New Trials Boost Insecticide Performance Against OSR Pests
03 August 2026, London: New trial results have pointed to a potential alternative option for oilseed rape growers looking to protect crops from cabbage stem flea beetle in the post-neonicotinoid era.
Nick Gooch, CEO of Pangaea Biosciences
An encouraging 2026 oilseed rape harvest is driving interest across the UK and Europe as growers look again at the crop’s rotational and financial value.
But while the opportunity is returning, the risks have not gone away.
Cabbage stem flea beetle remains one of the biggest barriers to confidence in OSR, particularly during establishment when young plants are most vulnerable. The withdrawal of neonicotinoid seed treatments removed a key line of defence, leaving growers more reliant on foliar insecticide programmes at a time when resistance pressure and reduced chemical choice are making reliable control harder to achieve.
Now, new research has shown that Pangaea Biosciences’ patented Pangaea Booster™ technology can significantly improve the performance of existing insecticides against key OSR pests, including cabbage stem flea beetle.
The trial work tested Booster alongside commonly used insecticides against cabbage stem flea beetle, cabbage stem weevil and cabbage root fly.
In laboratory tests against cabbage stem flea beetle, pyrethroids applied alone showed only moderate and inconsistent efficacy. Cypermethrin achieved mortality ranging from 20% to 60%, while deltamethrin achieved 40% to 80%, depending on the insect population tested.
However, when Pangaea Booster™ was added, efficacy increased substantially. Cypermethrin plus Booster achieved 90% to 100% mortality, while deltamethrin plus Booster achieved 95% to 100% mortality across the tested populations.
The report concluded that the addition of Pangaea Booster™ “dramatically increased efficacy” in all tested cabbage stem flea beetle populations, indicating its potential role in helping overcome metabolic resistance mechanisms that can reduce pyrethroid performance.
The findings are supported by commercial experience in Czechia, where Ag Novachem has been distributing Booster to growers facing cabbage stem flea beetle pressure in OSR.
Ag Novachem founder Jan Hrbáček said pyrethroid performance had been declining in Czech OSR before the company began working with Booster.
“We could see that the efficacy of pyrethroids was falling, particularly in oilseed rape,” said Mr Hrbáček. “They are among the most widely used insecticides because they are familiar, affordable and practical, but growers were seeing weaker results.
“It was clear that resistance had become a major issue and that farmers needed a way to bring performance back into their programmes.”
Ag Novachem began trialling Booster in 2021 before selling it commercially from 2022. Mr Hrbáček said the technology had delivered strong results for growers.
“In the laboratory, we saw 100% efficacy, and in the field, we are consistently seeing at least 80% efficacy,” he said. “Before Booster, performance was often below 50%.
“That difference is very important for farmers because cabbage stem flea beetle can cause serious damage to the plant and reduce yield. Booster is helping growers protect their investment in the crop and keep oilseed rape profitable.”
Ag Novachem treated 50% of the country’s OSR market in the Spring of 2026 for the control of pollen beetle and expects to at least repeat this market share in the new Autumn planting
Mr Hrbáček added: “Farmers like Pangaea Booster™ because they can see it working. It already has a strong reputation, and growers are talking about it. That is powerful because farmers trust the experience of other farmers.”
Nick Gooch, CEO of Pangaea Biosciences, said the trial results and field experience both point to the same issue: OSR growers need better tools to manage resistance and protect crop establishment.
“Oilseed rape is coming back into focus for many growers, but cabbage stem flea beetle remains a major reason why some still lack confidence in the crop,” he said.
“The loss of neonicotinoid seed treatments changed the risk profile of OSR production. Growers have been left trying to manage CSFB with fewer options, while resistance has made standard insecticide programmes less reliable.”
“These latest results are important because they show there is a practical way to improve the performance of the chemistry still available. Booster is designed to help existing insecticides work harder in resistance situations, rather than simply asking growers to spray more.”
The research also showed strong results against cabbage stem weevil. Cypermethrin alone achieved 45% to 70% mortality, while deltamethrin alone achieved 55% to 80%. When combined with Pangaea Booster™, efficacy generally reached 95% to 100%.
Chlorantraniliprole alone achieved 50% to 60% mortality against cabbage stem weevil, but when combined with Booster, mortality increased to 90% to 95%.
The report concluded that Booster may significantly improve the performance of existing insecticides and partially restore susceptibility in resistant pest populations.
Mr Gooch added: “This is not about presenting Pangaea Booster™ as a silver bullet. It is about giving growers, agronomists and distributors a stronger tool for a crop that has been under pressure for too long.
“If growers are investing in OSR seed, establishment, nutrition and crop protection, then protecting that investment during the early stages of the crop is critical.
“The cost of poor control can be far greater than the cost of a product. It can mean crop loss, re-drilling, reduced yield potential and a loss of confidence in growing OSR again.”
These numbers, below, look very low. Is it not better to state something like:
The trial work also included field experiments against cabbage root fly in oilseed rape. Pyrethroids, cypermethrin and deltamethrin applied alone provided only partial protection nine days after treatment but when Pangaea Booster™ was added, damage was halved.
Pangaea says the findings strengthen the case for Pangaea Booster™ as a practical resistance-support technology for OSR pest management across the UK and Europe.
Roger Pinder, Global Business Development Consultant at Pangaea Biosciences, said: “The OSR market needs confidence. Growers know the crop can deliver value, but they also know that establishment risk can quickly undermine the economics.
“For distributors and agronomists, these results create a clear opportunity to offer something different. Pangaea Booster™ helps improve the performance of existing insecticides where standard products may only deliver moderate or inconsistent control.
“That matters in a post-neonicotinoid market. Growers need reliable options that help protect the crop without simply pushing them into more applications, higher costs and greater pressure on the farm system.”
Pangaea says the findings also highlight the need for the crop protection industry to take resistance more seriously.
Mr Pinder added: “For too long, resistance has been treated as a problem growers have to work around. But farmers cannot be expected to carry the cost of declining efficacy on their own.
“The major pesticide producers have not done enough to address the issue. Growers need practical technologies that help the chemistry they still have perform more effectively.
“Pangaea Booster™ is designed for that reality. It helps make existing crop protection work harder, supports resistance management and gives growers a stronger chance of protecting one of Europe’s most important break crops.”
Global Agriculture is an independent international media platform covering agri-business, policy, technology, and sustainability. For editorial collaborations, thought leadership, and strategic communications, write to pr@global-agriculture.com
