Flubendiamide is a synthetic insecticide that was first introduced in the late 2000s. It was jointly developed by Japanese and German manufacturers and appears as a white crystalline powder. Farmers use the Flubendiamide 20 WG formulation on a wide range of crops, including field crops like corn, cotton, and tobacco, as well as fruits, nuts, and vegetables.
The insecticide has a unique mode of action that affects an insect's muscle function by activating ryanodine receptors in its muscle cells. This causes uncontrolled calcium release, which makes the insect immobile, and it stops feeding.
Flubendiamide also has a low acute toxicity profile in terms of human and animal safety. So, under normal usage, it is not likely to poison users or cause allergic reactions upon contact, making it favourable for agricultural use.
In this blog, we will explore different use cases of Flubendiamide and also take a look at its side effects.
Top 10 Uses of Flubendiamide
Flubendiamide 20 WG is approved and used extensively in Asia, Latin America, Europe, and parts of Africa. Some of the industries that benefit from its applications include row crop farming (cotton, rice, maize), horticulture (vegetables, fruits, grapes), tree nuts, and the tobacco industry. Let’s take a closer look at flubendiamide's uses.
1. Cotton Farming
Flubendiamide is extensively used during key stages of cotton farming to prevent cotton bollworms from feeding on cotton fibre. India, China, Pakistan, and Brazil use the insecticide regularly as a foliar spray by applying it directly to the plant's leaves. This stops the bollworms immediately as they ingest the insecticide.
2. Protect Rice Stems and Leaves
Asian rice farmers have to proactively manage rice stem borers and folders to reduce rice stem damage. That’s where Flubendiamide 20 WG becomes the insecticide of choice. It is typically applied in paddy fields mid-season when these pests are most active, causing dead hearts and white heads that lead to reduced yields.
3. Improving Grain Quality and Yield of Corn
In maize production, flubendiamide plays a critical role in controlling fall armyworm and corn borers. These pests cause defoliation and bore into stalks and ears, reducing grain quality and yield. So, Latin American countries, especially Brazil, and parts of Asia use flubendiamide as foliar sprays for large-scale commercial maize operations.
4. Increasing Soybean Yield and Photosynthesis Ability
In Brazil and Argentina, where soybean farming is a major industry, foliage caterpillars and armyworm infestations are also very common. These pests reduce the photosynthetic ability of the plants and impact the overall yields. This is where flubendiamide becomes critical to ensure consistent yields and reduced defoliation.
5. Reduce Pod Damage in Pulses
Pulses like chickpeas are extremely vulnerable to pod borers such as Helicoverpa armigera and Maruca vitrata. These larvae bore into the pods, damaging the developing seeds and reducing produce quality. So, in India and Southeast Asia, Flubendiamide is used during flowering and pod formation stages to control these pests and improve the harvest.
6. Protect Fruiting Vegetables
In tomato cultivation, fruitworms are very common; they penetrate the tomato fruits and render them unfit for consumption. So, Tomato farmers in India, Pakistan, and Mediterranean countries use flubendiamide in foliar sprays during the flowering and fruiting stages to prevent damage by caterpillars. However, the insecticide is often rotated with other chemicals to manage pest resistance.
7. Stop Larval Feeding in Eggplant
Shoot and fruit borers are a widespread issue for Eggplant farmers in South Asia. Flubendiamide helps in controlling the same by maintaining shoot health and preventing fruit damage. Therefore, when sprayed early during the growing season, the insecticide ensures higher yields and marketable quality.
8. Prevent Fungal Infections in Vineyards
Flubendiamide is regularly used in vineyards to protect grape clusters from grape berry moths and leafrollers, such as Lobesia botrana. These invasive pests damage grape berries and leaves, leading to fungal infections and reduced yields.
9. Produce High-Quality Tobacco
Tobacco caterpillars (Spodoptera litura) and budworms (Heliothis species) are quite common and significantly impact tobacco production. They reduce the quality of leaves, leading to lower prices and losses. So, farmers in India and many other countries use Flubendiamide in nursery and field stages to protect the tobacco leaf yield.
10. Prevent Larval Infestation in Apple and Pear
In apple and pear orchards, flubendiamide targets codling moth (Cydia pomonella) and various leaf rollers. These pests bore into fruits, causing worm damage that ruins fruit quality with larval infestation. While its use has declined in some regions due to regulatory concerns, it remains part of the pest control strategy in others.
