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New Product Corner

Greenhouse Harmony

Summer Crop Tours

Pest Management Solutions for Specialty Crops and Specialty Uses

Exotic Orchid

NewsletterVol. 48 No.3 Summer 2017

Weed control continues to be oneof the biggest challenges forbiopesticides and especially fororganic production. Mostbioherbicides have tended to benon selective, in other words theycan be toxic to crops and weeds.IR-4 helped to obtain an EPAregistration of acetic acid, which isavailable to organic growers, but itcan only be applied to youngweeds. Plus, injury will occur if itcomes in contact with the crop.

In the 1970s, nonselectiveconventional herbicides such asglyphosate were applied throughropewick applicators. In a ropewicksystem, glyphosate was wiped ontoweeds that were taller than thecotton or soybean canopy. Beforethe advent of Roundup Readycrops, this was a common practiceto control Johnsongrass.Capitalizing on this approach, KatieJennings at NC State Universityevaluated an OMRI (OrganicsMaterial Review Institute) approvedorganic citrus oil based herbicide ina wiper system in sweetpotato.Some weeds such as pigweed(Amaranthus spp.) grow taller thansweetpotato, which allows anonselective herbicide to be appliedthrough a wiper bar onto the weed,minimizing contact with the crop .The IR-4 Biopesticide and OrganicSupport Program is funding efficacy

research with Drs. Jennings andVanGessel at the University ofDelaware to develop a weedmanagement system in organicsweetpotato production systems.

There have been a few otherselective herbicides that IR-4 hashelped register: Chondrostereumpurpureum for management ofresprouting of cut stumps inforestry settings and Solvinix, aviral based herbicide that canselectively kill tropical soda applein pastures.

The IR-4 Biopesticide Program hasbeen working with Dr. Joe Neal atNC State for over a decade,primarily involving weed control inturf. In 2011, we startedevaluating FeHEDTA, registered asa herbicide in turf which alsoshowed some promise inornamentals. Knowing the need forpost -emergence selective weedcontrol in containerizedornamentals, Joe expanded theproject to look at overwinteringweeds. Cheryl Wilen of UCCooperative Extension, San Diegoalso started evaluating FeHEDTAproviding a different spectrum ofornamentals and weeds focusingon low water use ornamentalsmore suited to arid climates. Morerecently, several USDA-ARSfacilities and other researchers

Selective BioherbicidesUnder Development

Texas A&M AgriLifeCenter

MRL Workshop

have helped look specifically atcrop safety. While this project isstill ongoing, some of the generaltrends are that the older woodyplants tend to be more tolerantwhile herbaceous perennials willtend to have an initial burn and thisis dependent on application rate. Insome cases, the crop injury wasreduced when spraying dormantplants in late winter.

continued on pg 11

WHO, GLP & IR-4

Joe Neal observing weedy pots comparedwith weeds controlled on right

— Michael Braverman, IR-4 Biopesticide & Organic Support Manager

Executive Director Notes

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Dear Friends

Over the last couple of years, I have used this Executive Director’sNotes column as a communication tool to keep IR-4’s friends up to dateon happenings with IR-4. Many times, I have focused on strategic issuesinvolving IR-4 and our efforts to help the specialty crop community. Inall honesty, I am starting to feel like the proverbial broken record,repeating the same statement with limited variation; “IR-4 is in desperateneed of new resources”. Much of my current job function is to repeatthis mantra as often as possible to anyone who is willing to listen or atleast not walk away.

I will continue to work hard to ensure that IR-4 remains a productive andprogressive organization. However, in focusing on the funding shortfalls,I have sometimes placed all the good IR-4 does for production ofspecialty crops on the back burner. This hit me like a 2 X 4 across thehead during some recent agriculture tours. Here the speakershighlighted the impact of IR-4 supported product registrations on theirpest management systems and production of high quality specialty crops.Specifically, I am referring to the approval of new products to manageSpotted Winged Drosophila in New Jersey blueberries and Michigancherries. Though this pest is far from being marginalized, some of therecent approvals of pesticides and biopesticides have given conventionaland organic farmers more tools to help reduce damage. The Featurearticle (pgs 6&7) highlights some of the educational tours involvingspecialty crops that IR-4 team members attended this year.

