Executive Director Notes

Dear Friends,

Spring is the time when many Headquarters team members visit agricultural chemical companies in order to help plan the following year’s research. During these meetings we receive updates on the status of ongoing research and regulatory activities, exchange ideas on improving efficiency and discuss trends. IR-4’s “Company Tour 2014” is partially complete, however, two striking trends have already emerged: biopesticides are being mainstreamed by conventional chemical companies, and there is increased emphasis on international activities.

Thank You Bob Hollingworth!
Welcome John Wise

In June, IR-4’s North Central Region (NCR) Director, Bob Hollingworth will retire. Bob has been involved with IR-4 serving on the Project Management Committee (PMC, formerly known as the Technical Committee) since 1987. While he will step down as director, he will maintain his involvement with IR-4 through June of 2015.

Bob became Professor Emeritus in 1997 but continued several activities at MSU including acting as Director of the NCR IR-4 Project. During these years, Bob maintained the collaboration of 12 NCR states and was involved in the operation and upgrade of a modern IR-4 residue analytical laboratory at MSU.

New Product Corner

 This new section of the IR-4 Newsletter called ‘New Product Corner’ was suggested by grower stakeholders as a way for IR-4 to help inform specialty crop growers about new pest management tools recently registered by EPA. This is for informational purposes only as IR-4 does not endorse a particular product or registrant. 

CYANTRANILIPROLE (Cyazypyr®) (Insecticide - DuPont)

Introduction: On Feb. 5, 2014, tolerances were established by the EPA for the new active ingredient (AI) cyantraniliprole (Cyazypyr®) on multiple commodities. Regulatory scientists from EPA and counterpart agencies from several other countries conducted a global joint review of the dossier. This AI, discovered by DuPont, belongs to the anthranilic diamide class of chemistry. It is the second AI in this chemistry, but the first to provide growers with a new pest management tool for cross-spectrum control of chewing and sucking/sap-feeding pests. DuPont has developed single AI products, and two of those have been registered and approved by EPA under the brand names Exirel™ and Verimark™. Syngenta Crop Protection has rights to develop pre-mixes. With no cross resistance to other classes of insecticides, cyantraniliprole may be especially useful against target pests that have developed resistance to other insecticides. It is classified as a Group 28 insecticide by the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC).

 Boxwoods, Boxwoods, Boxwoods, and not a Crop to Clip

—by Cristi Palmer, IR-4 Ornamental Horticulture Program Manager

Photo by Cristi Palmer

At least that is the way it seemed at the second Boxwood Summit held at the National Agriculture Library in Beltsville, MD. This gathering of boxwood researchers, extension personnel and boxwood aficionados offered an opportunity to present the latest and greatest research results and discuss the next important research directions to preserve boxwoods against leaf miners, Volutella and, of course, the devastating boxwood blight.

 IR-4's Effort to Combat “Laurel Wilt”: A Threat to the Florida Avocado Growers

 — by Michelle Samuel-Foo, IR-4 Southern Region Field Coordinator; Kathryn Homa, IR-4 Research Coordinator, Fungicides; and Jonathan Crane, Professor, University of Florida TREC

An untreated avocado tree in a commercial planting that has succumbed to laurel wilt disease.
Photo by Jonathan Crane

 An aerial view of a typical avocado grove in South Florida quickly reveals the tell-tale sign that evokes trepidation among growers. Large, conspicuous patches of brown leaves among a sea of bright green canopies, that seemingly appear overnight. The culprits behind this phenomenon are redbay ambrosia (RBAB) beetles (Xylebporus glabratus) and their fungal symbiont Raffaelea lauricola. The fungus causes “Laurel Wilt” which is a devastating disease of redbays

Passive infusion
system used in the
Homestead FL trial. Blue
dye is being used here to
for illustrative purposes only.

Photo by Jonathan Crane

Pheromone-Based Mating Disruption Reduces Pest Attack on Dates and Results in New Registration

 —by Tom Perring,UC Riverside; Michael Braverman,  IR-4 Biopesticide and Organic Support

Program Manager; Agenor Mafra-Neto, President, ISCA Technologies, Inc. Riverside CA

Figure 1. Carob moth, Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller), adult on date fruit.

