Flubendiamide as New Generation Insecticide in Plant Toxicology: A Policy Paper

Flubendiamide activates ryanodine sensitive intracellular calcium release channels (ryanodine receptors, RyR) in insects. It has a novel biochemical action as it affects calcium ion balance irrespective of sodium or potassium ion balance, which causes contraction of insect skeletal muscle. Flubendiamide is stable to hydrolysis under laboratory conditions, but direct aqueous photolysis appears to be a main route of degradation. Flubendiamide degrades to des-iodo flubendiamide under field soil photolysis. It also degrades very slowly in field condition. Volatilization from soil and water surface is not expected to be an important dissipation route. In anaerobic aquatic conditions, flubendiamide transforms mainly to desiodo flubendiamide (DT50 of 137 days in the water/sediment system), with this not undergoing any further degradation. Flubendiamide degrades to des-iodo flubendiamide under laboratory soil photolysis. It has shown longer persistence and is also reported to form toxic metabolites in soil. It has also shown groundwater contamination potential if the soil is porous and sandy.