We often receive letters of appreciations after an approval of a newproduct from commodity associations, knowledgeable farmers, orUniversity scientist/extension workers. Recently, I was copied on amessage from the IR-4 Nevada State Liaison Representative to a memberof the IR-4 team stating, “You have made my day and that of severalgrowers in Nevada. Thanks much my friend. The IR-4 program is thebest” These types of messages validate IR-4’s work for the greatergood. Personally, these acknowledgments help keep this job exciting andrewarding.

I hope to see many of you at the upcoming Food and OrnamentalHorticulture Workshops, September 20-21 in Denver, CO and October17-19 in San Diego, CA, respectively. These are the most importantmeetings for IR-4 as we prioritize potential research solutions. Please seethe IR-4 Website (ir4.rutgers.edu) for more details.

As I wrap up this issue’s Executive Director’s Notes, the IR-4 Projectwould like to congratulate and thank Rebecca (Becky) Sisco for hercontributions to the success of the IR-4 Project through her tirelessefforts as Western Region Field Coordinator. You will be missed! Wewish you the best as you transition into the next phase of life.

That’s all for now,

Jerry

NewProductCornerThis is for informational purposesonly as IR-4 does not endorse aparticular product or registrant.

Pyriofenon (Fungicide – ISKBiosciences Corp.)

Introduction: Unconditionalregistration for the new activeingredient (AI) pyriofenone wasgranted by the EPA in April 2017.The first commercial label in theU.S. was released by ISKmid-2017.This registrationprovides growers with a new pestmanagement tool for use againstvarious powdery mildew diseases.Belonging to the aryl-phenyl-ketoneclass of chemistry, pyriofenone is aproposed actin disrupter. This newAI may be especially useful againsttarget powdery mildews that havedeveloped resistance to otherfungicides. The first tolerancesestablished by EPA for pyriofenonewere import tolerances on grapesand raisins in 2012. Pyriofenonehas been classified by the FungicideResistance Action Committee(FRAC) as a Group U8.

Other global registrations: CodexMRLs for berries will be establishedin 2019. First global registrationwas in 2012; and registrations existin Japan, Australia, Canada, Mexicoand are pending in additionalcountries. Tolerances exist inCanada, Mexico, Japan and the EUfor various crops. Additionaltolerances are pending.

US trade name/formulation:Prolivo® 300 SC fungicide (a 300

continued on pg 4

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Warwick Mushroom Farm was oneof the stops this year on the annualsummer farm tour the IR-4 Projectorganizes for employees of theEnvironmental Protection Agency(EPA) . Jack Reitnauer and BobCantarera conducted the tour andexplained Agaricus production,pesticide application practices andother pest management issues.

“EPA's Pesticide Program scientistsfound the recent IR-4 crop tour tothe Delmarva Peninsula a greatopportunity to learn more about theunique challenges that small farmsand specialty growers face. TheWarwick tour was extremelyenlightening, giving us a betterunderstanding of how mushroomsare grown, the potential pests andstrategies to combat them, and howand when pesticides might be used(if at all). First-hand experiences likethe IR-4 crop tour are a great helpto OPP scientists when makingregulatory decisions about variouspest management tools,” WynneMiller, Director of EPA’s Biologicaland Economic Analysis Divisionsaid.

“Most of the EPA tour participantshad never before seen inside amushroom production facility, andthey were ‘blown-away’ with thehigh tech Agaricus productionsystem they toured at the impressiveWarwick site,” said Van Starner,IR-4’s Assistant Director forResearch Planning and Outreach.“Jack, Bob and colleagues gave avery informative review of growingmushrooms ‘from cradle to grave,’and participants learned so much ina short time. Kudos to Warwickstaff for an outstanding final stop onour tour day! And the take-homemushrooms were a very generous,and much appreciated, bonus!”

The IR-4 Project is the majorresource for supplying pestmanagement tools for specialtycrops, including mushrooms, bydeveloping research data to supportregistration clearances.

