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IR-4 Minor Crop Pest Management Program

Objective

The goals of the national IR-4 Project are to generate, assemble, and submit to the United States Environmental Protection agency pesticide residue data in support of the issuance of registrations and tolerances for pesticide use on minor/specialty crops. This proposal describes the work of the Northeast Region IR-4 Program, one of four such regional programs that is pursued in partnership with the USDA-CSREES. The specific objectives of this proposal are: <OL> <LI> To obtain and maintain regulatory clearances of effective crop protection agents for high value, specialty food crops and for minor uses on major food crops with special emphasis on lower risk chemicals and uses that are compatible with Integrated Pest Management programs; <LI> To support research to enhance the development and registration of biopesticides for use in food and non-food pest management programs; <LI> To support research on crop protection products that will expand their uses on ornamental crops (nursery, floral, turf, and other non-food crop systems) to allow management of new and important pest species.

More information

Non-Technical Summary: Minor crops (fruits, vegetables, and ornamental crops) are vitally important to the United States economy and to the diet of its citizens. The combined acreage of minor crops in the U.S. exceeds 11 million acres, which represents an annual value of more than $32 billion. Whereas minor crops account for 42% of all U.S. crop sales nationally, in many states their proportional value is much greater. The lack of financial incentives for the agrochemical industry to register pest control tools for minor crops led to the establishment in 1963 of the IR-4 Program. The principal objectives of this program are to generate, assemble, and submit to the United States Environmental Protection agency pesticide residue data in support of the issuance of registrations and tolerances for pesticide use on minor crops. This proposal describes the work of the Northeast Regional IR-4 Program, one of four such regional programs that is pursued in partnership with the USDA-CSREES. The results of the proposed studies, together with those of related work undertaken by other regional laboratories and the USDA-ARS, will continue to provide new crop protection tools for growers of minor crops in the United States. Minor crops are vitally important to the United States economy and to the diet of its citizens. The IR-4 Program generates and submits pesticide residue data to obtain pesticide registrations for minor crops. This proposal describes the work of the Northeast Regional IR-4 Program. Our results will provide new crop protection tools for growers of minor crops in the United States. <P> Approach: Objective 1 will be accomplished by performing field trials of selected pesticides on crops in the Northeast, collecting samples, and determining the pesticide residues. Objective 2 will be accomplished through a national competitive grants program for biopesticide research, with grants in the Northeast funded and administered by this project. Objective 3 will be accomplished by performing field trials with ornamental crops to determine the efficacy and crop safety of new candidate pest management tools.

Investigators
Soderlund, David
Institution
New York Agricultural Experiment Station
Start date
2010
End date
2011
Project number
NYG-621590
Accession number
221634