The project - "Solid Fermentation and Formulation Processing Technology Research of the Microbial Herbicide Rhizococcus (Kekou Mold)" undertaken by researchers such as Yu Liuching from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, which is a major science and technology project in Zhejiang Province, has been successfully completed. Currently, the 1% Kekou Mold spore powder production workshop has been preliminarily established at Zhejiang Tianyi Agrochemical Co., Ltd., indicating that Zhejiang Province has its first microbial herbicide product and has taken an important step in industrialization development.

Since the widespread application of chemical herbicides globally, they have remained the primary method for controlling weeds in farmlands. However, as time goes by, the drawbacks brought about by the extensive use of chemical herbicides have become increasingly evident. Against this backdrop, microbial herbicides, which possess advantages such as higher selectivity, no pollution to the environment, and low likelihood of developing resistance, have received significant attention from scientists in various countries. Foreign countries have successfully developed some varieties of microbial herbicides.

China is one of the earliest countries in the world to apply plant pathogens to develop microbial herbicides. The China Rice Research Institute has accumulated rich experience and achievements in the field of microbial herbicides, especially in the industrialized development of the herbicide "Kechao". In 2008, the Zhejiang Provincial Science and Technology Department included the research on the solid fermentation and formulation processing technology of the microbial herbicide "Kechao" as a major provincial science and technology project, and entrusted the China Rice Research Institute to implement it.

Over a period of three years, Researcher Yu Liucheng led the project team to conduct systematic research on the problems of low spore yield and unstable weed control effect in the industrial production of Cerevisia spore. They studied the solid fermentation spore production technology and formulation processing technology, achieving a series of innovative results. In the research on solid fermentation spore production technology, the project team determined the optimal cultivation and process conditions for tray solid fermentation spore production at the pilot scale, with the spore yield reaching 1.5×107 spores per gram of dry culture medium, an increase of one order of magnitude compared to before. On this basis, they further determined the optimal cultivation and process conditions for bag solid fermentation spore production at the pilot scale, with the spore yield reaching 1.7×107 spores per gram of dry culture medium, making this technology possible for large-scale factory production.

At the same time, the researchers also made significant breakthroughs in the processing technology of the herbicide formulation of "Kega". They successfully developed "Kega spore suspension agent" and 1% "Kega spore powder agent", completed the toxicological tests of this formulation, initiated field efficacy trials across the country, and prepared scientific materials for the first registration and licensing of 1% "Kega spore powder agent" in China. On this basis, they also established an industry-university-research collaboration research platform with Zhejiang Tianyi Agrochemical Co., Ltd., further promoting the industrialization of "Kega", and have now preliminarily completed the production workshop of 1% "Kega spore powder agent".