Let’s face the facts. When it comes to choosing the most appropriate insect control strategy for your crops, there’s one rule that trumps all others: it has to be effective. All the other benefits you may discover won’t matter if the product you’re using doesn’t work.
That’s the benefit of using Bt products. Tens of thousands of growers worldwide use Bts, many at a high level. In many markets, Bt products are not only beneficial, but a necessary part of a grower’s program. In addition to their pesticidal properties, these products possess valuable attributes and features that meet unique grower needs.
Environmental safety and worker safety are among these important qualities. While use of Bts can positively impact crop quality and packout, many researchers suggest the true value of Bts lies in the combination of all of these benefits. Biorationals have low-to-no toxicity to birds, fish, or bees, help to maintain beneficial insect populations, and break down quickly. Through its high efficacy to caterpillar and worm pests, absence of human toxicity, and low impact on the environment, Bt is uniquely positioned to meet the demands of a progressively changing marketplace.
Pesticide storage and handling can be a tricky business. But due to the lack of human toxicity, worker safety is an easily defined benefit of working with Bt. Nowhere else is this more evident than in re-entry interval. After a biorational application, workers are permitted back into the field in the shortest amount of time allowed by law under U.S. EPA standards. In operations where mechanical harvesting is not possible, this is a critical factor in realizing the benefit of late-season pesticide applications.
Environmental safety is top of mind for the top-notch grower focused on buyer and consumer demands. Use of Bt can help maximize return on investment, while at the same time being a responsible steward. Biorational products deliver on both fronts by providing solutions with a low impact to the environment without sacrificing effectiveness.