Every canola farmer sort of holds their breath each spring as they watch their crop get through emergence to stand establishment. Once established, canola can bounce back from a lot but, until that time, it’s hugely vulnerable to early-season stressors, particularly insects like flea beetles and cutworms.
Flea beetles have always been a problem. But where later-emerging crucifers used to be the dominant species, the earlier-emerging, more voracious striped species have now taken over on the Prairies. Cutworms have become an increasingly significant early-season canola pest as well – the Canola Council of Canada lists over 20 species that can cause damage to canola, but the main culprits are pale western, redbacked and dingy cutworms.
Canola acreage typically hits around 20 million acres per year so there is a lot of food available for these insects and they seem to be getting harder to control. There is even some speculation that flea beetles, at least, may be developing resistance or some kind of tolerance to neonicotinoid insecticides, which are used in most canola seed treatments.
Lumiderm™ is a Group 28 insecticide, offering a novel mode of action against insects. It works by affecting the muscle system of flea beetles so that feeding stops quicker than with neonicotinoids, which work on the nervous system. In 192 grower-run demonstration strip trials, canola treated with Lumiderm experienced 35 per cent less feeding damage than canola treated with a standard neonicotinoid seed treatment. That’s an important number when you think that at 25 per cent feeding damage, it’s time to get out the sprayer.
Lumiderm seed treatment was used on 12.2 million canola acres in 2022, or just over half of all acres, making it the number one canola seed treatment in Canada*. That’s a pretty decent sample size and farmers who used Lumiderm saw good flea beetle and cutworm control in their young canola crops.
Under good growing conditions, Lumiderm provides up to 35 days of protection – enough to take your crop through those first critical weeks of emergence and stand establishment – providing premium protection from crucifer and striped flea beetles, plus all species of cutworm harmful to canola.
While Brevant® seeds and Pioneer® brand canola hybrids come standard with Lumiderm, farmers can order it with most canola hybrids they purchase.
Flea beetles and cutworms aren’t going anywhere and, because they are such early feeders, seed treatments are the first line of defence and often the best control option. With its unique mode of action, Lumiderm gives farmers a powerful tool to protect their canola crops through the early growth stages by providing outstanding vigour, strong stand establishment and biomass development, setting the stage for great yields come harvest. Win the start with Lumiderm and deliver your best season yet.