Syngenta Canada launches dual-action wireworm seed treatment for cereals

Syngenta Canada has introduced Equento Cereals, a seed treatment that combines two insecticides and four fungicides, offering both contact and systemic activity against wireworms in Western Canadian cereal crops.

The treatment pairs PLINAZOLIN technology, a novel Group 30 insecticide active ingredient, with the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam (Group 4). According to the company, the combination provides contact activity to target wireworms near the seed and systemic protection for young plants, with the goal of reducing pest populations over time.

Wireworms, the larval stage of click beetles, are a persistent soil pest in prairie cereal systems, where they can damage seeds and seedlings, resulting in uneven emergence and yield losses. Syngenta’s new treatment is intended for wheat and barley and adds a new mode of action to existing wireworm management programs.

In addition to insect control, Equento Cereals contains a four-way fungicide package: difenoconazole (Group 3), sedaxane (Group 7), metalaxyl-M (Group 4 fungicide), and fludioxonil (Group 12). The formulation is intended to protect seedlings from a broad range of seed- and soil-borne diseases. It also incorporates Syngenta-branded components marketed as Vigor Trigger and Rooting Power, which support early root development and stand establishment.

Equento Cereals will be available in Western Canada for the 2026 growing season. It will be sold as a co-pack with Cruiser Vibrance Quattro, either in case units or bulk totes sized for commercial seed treatment operations.

Justin Bouvier, product lead for Seedcare at Syngenta Canada, said the launch reflects the first Canadian registration for a product containing PLINAZOLIN technology. “Equento Cereals gives growers facing high wireworm pressure an additional option for crop protection and population management,” he said.