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? National Program: NP 304, Crop and Commodity Pest Biology, Control, and Quarantine. This project addresses the goals from two components: V. Pest Control Technologies, E. Chemical Control, and VIII. Chemical Control of Weeds, A. Herbicide Use in Minor Crops. As described in the National Program Action Plan. Problem: Growers of minor crops lack the availability of pesticides that are available to growers of major crops because the chemical registrants do not have the economic incentive to obtain the data necessary to register the pesticides on small acreage crops. Registrants are concerned about product liability and will not register a use or will eliminate uses where liability is an issue. Regulations have become increasingly complex and more costly to register pesticides. Costs to meet the increased requirements to register a new pesticide are $30 to 50 million or more. Registrants dropped a number of the older registrations because they were not profitable. It is likely that the pesticide industry will continue to eliminate some minor uses from existing pesticide labels so that 100% of the risk cup is not exceeded. Minor crops utilize a disproportionately greater percentage of the risk cup which will further exacerbate the economic disincentives inherent to minor uses. Growers are gradually losing the pesticide tools they previously had because of regulatory issues such as FQPA and environmental concerns. There is a greater impact to growers of minor crops than those of major crops such as cotton, corn, soybeans and wheat. All the fruits, vegetables, ornamentals, and specialty crops such as mint and hops are minor crops. Objectives: 1. To provide national leadership in coordination of the minor use pesticide program in ARS. 2. To ensure compliance with all Federal GLP directives, 4. To review, evaluate and coordinate the development of data on efficacy, phytotoxicity and residue data., and 4. To ensure that these data are acceptable toward obtaining registrations for minor crops. Approaches: Interact with state and federal scientists and attend IR-4 and related meetings to determine minor use pesticide needs. Conduct meeting with ARS scientists to develop tentative annual programs, identify scientists to conduct studies, and review progress in meeting objectives. Recommend specific actions to Administrator’s office, to Area Directors, and to NPS to strengthen program activities, Relevance and Impact of Work: The development of data which will be used to support minor use pesticide registrations critical to the needs of growers will help maintain and improve the current standards of crop quality. Research coordinated under this program impacts the control of disease, insect, nematode, and weed pests on about 600 minor crops. The program will develop data to support the registration of safer, more environmentally friendly, chemical pesticides for managing native and invasive insect, mite, plant pathogen, and weed pest populations to acceptable levels while minimizing impacts on human health and on the environment. This will result in an expanded arsenal of safe, effective pest control materials for large and small farms and organic and greenhouse production, replacing higher risk, less environmentally friendly products. Adequate control measures will be available for continued growth and marketing of high quality, high yielding commodities, as well as plants for landscapes, homes, and gardens. These technologies will improve resistance management schemes as a result of reduced reliance on a few pesticides 2.List by year the currently approved milestones (indicators of research progress) • FY 2006: Coordinate a minor use pesticide program. • FY 2007: Provide data to establish tolerances for food crops. • FY 2008: Provide data to register pesticides on ornamental crops. 4a.List the single most significant research accomplishment during FY 2006. This research was conducted to develop data used to further the registration of pesticides for minor crops to assist growers in meeting their pest control needs. High priority minor use pesticide needs were identified, and a Federal/State program to develop data to support the registration requirements to meet the needs was accomplished through coordination efforts at the USDA, ARS, BARC, ANRI, Environmental Management and Byproduct Utilization Laboratory. Field and Laboratory residue studies were conducted at Beltsville, Maryland; Charleston, South Carolina; Corvallis, Oregon; Prosser, Washington; Salinas, California; Tifton, GA; Wapato, Washington; Weslaco, Texas; and Wooster, Ohio. The most significant accomplishment in 2006 was the initiation of 246 food use trials and 271 ornamental trials to support minor use pesticide registrations. This research will provide growers with safer and more effective chemical pesticides necessary to reduce pest losses and maintain yield and quality with less impact on the environment. 4b.List other significant research accomplishment(s), if any. None. 4c.List significant activities that support special target populations. None. 5.Describe the major accomplishments to date and their predicted or actual impact. Each year during the life of the project, the efforts of ARS scientists cooperating with the minor use program are coordinated with the state scientists in the IR-4 program. Data from the ARS program are reviewed and reports are written and submitted to IR-4 for use in the establishment of pesticide clearances on minor crops. Since November 2005, the ARS program resulted in the development of data for approximately 74 field trials and 57 residue trials, representing 26 minor crops and 28 pesticides. The ARS program contributed to tolerances obtained by IR-4 for 30 studies representing 24 crops. Of these, 19 crops were valued at 10.6 billion dollars. If we assumed a 10% yield savings on the acreage treated for 12 of these commodities, growers would have saved $742 million. Data for 156 ornamental trials representing 13 pesticides and 26 crops were also developed during the period. The ornamental data from 67 trials contributed to 5 herbicide labels and 3 fungicide labels. These registrations on minor crops will be vital to growers in maintaining the quality and yield of their crops. 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? Technology transfer for this project is the establishment of a registered pesticide use that the grower can utilize for the management of crop pests. This technology becomes available within three to four years after a minor use pesticide need is identified and research is begun to develop data to meet requirements of U.S. EPA. Constraints impacting the adoption of the technology relate to how well the product performs and the cost of using the product versus sustaining damage from the pests of concern. The durability of the technology depends upon the buildup of resistance to the product, potential damage to the environment, and impact on human health as determined by future testing and monitoring by the pesticide registrant and U.S. EPA. A food use workshop and ornamentals workshop were sponsored by the IR-4 project to keep growers, researchers, and others informed of the progress made toward registration of minor use pesticides. A tour in Pennsylvania was conducted by IR-4 to better inform EPA personnel of the pest problems associated with the production of small fruits, vegetables and ornamentals. 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). None.