Mushroom Tour

The IR-4 Newsletter Vol 48 No.3Summer 2017

The IR-4 Newsletter is published quarterly fordistribution to cooperators in our partnerState/Federal/Industry research units, Stateand Federal officials, commodity groups, andprivate citizens. Material from the IR-4Newsletter may be reproduced with credit tothe publication. New Jersey AgriculturalExperiment Station PublicationNo.P-27200-17-03. This material is basedupon work that is supported by the NationalInstitute of Food and Agriculture, USDepartment of Agriculture, under awardnumber 2015-34383-23710 and the HatchMultistate project accession number1008823 through the New JerseyAgricultural Experiment Station HatchMultistate project NJ27202, with substantialcooperation and support from other StateAgricultural Experiment Stations,USDA-ARS, and USDA-FAS.In accordance with Federal Law and USDepartment of Agriculture policy, thisinstitution is prohibited from discriminatingon the basis of race, color, national origin,sex, age or disability.

Editor: Sherrilynn NovackIR-4 Public Relations and CommunicationManager, 732.932.9575 x 4632, novack@njaes.rutgers.edu

Newsletter Committee:North Central Regional Director, John Wise, 517.432.2668.

Western Regional Assistant Field Coordinator, Stephen Flanagan,541.688.3155.

Southern Regional Field Coordinator,Michelle Samuel-Foo, 352-294-3991Southern Region Program Research Prog/Svs, Crd/QA Robin Federline 352-294-3983.

Commodity Liaison Committee member, MikeBledsoe, 407-493-3933, Village Farms.

IR-4 HQ, 732.932.9575Fungicide Coordinator, Kathryn Homa x 4604Public Health Pesticides Manager, and Technical Copy Editor, Karl Malamud-Roam x 4628Ornamental Horticulture Manager, andTechnical Copy Editor Cristi Palmer x 4629Technical Coordinator/Entomology, Ken Samoil x 4614Assistant Director, Van Starner x 4621

Warwick Tour providesLearning Opportunity forEPA Staff

Calendar of Events

2017 Food Use WorkshopSeptember 20-21, 2017Denver, CO

GMUS-3 — October 1-4, 2017Montreal, Quebec, Canada

2017 Ornamental HorticultureWorkshop — October 17 (tour)October 18-19, 2017 prioritysetting, San Diego, CA

— by The American Mushroom Institute

NRPMNovember1-2, 2017Princeton, NJ

9th International IPM SymposiumMarch 19-22, 2018Baltimore, MDipmsymposium.org/2018/

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New Product Corner

g ai/L or 2.5 lb ai/gal suspensionconcentrate)

Prolivo 300 SC® labeled crops(see label for specific use patternsand other general directions foruse): caneberry subgroup 13-07A,bushberry subgroup 13-07B, smallfruit vine climbing subgroup13-07D, low growing berrysubgroup 13-07G (exceptcranberry) and cucurbit vegetablescrop group 9

Labeled pest spectrum: grapepowdery mildew (Erysiphe necator),strawberry powdery mildew(Podosphaera aphanis), andcucurbit powdery mildews(Podosphaera xanthii, Erysiphecichoracearum)

Ongoing IR-4 residue projects(PR#): GH cucumber (11446)

Other IR-4 database requests(PR#): GH eggplant (12007); GHlettuce (11473); GH pepper(11447); GH tomato (11448) –use on GH fruiting vegetables inthe US may be covered bysubmitting Canadian GH data fromongoing pepper and tomato studies

Isofetamid (Fungicide – ISKBiosciences Corp.)

Introduction: Unconditionalregistration for the active ingredient(AI) isofetamid was granted by theEPA in July 2015. This registrationprovides growers with a new pestmanagement tool for use againstvarious diseases. Belonging to thephenyl-oxo-ethyl thiophene amideclass of chemistry, isofetamid is anSDHI (succinate-dehydrogenaseinhibitor) fungicide. This newgeneration SDHI has limitedcross-resistance with pathogenisolates that have developed

SDHI-resistance. Tolerances for thisfungicide have been set by the EPAfor the berry and small fruit group(13-07, except 13-07C), almonds,lettuce, canola, legumes (exceptsoybeans), stone fruit, and pomefruit. Isofetamid is classified by theFungicide Resistance ActionCommittee (FRAC) as a Group 7fungicide.

