What Is Actually on the XenTari DF Label
The active ingredient is Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies aizawai strain ABTS-1857, as fermentation solids, spores and insecticidal toxins, at 54.0 percent. Other ingredients make up the remaining 46.0 percent. Potency is 35,000 Diamondback Moth Units per milligram, or 15.9 billion per pound of product. The EPA registration number is 73049-40 and the signal word is CAUTION. The re-entry interval is four hours. There is no restriction on applying it up to the time of harvest. That property is what makes it useful during a run of pickings. Application rates span a quarter pound to two pounds per acre, varying by crop and by pest.
Why the aizawai Subspecies Matters Here
Not all Bt is the same, and the subspecies is the thing to read. This one is aizawai rather than the more common kurstaki, and it carries a different balance of toxin proteins. That matters for two reasons. It broadens the range of caterpillars covered, taking in armyworms and diamondback moth larvae that have given kurstaki products trouble. And it gives a second mode of action to rotate into a programme where resistance is building against the usual strain. Bt has to be eaten to work. It is a stomach poison, not a contact one, so coverage on the surfaces larvae are actually chewing decides the result. Spray where the feeding is happening rather than where the insects are easiest to see. Larvae stop feeding well before they die, so damage halts long before a body count appears. Judge the treatment on fresh feeding damage rather than on what is moving.
Key Features
- Active ingredient: Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies aizawai, strain ABTS-1857, at 54.0 percent
- Other ingredients: 46.0 percent of the formulated product
- Potency: 35,000 Diamondback Moth Units per mg of product
- EPA registration: Number 73049-40, with a CAUTION signal word
- Re-entry interval: Four hours from the end of the application
- Harvest interval: None, so it can go on up to the day of picking
- Rate: A quarter pound to two pounds per acre, by crop and pest
- Targets: Lepidopteran caterpillars, including armyworms and diamondback moth
- Mode of action: A stomach poison that larvae must eat, not a contact spray
- Resistance: A different toxin balance to rotate against kurstaki products
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| SKU | 1000017452 |
| Brand | Valent BioSciences |
| Formulation | Dry flowable, a water dispersible granule |
| Pack size | 1 lb |
| Active ingredient | Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. aizawai strain ABTS-1857 |
| Active percentage | 54.0 percent |
| Other ingredients | 46.0 percent |
| Potency | 35,000 DBMU per mg, or 15.9 billion DBMU per pound |
| EPA registration number | 73049-40 |
| Signal word | CAUTION |
| Restricted entry interval | 4 hours |
| Application rate | 1/4 to 2 lb per acre |