Fungicides: Feedstocks
How manganese, zinc and copper end up on crops
What this tab covers What it is made from and what it feeds: the raw materials and energy per tonne with their share of cost (linked to the commodity table), who is low-cost and why, and the chemicals made from it.Multisite fungicides are made from metals and simple chemicals: manganese and zinc salts, ethylenediamine and carbon disulphide for mancozeb, and copper for copper fungicides. Modern fungicides are built from chlorinated aromatics, triazole and fluorinated pyrazoles. Metal prices matter for mancozeb and copper products; intermediates matter for the rest.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mn Manganese | about 0.2 t Mn per t mancozeb (FAO minimum 20%, indicative) | metal centre in mancozeb | about 10-15% of mancozeb cost (indicative) | FAO specification (indicative) |
| Zn Zinc | about 0.025 t Zn per t mancozeb (FAO minimum 2.5%, indicative) | stabilises mancozeb | small | FAO specification (indicative) |
| Cu Copper | about 0.57-0.65 t Cu per t copper oxychloride or hydroxide (stoichiometric) | active metal in copper fungicides | most of the cost of copper fungicides | stoichiometry |
| S Sulfur | about 0.57 t CS2 per t mancozeb (stoichiometric, indicative); elemental sulphur fungicide is sulphur itself | dithiocarbamate sulphur | about 10% (indicative) | stoichiometry |
| Ethylenediamine (specialty amines tile) | about 0.23 t per t mancozeb (stoichiometric, indicative) | backbone of mancozeb | about 15-20% (indicative) | stoichiometry |
| F Fluorspar | fluxapyroxad is about 25% fluorine by mass (stoichiometric) | CHF2 and CF3 groups in SDHIs and some triazoles | moderate for SDHIs (indicative) | stoichiometry |
Who is low-cost, and why
Indian mancozeb makers with captive ethylenediamine and CS2 supply are among the lowest cost. In single-site generics, Chinese makers that control triazole, chlorinated aromatics and fluorinated pyrazole intermediates set the floor.