"Nufarm is able to fully meet the needs of the Brazilian farmer" - Interview with Nufarm's insecticide manager, Alexandre Manzini

 

Alexandre Manzini, insecticide manager of the Australian company Nufarm in Brazil, recently granted an exclusive interview to AgroPages.  While the focus of the discussion was on the performance of the biological insecticide XenTari, Manzini also talks about the market for biological defenses and the company's performance, as well as its expansion plans and the projection for new product launches in the country.

 

 

The acceptance of the biological insecticide XenTari® has been impressive. Large agricultural crops have undergone significant technological changes in recent seasons. Considering this scenario, the demand for more rational cropping systems based on the use of high technology products, selectivity, low environmental impact, and in line with Integrated Pest Management, has been growing significantly. Another point that makes XenTari® increasingly accepted in the market is its composition, which results in the excellent control pattern of Spodoptera spp., a pest that has grown substantially in importance in Brazil. The trend, not only in our country but in the world, is that demand for biological insecticides continues to increase. In relation to XenTari®, we understand that the product has great potential for expansion of its uses. XenTari® is a modern biological insecticide that has a perfect fit in IPM programs and tactics, in which the use of products with multiple mechanisms of action is necessary to assertively contribute to the so-called resistance management.

 

 

It is a biological insecticide of high efficacy and selectivity, with a low environmental impact, that presents superior performance in caterpillars that are difficult to control, such as Spodoptera spp. XenTari® is ideal for use in IPM. The product acts in the pest by ingestion and destruction of its digestive system, with later infection of the same by the spores of the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis aizawai. XenTari® is highly recommended for Resistance Management programs. Recent scientific studies prove that the Bacillus thuringiensis proteins present in the XenTari® composition have no cross-resistance to the major Bt proteins used in today's large crops. This feature reinforces the concept and importance of XenTari® recommendation in transgenic systems, except in the refuge, in the great cultures like corn, cotton and soybean. XenTari® is a perfect product for use in rotation with chemical insecticides of different mechanisms of action, and for this reason it contributes to the  synergic form in the Management of Resistance.

 

In relation to the differentials, we highlight that XenTari® is a biological insecticide based on Bacillus thuringiensis aizawai at a concentration of 540 grams / kg and superior protein profile when it is applied to Spodoptera spp., because it has the proteins Cry1Aa, Cry1Ab, Cry1C, Cry1D, spores and Vip3A protein in its composition. With these attributes, XenTari® constitutes a biological insecticide "multiation" in caterpillars. In addition, it is important to mention the high technology used in the manufacture of XenTari®, based on rigorous fermentation methods and maximum asepsis. XenTari® is produced in an environment totally free of contaminants, the fundamental aspect to obtain a biological insecticide that meets the highest standards of quality and safety. Another important aspect of the product is its formulation: XenTari® is a formulated biological insecticide (GrDa), made of water-dispersible granules with high stability resulting from investments in research and technology, which facilitates fieldwork and large-scale application in cerrado agricultural systems.

 

 

Spodoptera frugiperda, known as Carrion-caterpillar or Caterpillar-military, is one of the main agricultural pests in Brazil. It is characterized by being polyphagous and present in crops of great agronomic importance, such as corn, cotton and soy. Problems in populations of this pest resistant to insecticides added to the increase of infestations and have hindered its control. Issues related to the biology of this insect, such as its reproductive potential, cycle, polyphagia and dispersal capacity, may make it even more difficult to handle, especially when we have a scenario of successive crops and high selection pressures, either by use of insecticides or by use of genetically modified plants. Currently, the scenario is difficult to control, and for us to reverse this situation it is fundamental that the IPM and Resistance Management tactics are adopted by the farmers.

 

 

A recent survey by ABCBio reports that sales of biological pesticides in Brazil grew 77% in 2018, the highest index in the history of the segment. In 2018, total sales reached R $ 464.5 million against R $ 262.4 million in 2017. This growth can also be verified by increasing the number of launches of innovative products and new formulations by the biological control industries. The trend is that this growth will continue in the coming years, since most farmers confirm interest in the use of this type of input.

 

 

Nufarm has grown significantly. The company has invested in the expansion of its portfolio of technologies to the producer, and in the increase of market access to the solutions it has for the field. For that, it has more than 150 professionals in the areas of marketing, marketing and product development and markets. This year alone, some 6 new branded products have already reached the Brazilian market, and the company expects to double this number by the end of 2019.

Nufarm's production unit in Maracanaú is among the most modern plants of its kind in Latin America, with full capacity to meet the national market demand for high technology herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and acaricides. Nowadays, Nufarm's portfolio is able to fully meet the most complex agronomic needs of the Brazilian producer, focused on the country's main agricultural crops. The portfolio recently launched by the company has robust pest control solutions, such as the caterpillar complexes of soybean, corn and cotton, whitefly and others, besides diseases and weeds of difficult control, such as the hairy fleabane and the bitter grass of the soybean.

The safety of our products and the environment of the company are other areas that receive special attention in global and local directions. Recently, in partnership with its distributor network, Nufarm expanded its investments in the Nufarm® Care program, focused on the safe use of agrochemicals and environmental sustainability.