Syngenta Canada has launched Curanza, a canola insecticide seed treatment carrying 800 g a.i./100 kg of seed — the highest rate of cyantraniliprole, a Group 28 insecticide, available to Canadian canola growers.

The product protects against crucifer and striped flea beetles, the two species that drive most early-season canola losses on the Prairies, and also carries registration for cutworm control. It is additionally registered on mustard, giving broader-acre growers a single treatment option across brassica crops.

Why the rate matters

Seed rate is the headline specification. At 800 g a.i. per 100 kg of seed, Curanza sits at the top of the cyantraniliprole offerings available to canola growers. Group 28 chemistry, the diamide class, works through feeding cessation — insects exposed to the treated seed stop feeding quickly, which is the mechanism that matters most in the narrow window between emergence and cotyledon stage, when flea beetle damage can strip a stand.

That window is precisely what Syngenta is targeting. Justin Bouvier, product lead for Seedcare with Syngenta Canada, framed the launch around the planning problem every canola grower faces.

"We understand that growing canola means every acre is a significant investment in seed and field preparation. Most management decisions are made months ahead of seeding, before knowing which pest pressures the season will bring," Bouvier said. "Curanza gives growers a new option to protect their early-season stand establishment from the ground up."

What did the trials show?

Syngenta ran small-plot trials across Saskatchewan and Manitoba from 2023 to 2025. The results give growers a direct benchmark against the incumbent treatment:

• Flea beetle damage fell by 2 per cent compared with BUTEO start at 20 days after emergence.
• Curanza delivered 3 per cent more plants at six days after emergence.
• The trial network ran for three seasons, 2023 through 2025, across two provinces.

The margin over BUTEO start is modest rather than transformative, but both figures land on the metrics growers actually price: surviving plants early and feeding damage through the first three weeks. A 3 per cent stand advantage at six days after emergence can be the difference between keeping a field and reseeding it in a thin year.

What should growers watch next?

The comparison point matters commercially. BUTEO start (flupyradifurone, Group 4D) is the main seed-applied alternative for flea beetle control, and Curanza's Group 28 mode of action gives growers a rotation partner for insecticide-resistance management — a growing consideration as striped flea beetles extend their range and neonicotinoid options face tightening scrutiny.

Pricing has not been announced, so the calculation of whether 2 to 3 per cent better performance justifies the cost per acre will depend on retail terms through Syngenta's Canadian distribution. Growers planning 2026 canola and mustard acreage should confirm seed-treatment availability with their retailers and seed suppliers this winter, ahead of early-spring booking deadlines.