Yearly Review: Data Analysis of Microbial Fertilizers Registered in China in 2023

Based on comprehensive statistics, a total of 1,180 microbial fertilizers were registered in China in 2023. Among these registrations, a significant majority consisted of microbial inoculants. Notably, Bacillus subtilis registered products held a prominent advantage in terms of numbers, indicating their prevalence in the registered microbial fertilizers.

1. The Number of Microbial Fertilizers Registered

The figure below illustrates the number of microbial fertilizers registered in China during the five-year period from 2019 to 2023. Notably, the highest number of registrations occurred in 2020, reaching a peak of 1,591. Conversely, in 2023, the number of registered microbial fertilizers experienced a decline, reaching a total of 1,180, which represents the lowest count within the specified timeframe.

2. Types of Microbial Fertilizer Registered

Microbial fertilizers encompass a wide range of types, with the predominant categories consisting of microbial inoculants, microbial organic fertilizers, and compound microbial fertilizers. When further categorized based on the type of microorganism contained or their functional characteristics, microbial fertilizers can be classified into various groups such as rhizobium inoculants, nitrogen-fixing bacterial inoculants, phosphate-solubilizing microbial inoculants, silicate microbial inoculants, photosynthetic bacteria inoculants, organic matter-decomposing inoculants, growth-promoting bacterium inoculants, mycorrhizal fungi inoculants, concentrated inoculants of microorganisms, soil repair inoculants, and more. Among these categories, certain types of microbial fertilizers have registered numbers exceeding three, as depicted in the statistical chart below. Microbial inoculants lead the pack with the highest number of registrations, totaling 521. Following closely are microbial organic fertilizers with 390 registrations, and compound microbial fertilizers with 186 registrations. Remarkably, these three types collectively account for a substantial proportion of 92.9% of the total registered microbial fertilizers.

3. Registered Strains of Microbial Fertilizers

The top ten strains of microbial fertilizers registered in China in 2023 are shown in the following figure. Bacillus subtilis has the highest number of registrations – 964, holding an absolute dominant position, followed by Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus megaterium with 301 and 152, respectively. According to statistics, the following strains were registered for the first time as microbial fertilizers in 2023:

• Claroideoglomus lamellosum,
• Pseudomonas protegens,
• Sinorhizobium fredii,
• Methylobacterium symbioticum,
• Rhizobium laguerreae, and
• Piriformospora indica.

4. Formulations of Microbial Fertilizer Registered

In 2023, among the registered formulation types of microbial fertilizers, powders emerged as the most prevalent with 482 registrations. Granules followed closely with 425 registrations, while liquid formulation displayed a comparatively lower count of 272 registrations. Notably, soluble concentrate formulations had the fewest registrations, with only one.

To summarize, a total of 1,180 newly registered microbial fertilizer products were recorded in 2023. Among these registrations, microbial inoculants, microbial organic fertilizers, and compound microbial fertilizers constituted a significant portion. Bacillus subtilis retained its position as the most popular species, maintaining the highest number of registrations.

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