In the United States, commercial date, Phoenix dactylifera L., production occurs predominantly in the Coachella Valley (Riverside Co., CA), although recent plantings of dates have taken place in the Bard/Winterhaven area of Imperial Co., CA, and near Yuma AZ.  In 2012, dates were harvested from 8400 acres, producing a crop worth $41.6 million (USDA 2013).  Two varieties make up most of this production, Deglet Noor and Medjool.  These dates are subject to attack by the carob moth, Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller) (Figure 1), which first was observed in California in 1982 (CDFA 1983).  Currently, it is the primary economic pest of commercial dates; fruit infested with larvae (Figure 2) can cause damage reaching 10-40% to the harvestable crop each year (Warner 1990a, Nay et al. 2006).

Figure 2. Carob moth, Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller), larvae in date fruit.

“All Natural” Mosquito Control?

— by Karl Malamud-Roam, IR-4 Public Health Pesticides Program Manager

Mosquito control has long made use of biocontrol and biopesticides, although the effectiveness of these “natural” control measures has been debated and their popularity has waxed and waned relative to “conventional” pesticides. Recently there has been significant interest in reducing the use of synthetic chemicals in vector control and elsewhere, and a range of traditional and novel practices have been suggested as alternatives. This article reviews some biological and biochemical approaches to mosquito management and discusses whether “all-natural” mosquito control is feasible.

The "mosquitofish" Gambusia affinis

Call for Nominations: IR-4 SOAR Award

 The IR-4 Project has established the SOAR award to recognize those individuals who excel in serving growers of Specialty and Minor Use Crops. The awardees will have demonstrated clear Service toward enhancing the mission of IR-4 through participation on committees, advisory panels, or similar activities; excellent Outreach to growers educating growers on IR-4; Altruism by donating time and effort towards IR-4’s mission; outstanding Research which contributes to expanded product labels and increased understanding of product use. In other words, awardees SOAR in supporting the IR-4 mission to provide growers registrations of new and expanded pest management tools.

 Varroa Mites in Honeybees Still a Major Concern

 —by Michael Braverman, Manager Biopesticide & Organic Support Program

The Varroa mite Varroa destructor has been a pest in honeybees in the US since the 1980’s. Varroa mites are a parasite that live on the outside of the bee’s body and attack both adult and developing bees. The mite is consistently considered the primary pest in bees. While there are many theories on the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder, Varroa mite is thought to play a major role. The mite may be small to the eye but in comparison to the bee, it is huge. On a human scale, it has been described as being equivalent to the size of a dinner plate or basketball, sucking out the bee’s hemolymph (blood-like fluids) and injecting viruses. The combination of fluid loss and disease can be devastating to the bee colony. Bees are extremely important in horticultural crops and pollination has been estimated to contribute 13 billion dollars in crop value to fruits and vegetables.

IR-4 Successes February 2014 - April 2014
The trade names listed below are provided as a means to identify the chemical for which a tolerance has been established. A trade name listed here may not be the name of the product on which the new food use(s) will be registered. Only labeled products may be used on a food crop. Be sure to obtain current information about usage regulations and examine a current product label before applying any chemical. 

Federal Register: Feb 07, 2014
Clothianidin
Trade Names: Arena, Belay
Crops: Green onion subgroup 3-07B, Papaya, Passionfruit, Spice subgroup 19B, Stone fruit group 12-12 (except cherry, chickasaw plum, and damson plum)
PR#: A10204, B10204, 11200

Federal Register: Feb 12, 2014
Linuron
Trade Name: Lorox
Crops: Cilantro/Coriander, Dill, Horseradish, Parsley, Dry Pea
PR#: 01625, 01432, 03609, 03035, 09651

Federal Register: Mar 05, 2014
Triflumizole
Trade Names: Procure, Terraguard
Crops: Greenhouse tomato, Small vine-climbing fruit (except fuzzy kiwifruit) subgroup 13-07F, Low-growing berry (except cranberry) subgroup 13-07G, Pome fruit group 11-10
PR#: 09299, 11048, 11049, 11050

Federal Register: Apr 02, 2014
Clomazone
Trade Name: Command
Crops: Head and stem Brassica subgroup 5A, Southern pea, Cowpea forage and hay, Rhubarb
PR#: A3569, 08934, 08724