Learn more about Flubendiamide application and chemical properties
Industries Where Flubendiamide Is Used
Flubendiamide is primarily used in the agriculture sector as it was designed as an insecticide targeting lepidopteran pests (caterpillars). Its mode of action, tailored to insect muscle function, makes Flubendiamide ineffective for broader pest control. Therefore, it is also not used in household insect sprays, mosquito control programs, public health pest management, or industrial pest control.
10 Side Effects of Flubendiamide
Flubendiamide has its own set of side effects which has led to its ban in some countries including the United States. In 2016, the EPA banned flubendiamide after determining that a persistent breakdown product (a metabolite) was highly toxic to aquatic invertebrates. Apart from that there are some other concerns associated with the use of the Insecticide. So, let’s take a look at them.
1. Acute Human Toxicity
Flubendiamide is classified as having low acute toxicity for humans via oral, skin, or inhalation exposure (EPA Category III). In practice, this means it generally requires relatively high doses to cause immediate harm, and it carries a “Caution” signal word on labels rather than “Danger.” Nevertheless, even a low-toxicity insecticide can pose risks if mishandled. Large accidental ingestions or improper use could still lead to symptoms like nausea or nervous system effects.
2. Chronic Health Effects from Long-Term Exposure
Long-term or repeated exposure to flubendiamide has shown potential effects on certain organs in animal studies. In mammalian tests, the liver, thyroid, kidneys, and eyes were identified as primary target organs for toxicity, with high doses causing changes such as liver enlargement and thyroid hormone fluctuations in lab animals.
3. Exposure Risks to Farmers and Workers
For those who mix and apply flubendiamide (such as farmers, crop sprayers, or gardeners), there is some risk of direct exposure if proper precautions are not taken. The compound is only a slight eye irritant and not a skin sensitizer, but getting spray mist in the eyes or on skin can still cause irritation.
4. Food Residues and Dietary Exposure Concerns
Flubendiamide can leave residual traces on treated crops, which may be consumed by people, so regulators set strict limits on how much can remain on food. For example, the European Union has established a maximum residue limit of 0.2 ppm for flubendiamide on food products.
5. Persistence in Soil and Sediment
One environmental concern is that flubendiamide tends to persist in soil and aquatic sediments rather than breaking down quickly. Laboratory and field studies show it can have a very long half-life in the environment—in some soil types, residues have lasted on the order of several months to over a year. For instance, in field trials with various soils, flubendiamide’s half-life ranged from about 210 days up to 770 days, indicating it degrades very slowly under certain conditions
6. Water Contamination and Runoff Risks
Flubendiamide and its degradates have the potential to leach or run off into water bodies, raising concerns about water contamination. The compound is only slightly mobile in most soils, but its persistence means any portion that does migrate could remain in groundwater or surface water.
7. Harmful to Aquatic Invertebrates
Flubendiamide has raised red flags for its impacts on aquatic invertebrates—the small creatures like water insects, crustaceans, and mollusks that form the base of aquatic food webs. Studies found that as flubendiamide accumulates in water and sediment, it can reach concentrations that are toxic to these organisms, which also lead to its ban in the US in 2016.
8. Risks to Bees and Other Pollinators
Flubendiamide was initially reported to have a low direct toxicity to honeybees, and field studies suggested it posed minimal immediate risk to bees compared to many other insecticides. Unlike broad-spectrum insecticides, it doesn’t typically kill foraging bees on contact at normal usage levels. However, flubendiamide exposure has been shown to disrupt calcium signaling in honeybee neurons.
9. Pest Resistance Development
A significant concern with flubendiamide (as with many pesticides) is that pests can develop resistance to it over time. Because flubendiamide is highly effective, farmers might rely on it repeatedly, and this constant exposure creates selective pressure for any insects in the population that have mutations allowing them to survive the chemical.
10. Toxicity to Fish and Amphibians
Fish are generally less sensitive to flubendiamide itself, but a major worry is the compound’s persistent degradate that forms in water, which is extremely toxic to fish species. Over time, this stable breakdown product can build up in ponds, lakes, or streams, where it may poison fish or amphibians.
Final Thoughts
Flubendiamide is a highly effective insecticide for lepidopteran pests and is used extensively across multiple regions in the agriculture sector. However, farmers must also be aware of its side effects and ensure safe usage for maximum benefits. It is also important to stay up to date with the latest studies and findings that could suggest any potential side effects of the insecticide which hasn’t been identified yet.
