The IR-4 Project (Interregional Research Project No.4) facilitates the registration of sustainable pest management technology for specialty crops and minor uses. Since 1963, the IR-4 Project has been the major resource for supplying pest management tools for specialty crop growers by developing research data to support new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tolerances and labeled product uses. Specialty crop research needs are prioritized each year during a national workshop since resources are limited (quoted from the IR-4 web).
Research priority A’s for the year 2023 field program for fruits, vegetables, nuts, field and oil crops, herbs and other miscellaneous crops in the United States and Canada were selected at the Food Use Workshop held Sept. 12–14, 2023, in Raleigh, North Carolina. About 170 people attended the three-day meeting, 133 in-person and 33 virtually, including specialty crop researchers, Extension specialists, representatives of commodity and industry groups across the country, and personnel from EPA, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), IR-4 plus the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) that conducts Canadian counterpart of minor use program, and Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), i.e., Canadian counterpart of U.S. EPA.
For Michigan’s fruit and vegetable interest, the workshop was attended in person by Michigan State University’s Nicole Soldan, John Wise, Mary Hausbeck, Timothy Miles and Celeste Wheeler. Representing north-central region commodity liaisons were Pete Nelson of the Michigan Cherry Committee and Bob Kaldunski of the Wisconsin Ginseng Association.
The prioritization process focused on the most critical pest management needs from all disciplines, for each commodity. Participants were provided with a list of 239 projects nominated with desired priority of A prior to the food-use workshop. As a group, they ranked products based on availability and efficacy of alternative pest management tools (including ongoing projects for the same need and resistance management), damage potential of target pest(s), performance and crop safety of the chemical in managing the target pest(s), compatibility of the proposed chemical candidate with integrated pest management, uses currently covered by Section 18 emergency exemptions, and harmonization implications due to lack of international MRLs (Maximum Residue Limits).
Based on projected budget appropriations for IR-4 in 2023, only 39 A priority projects throughout the disciplines were selected by consensus. An A priority guarantees IR-4 to begin the field residue program during the following season and complete it within 30 months. The timeline will be shortened when IR-4 joins the company’s petition submission schedule with the expectation that a complete data package be submitted to the EPA in 16-24 months.
In addition to the above projects that require pesticide residue analysis under GLP, 10 H+ (high priority plus) efficacy/crop safety projects have been selected, because potential registrants want to see the data first before IR-4 conducts full residue studies, or IR-4 needs to screen pest control products for new pests, the PPWS (pest problems without solution) projects.
Nineteen priority projects important for Michigan were selected and five projects have been upgraded to A priority status through the priority upgrade process (PUP) (Table 1). In addition, nine candidate H+ projects for Michigan growers were identified (Table 2). Any additional B priority projects must be upgraded to A priority either by PUP with good justification or regional upgrade, i.e., the crops or the pests are limited to a particular region. At present, IR-4 may consider eight upgrades should the budgetary situation become more favorable.
Source: msu.edu
Photo Credit: gettyimages-amphawan-chanunpha
Categories: Michigan, Crops