2006 Annual Report 1.What major problem or issue is being resolved and how are you resolving it (summarize project aims and objectives)? How serious is the problem? Why does it matter? 304 - Crop & Commodity Pest, Biology, Control & Quarantine. This research is conducted to develop new pest management methods and registration of reduced risk pesticides that contribute to safer pest management and IPM use in minor crops. Tools for pest control in minor acreage crops are restricted due to the limited return on investment to registrants of pesticides on minor acreage crops. With the passage of the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA), numerous pesticides registered on minor crops have been or are expected to be lost. The FQPA requires that all tolerances be reassessed within 10 years of passage of the Act, which will result either in certain uses being voluntarily cancelled or EPA mandating additional exposure data. This will increase the cost to registrants to maintain these registrations. New pest control methods and tools need to be developed to continue to profitably produce the nation's food crops and the Green Industry, including floral, forestry, nursery, and turf crops. The IR-4 project is focusing on safer pest management on minor crops by accelerating the registration of reduced risk pesticides, biologically based pest control products important to integrated pest management (IPM). The total value of minor crops exceeds $40 billion annually or 40% of the total U.S. crop sales. Twenty-six states rely on minor crops for at least 50% of their total crop sales. 2.List by year the currently approved milestones (indicators of research progress) This is an IR-4 project which doesn't have OSQR approved milestones. The yearly priorities are set annually at a national IR-4 meeting. Complete 15 IR-4 ornamental projects and establish on site facilities to conduct IR-4 ornamental research year 1. Complete 40-50 IR-4 ornamental projects each year 2005-2008. 4a.List the single most significant research accomplishment during FY 2006. NP304 Weed Science. Chemical Control. A. Single Most Significant Accomplishment this past year: Collected data to support new herbicide registrations in ornamentals. Identified and developed new weed control tools in ornamental crops, which are often hand-weeded at considerable expense due to the lack of registered and effective herbicides. These data will contribute to establish new registrations for 3 herbicides based on 50 ornamental field trials. Completed trials include isoxaben plus trifluralin, pendimethalin, and s-metolachlor herbicides that were tested on 27 plant species (alumroot, anise hyssop, aster, bee balm, beardtongue, boneset, butterfly bush, chrysanthemum, false sunflower, foxglove, gaura, garden phlox, hosta, ice plant, Jacob's-ladder, lady's mantle, ligularia, creeping phlox, pincushion flower, purple coneflower, redhot poker, salvia, sea thrift, sedum, speedwell, spiderwort, wormwood, yarrow). The completed research will support new registrations of these herbicides in the tested ornamental crops. 4b.List other significant research accomplishment(s), if any. None. 4c.List significant activities that support special target populations. None. 4d.Progress report. Minor Use Pesticide Trials Initiated: Fifty IR-4 crop safety and efficacy trials were initiated on container grown ornamentals in 2006. 5.Describe the major accomplishments to date and their predicted or actual impact. NP304 Weed Science. Chemical Control. This project has contributed to registration or re-registration of numerous pesticides on minor crops including apple (2,4-D), asparagus (2,4-D and clopyralid), canola (clopyralid), cantaloupe (glyphosate), carrot (sethoxydim), cherry (2,4-D), sweet corn (2,4-D), onion (clethodim, pendimethalin), dry beans (imazamox), spearmint and peppermint (bromoxynil, pendimethalin, clopyralid, 2,4D-B, quizalofop, sethoxydim), peas (glyphosate, MCPB, paraquat), pear (2,4-D), plum (2,4-D), pumpkin (paraquat), raspberry (2,4-D), snap bean (clomazone), strawberry (oxyfluorfen, 2,4-D), and watermelon (paraquat and glyphosate). Section 18 emergency exemptions to tolerance labels have been granted in mint (pendimethalin, clopyralid), dry beans (imazamox), beets (desmedipham), and asparagus (clopyralid) based on data submitted from this project. Approximately 75% or more of all herbicide registrations on over 50 minor crops grown in the Pacific Northwest are, in part, a result, from IR-4 studies conducted at this location. The dollar value of these efforts is too large and complex to estimate, but the past and current success of producers of minor crops in this region is closely tied to IR-4 efforts. 