Nufarm has begun exclusively distributing the bioinsecticide Xentari in Brazil. The product, developed on the basis of Bacillus thurigiensis aizawai, has expanded the company’s portfolio in the biological pesticides market.
The Australian company noted that research, in the last few years, demonstrated that Xentari presented a high performance for caterpillar control in the genus Spodoptera. Additionally, the product proved effective with several other caterpillar types when applied to cotton, corn and soybeans.
According to the manager of insecticides and fungicides of Nufarm, Murilo Borges, the biological insecticide Nufarm Xentari is recognized by consultants and researchers because of its different modes of action, in comparison with traditional chemical products. These characteristics, adds the executive, makes the product a strategic tool in managing resistance to caterpillars.
“Xentari contributes directly to the protection of Bt biotechnologies in cotton, corn and soybeans, mostly containing in its formulation a diversity of protein crystals, pure and Vipe3A, which act jointly in sites of different actions on caterpillars,” observes Borges.
He highlights that the Nufarm bioinsecticide relies on the guarantee of quality stamped by the American company Valent Biosciences, a world leader in research and development of technologies with biological organisms.
“It is an environmentally safe product with a high quality of formulation, ideal for use on rotation and physiological agrochemicals,” stresses Borges. The executive added that Xentari allows a “perfect fit” in Integrated Plague Management because it preserves those insects that are natural enemies of caterpillars.
Meanwhile, the executive-director of marketing of Nfuarm, Vitor Raposo, notes that the bioinsecticide Xentari will strengthen its presence in the Brazilian biological pesticides market. The company, says Raposo, entered into this segment last year, with the launch of Armigen insecticide.
“In the upcoming years we will consolidate the presence of Nufarm in the area of biologicals, which tends to grow in the world with the synergy caused by the growing global demand for organic products,” says Raposo. Besides bioinsecticides, the market for biological agricultural products covers biofungicides, biofertilizers and biostimulators for application on cereals, seeds, oilseeds, legumes, fruits and vegetables, among other items.