Cyanamide, a downstream coal chemical product, has a long-standing history of use across various industries, including chemical, pharmaceutical, and agricultural fields. In recent years, cyanamide has gained increasing attention in the field of plant growth regulators (PGRs) as a unique dormancy-breaking agent. In the chemical industry, China has a cyanamide production capacity exceeding 80,000 tons, accounting for about 90% of the global supply. In 2020, the global cyanamide market was valued at 1.2 billion RMB, and it is expected to reach 1.7 billion RMB by 2026, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.3%. Within the PGR sector, global consumption of formulated products ranges from 7,000 to 8,000 tons, with a market value of approximately 160 million RMB. Cyanamide is mainly applied as a dormancy-breaking and defoliation agent for high-value crops such as grapes, kiwifruit, blueberries, and apples.

The Chemical Engineering Foundation of Cyanamide

Semi-Coke    calcium carbide    calcium cyanamide    cyanamide  

Industrial production of cyanamide began in the late 1930s through a reaction between calcium cyanamide and sulfuric acid. In the 1960s, the production pathway was modified to use calcium cyanamide, carbon dioxide, and water. Since the 1960s, numerous new cyanamide production methods have been proposed, though none have reached industrial application. China began producing cyanamide in the 1960s, mainly as a pharmaceutical intermediate, using production processes from the 1930s and 1940s, with minimal changes until the early 1990s. In 1995, China adopted cyanamide production processes from the 1960s and 1970s to build several production plants, which have continued to develop to this day. Currently, most of China's cyanamide production is concentrated in the Ningxia region. Although the price of calcium carbide, an upstream raw material for cyanamide, experienced significant fluctuations last year, it has limited impact on cyanamide prices due to China’s abundant supply of calcium carbide, totaling over 30 million tons.

Cyanamide is available in various concentrations: 20% aqueous solution for use as a defoliant, 30% solution for applications in the electronics industry, around 50% solution for dormancy-breaking and electronic applications, and high-purity crystalline cyanamide (95% or higher) for the pharmaceutical industry. Additionally, cyanamide serves as an intermediate for pesticides and can be used in the production of fungicides and insecticides such as carbendazim, benomyl, thiophanate-methyl, prochloraz, ethirimol, pyrimethanil, clorsulon, and others.

 Cyanamide in Agricultural Applications: An Effective Dormancy-Breaking Agent

Cyanamide can be used to break the dormancy period of grapevines and deciduous fruit crops, promoting early budbreak, flowering, fruiting, and ripening while increasing individual fruit weight and per-acre yield. Within plants, cyanamide is rapidly metabolized and completely converted into carbon sources necessary for plant growth, leaving minimal residue at maturity. It has no adverse effects on fruit quality, making it an excellent plant growth regulator for producing green, high-quality fruit.

Studies have shown that in warmer winter regions, the flowering period of sweet cherry varieties and other trees tends to be longer than when these trees are grown in temperate or colder climates. This is due to insufficient winter chilling, which can be mitigated by cyanamide application.

To compensate for insufficient chilling accumulation, cyanamide has been widely used as an effective dormancy-breaking agent for deciduous fruit trees such as grapes, kiwifruit, apples, and peaches. Research indicates that spraying cyanamide 2 to 5 weeks before natural budbreak can promote early and uniform budbreak, increase flower and fruit numbers, advance flowering and ripening periods, and improve fruit quality.