6.What science and/or technologies have been transferred and to whom? When is the science and/or technology likely to become available to the end-user (industry, farmer, other scientists)? What are the constraints, if known, to the adoption and durability of the technology products? Numerous new pesticide registrations on minor crops have been obtained as a result of this research. Each year IR-4 obtains data on approximately 400 ornamental national label registrations and label expansions. Nurseries and growers of minor crops benefit directly by having new products registered and available to them for use in IPM programs. On-site trials with four herbicides were conducted on NW Horticulture's commercial ornamental production fields to demonstrate use of this technology to the end user. 7.List your most important publications in the popular press and presentations to organizations and articles written about your work. (NOTE: List your peer reviewed publications below). Washington State Mint Growers Association Meeting, Prosser, WA, June 6, 2006. Presented results of weed research and testing of new herbicides in mint. Washington State Mint Meetings, Pasco, WA, December 8, 2005. Presented results of weed research trials in mint in Washington State. Mint Industry Research Council, Las Vegas, NV, January 28, 2006. Presented results of weed research and IR-4 trials in mint in Washington State. Completed IR-4 ornamental projects submitted in 2005. Project # Herbicide Plant Species _______________________________________________________ 24795A isoxaben+trifluralin Heuchera sanguinea 23808A isoxaben+trifluralin Polemonium 24774A isoxaben+trifluralin Armeria maritima 24800A isoxaben+trifluralin Penstemon spp. 24768A isoxaben+trifluralin Agastache spp. 23799A isoxaben+trifluralin Heliopsis helianthoides 23803A isoxaben+trifluralin Ligularia stenocephala 24796 A isoxaben+trifluralin Kniphofia 24811A isoxaben+trifluralin Tradescantia andersoniana 24788A isoxaben+trifluralin Eupatorium rugosum 24839A isoxaben+trifluralin Delosperma numbegenum 24812A isoxaben+trifluralin Veronica liwanensis 24705A pendimethalin Heuchera sanguinea 24398A pendimethalin Phlox subulata 23771A pendimethalin Polemonium 24684A pendimethalin Armeria maritima 24696A pendimethalin Digitalis thapsi 24385A pendimethalin Gaura lindheimeri 24488A pendimethalin Scabiosa 24387A pendimethalin Salvia x sylvestris 24390A pendimethalin Chrysanthemum x superbum 24389A pendimethalin Sedum 24395A pendimethalin Achillea millifolium 24397A pendimethalin Penstemon spp. 24678A pendimethalin Agastache spp. 24399A pendimethalin Hosta 23762A pendimethalin Heliopsis helianthoides 23766A pendimethalin Ligularia stenocephala 24394A pendimethalin Kniphofia 24721A pendimethalin Tradescantia andersoniana 24698A pendimethalin Eupatorium rugosum 24824A pendimethalin Delosperma numbegenum 24393A pendimethalin Aster novi-belgii 24388A pendimethalin Monarda didyma 24386A pendimethalin Buddleaia davidii 24485A pendimethalin Phlox paniculata 24391A pendimethalin Echinacea 24722A pendimethalin Veronica liwanensis 24750A s-metolachlor Heuchera sanguinea 23845A s-metolachlor Polemonium 23819A s-metolachlor Alchemilla 24729A s-metolachlor Armeria maritime 24755A s-metolachlor Penstemon spp. 24723A s-metolachlor Agastache spp. 23836A s-metolachlor Heliopsis helianthoides 23840A s-metolachlor Ligularia stenocephala 23838A s-metolachlor Kniphofia 24766A s-metolachlor Tradescantia andersoniana 24743A s-metolachlor Eupatorium rugosum 24832A s-metolachlor Delosperma numbegenum