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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wapato, Washington » Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research » Research » Research Project #429429

Research Project: Field Testing of Minor Use Pesticides

Location: Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research

2017 Annual Report


Objectives
Provide efficacy, phytotoxicity and yield data and residue samples for analyses to support the registration or re-registration of minor use pesticides for the control or modification of behavior of pests through Interregional Project No. 4. [NP 304, C3, PS 3A2]


Approach
Determine needs for minor use pesticides by consulting producers, processors, fieldmen, or their associations. Select pesticides for testing based on needs, efficacy, economics, and safety to the crop and its environment. Conduct studies on candidate pesticides in the field, nursery or greenhouse to obtain efficacy, phytotoxicity and yield data, and residue samples for analyses in accordance with protocols, standard operating procedures, and good laboratory practices.


Progress Report
The Interregional Research Project Number 4 (IR-4) program is the primary entity in the U.S. to facilitate registrations of conventional pesticides and biopesticides on specialty food crops and non-food ornamental horticulture crops. ARS ressearchers in Wapato, Washington, tested candidate pesticides on 9 food crops for residues to include Fluopyram on mint, Glufosinate on grasses, ISM-555 on onion, Novaluron on pea (succulent shelled and edible podded), Propiconazole on pea (dry), Tribenuron Methyl on bean (dry), Tribenuron Methyl on pea (dry), and 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) on clover. Efficacy against pests or crop safety was tested for 11 ornamentals which included Cyflumetofen on dahlia, peony and sweet alyssum, and a foliar application of the electrostatic recipitator dust on garden mums, coreopsis, hosta and snapdragon. Information from these field trials will be used to support petitions submitted by the IR-4 Project to the Environmental Protection Agency for the registration or reregistration of pesticides for use on minor crops and ornamentals.


Accomplishments
1. Pesticide residue levels in specialty food crops and ornamental plants. The primary entity in the U.S. to facilitate registrations of conventional pesticides and biopesticides on specialty food crops (fruits, vegetables, nuts) and non-food ornamental horticulture crops (greenhouse flowers, nursery, landscape plants, and Christmas trees) is the Interregional Research Project Number 4 (IR-4) program. These registrations are necessary to prevent damage to the crops we eat or the plants that enhance our environment. ARS researchers at Wapato, Washington, in collaboration with IR-4 personnel at Rutgers University in New Jersey, tested candidate pesticides on 9 food crops for residues and efficacy against pests and 11 ornamentals for crop safety. Most pesticide residues on food crops were below the levels established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicating that these products are safe to use on minor crops. This information will be submitted to EPA by the IR-4 Project to enable registrations of needed pesticides for use on minor food crops and ornamental plants.