BASF officially launches Provisia® Herbicide-Tolerant Rice System in China, supporting farmers with an innovative alternative rice cultivation system
- BASF and Winall jointly introduce BASF Provisia® rice system, which includes BASF’s herbicide Provisia and the Provisia hybrid rice varieties developed by Winall
- BASF’s Provisia herbicide is the first quizalofop-p-ethyl to obtain registration on herbicide-tolerant rice varieties in China
Hefei, Anhui – December 2, 2025 – BASF and Anhui Winall High-Tech Seed Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Winall”) jointly launched the Provisia® Herbicide-Tolerant Rice System in China. This system consists of two core components: herbicide Provisia (300g/L quizalofop-p-ethyl) developed by BASF, and two quizalofop-p-ethyl-tolerant rice varieties, Quanyou 822 and Huiliangyou 898, co-bred by BASF and Winall. BASF’s Provisia is the first quizalofop-p-ethyl chemistry to obtain registration on herbicide-tolerant rice varieties in China. This scientific combination precisely addresses the weed control challenges of farmers as they practice direct-seeded rice cultivation. The implementation of Provisia rice system will significantly reduce labor costs, and injects efficient and carbon-reducing impetus into large-scale wet paddy rice farmers to consider the alternate solution of dry-direct seeded rice cultivation.
In China, direct-seeding is widely favored by rice growers due to its labor-saving and high-efficiency advantages. However, weedy rice often grows synchronously with cultivated rice and competes fiercely for nutrients and growing space. Manual weeding is costly, while traditional herbicides cannot distinguish between the two gramineous crops. Therefore, there is an urgent market demand for a weed control method that balances efficacy and rice crop safety. As a chemistry, quizalofop‑p‑ethyl is a highly effective post-emergence foliar herbicide that controls gramineous weeds in broad‑leaf crop fields, but it cannot be applied in cultivated rice fields. However, BASF’s Provisia Rice System enables the herbicide to be safely applied to the fields of the Huiliangyou 898 and Quanyou 822 rice varieties, as the hybrid seeds are designed to be herbicide-tolerant and remain unaffected by the herbicide application while target weeds are controlled.
Huiliangyou 898 and Quanyou 822 are nationally registered, high-quality hybrid rice varieties developed by Winall in collaboration with Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Anhui Wannong Seed Industry respectively. These nationally certified varieties possess excellent traits such as high lodging resistance, strong resistance, high yield, good rice quality, and wide adaptability, and have been promoted in the market for over a decade. This upgrade of these varieties retains their original superior characteristics while adding quizalofop-p-ethyl tolerance, better meeting the needs of farmers.
Provisia has a short residual period, ensuring safety for subsequent crops and surrounding broad-leaved crops, which is conducive to rice field rotation. Additionally, the system supports direct seeding, reducing water consumption and significantly lowering carbon dioxide emissions when compared to wet paddy cultivation.
Jackson Wang, Vice President, Agricultural Solutions Greater China, BASF, stated: “China is a globally important rice-producing country. The launch of the Provisia Herbicide-Tolerant Rice System is a crucial step for BASF to deepen its presence in the Chinese agricultural market and accurately respond to farmers' needs. We are greatful to have the collaboration and support of our partners Winall as we work together to seek out ways to better help farmers achieve better yields, reduce water usage and safely control weeds. Together through such collaborations, we are able to support China’s national aim of enhancing agricultural productivity and self-sufficiency.”
“The launch of Provisia Herbicide-Tolerant Rice System effectively addresses the core challenge of weed control in rice growing. Coupled with the water-saving and emission-reduction benefits brought by direct-seeding, this rice system perfectly aligns with the development needs of green agriculture. As a leading enterprise in China’s seed industry, we will leverage Winall’s domestic seed industry network to rapidly deploy this efficient and green solution to farmlands, supporting the green upgrading and sustainable development of China’s rice industry,” said Ms. Qin Zhang, Vice Chairman and General Manager of Winall.
Following the launch of Provisia Rice Systems, BASF will collaborate with more partners to expand and deepen the availability of its herbicide-tolerant rice system as this will allow BASF to actively transform the rice growing landscape and support China’s sustainable agriculture ambitions.
About BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division
Everything we do, we do for the love of farming. Farming is fundamental to provide enough healthy and affordable food for a rapidly growing population, while reducing environmental impacts. That’s why we are working with partners and experts to integrate sustainability criteria into all business decisions. With €919 million in 2024, we invest in a strong R&D pipeline, combining innovative thinking with practical action in the field. Our solutions are purpose-designed for different crop systems. Connecting seeds and traits, crop protection products, digital tools and sustainability approaches, to help deliver the best possible outcomes for farmers, growers and our other stakeholders along the value chain. With teams in the lab, field, office and in production, we do everything in our power to build a sustainable future for agriculture. In 2024, our division generated sales of €9.8 billion. For more information, please visit www.agriculture.basf.com or our social media channels.
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. Our ambition: We want to be the preferred chemical company to enable our customers’ green transformation. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 112,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises, as core businesses, the segments Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, and Nutrition & Care; our standalone businesses are bundled in the segments Surface Technologies and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €65.3 billion in 2024. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.
About Anhui Winall High-Tech Seed Co., Ltd.
Founded in July 2002, Anhui Winall High-Tech Seed Co., Ltd. adheres to the strategic guiding principle of "Technology First, Integration of Capital and Industry, and Synchronous Development at Home and Abroad", and takes "Leading Agriculture, Serving Agriculture, Rural Areas and Farmers, Benefiting Society, and Protecting Nature" as its corporate mission. It has now developed into a listed seed enterprise with "seed industry as the core, agricultural services as an extension, and exploration and innovation of diversified agricultural development". Adhering to "Technology First" and aiming at "producing more grain on limited land", the company has built a seed industry system covering six major crops: rice, corn, wheat, cotton, soybeans, and vegetables. Its business covers all regions of China and more than 30 countries and regions in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, and Africa. Its comprehensive strength in the seed industry, and the R&D, promotion, and overseas business scale of hybrid rice all rank among the top 2 seed enterprises in China.
In 2024, the company achieved an operating income of 4.7 billion yuan, with sales of various crop seeds exceeding 200 million kilograms and a promotion area of over 80 million mu. Winall's high-quality seeds contribute to an annual grain production of 50 billion kilograms, making positive contributions to ensuring national food security. In the future, Winall will continue to take seed technology as its foundation, deepen its presence in both domestic and international markets, synergistically extend the agricultural industry value chain, strive to become an innovator in the large-scale agricultural format and a modern agricultural service provider, provide overall solutions for modern agriculture, and become a global leader in hybrid rice technology innovation. It will make unremitting efforts to build a strong seed industry and support rural revitalization.
