively being established.
Filing grew from 391 records in 2021 to 466 in 2024, a 19% increase, with 2023 the highest single year on record at 657. Counts for 2025 and 2026 appear lower only because publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months, so recent years are still filling in rather than showing a genuine decline. Based on the last complete year of data, 2024, the field was still growing, not cooling.
The top five assignees together hold 2,203 of the 7,009 records in scope, or 31.4% of all records — a meaningful concentration but still leaving roughly two-thirds of filings spread across a long tail of other companies. The leading single assignee holds 985 records, well ahead of fifth place at 141 and tenth place at 105, so the drop-off from the very top is steep even though overall ownership is not tightly closed.
AU2023355035A1, filed by FMC Corporation and published 2025-04-03, covers water dispersible granule compositions containing the active ingredient bixlozone, along with methods of preparing those compositions and methods of using them to control unwanted vegetation. This is a common structure in the dataset: a specific active ingredient tied to composition claims, preparation-process claims and use claims within the same filing. Anyone formulating a competing WG product with the same or a related active should review the specific excipient and process language in the full claims, not just the abstract.
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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.