Other global registrations:Isofetamid is registered in Canadaand Korea (grapes), and will soonbe registered in Mexico, Chile andJapan. MRLs are set in Canada,Korea, Japan and the EU for selectcrops, and first tier crops will haveCODEX registration shortly.

US trade name/formulation:Kenja® 400SC fungicide (a 400 gai/L [3.333 lb ai/gal] suspensionconcentrate), marketed by SummitAgro USA, LLC

Kenja® 400SC labeled crops (seelabel for specific use patterns andother general directions for use):almond, head and leaf lettuce, theberry and small fruit group (except13-07C), rapeseed (canola) cropsubgroup 20A, legumes (exceptsoybean), stone fruit and pome fruit

Labeled pest spectrum: Moniliniaspecies, Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotiniaspecies, anthracnose, powderymildews, Venturia spp.

Ongoing IR-4 residue projects(PR#): ginseng (12000)

Other IR-4 database requests(PR#): none at this time

Ongoing IR-4 OrnamentalHorticulture Program Research:Isofetamid has been included in2016 and 2017 protocols studyingefficacy on Botrytis. Most researchresults are still pending, and it isnot yet available for use onornamental horticulture crops.

continued from pg 2 IR-4 and PMC inGreenhouseHarmony— by Kathryn HomaI R-4 FungicideCoordinator; Mike Bledsoe, VP FoodSafety Village Farms; and Bill Barney,IR-4 Senior Coordinator CropGroupings

One highlight of the summer seasonis growing your own fruit andvegetables and purchasing freshproduce from local growers. Thatjuicy, sweet taste of a ripe tomato islike no other.

Unfortunately, in many locations,once the frost hits, it becomesimpossible to maintain a garden.That’s where the greenhouseindustry comes to the rescue. Evenin the middle of winter, when there isa foot of snow on the ground, youcan visit the produce section of thesupermarket and purchase fresh fruitsand vegetables. What many do notknow is that a lot of produce in thesupermarket originated in agreenhouse. Another aspect thatgoes unnoticed is how the USDAIR-4 Project and the PestManagement Centre (PMC),

continued on back page

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Addressing Grower Needs

Despite the mud clinging to ourboots, and the slippery conditionsof the plots, Cristina Marconi and Iwere determined to walk the lengthof the IR-4 broccoli plots at TexasA&M AgriLife Research andExtension Center in Weslaco, TXon a cool January morning, earlierthis year. The lush green foliage wasa welcome sight, but Cristina had alook of slight worry on her face. Iunderstood why, a few momentslater, as from our vantage point noflorets were visible yet . This hadhappened the previous year, and weall feared that history would berepeating itself, but luckily that wasnot the case. Upon closerexamination, we were able to seethe tiny buds peeking out fromwithin the greenery. The hugesmiles on both of our faces was awelcomed relief.

Growing crops in the Rio GrandeValley can prove challenging, butSouth Texas agriculture hasmanaged to develop a verysuccessful agricultural industry thathas been in existence for almost acentury. The IR-4 project isfortunate to partner with TexasA&M AgriLife Research andExtension Center in Weslaco, TX,where one of 6 dedicated IR-4 fieldresearch centers in the Southern USis located. Weslaco is about fifteenmiles west of Harlingen in southcentral Hidalgo County, Texas. Thelocation is a thriving agriculture hubwhere many specialty crops can begrown.

The IR-4 southern region welcomed

a new team to its field researchcenter at Texas A&M University, inWeslaco in July 2014 with theaddition of Cristina Marconi andher assistant Alfredo Rodriguez.Ms. Marconi, who hails from thesmall town of Matao, in the state ofSao Paulo, Brazil, took over theposition of IR-4 Field ResearchDirector (responsible for overseeingthe conduct of the GLP residuetrials that are done at this southTexas location) from Lori Gregg,who previously held the position.Agriculture is not new to Cristina,who has been involved with ag formany years. She holds a mastersdegree in genetics, plant breedingand biotechnology which sheearned at the Agronomic Institutein Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

When conducting field residuetrials, Ms Marconi is assisted byAlfredo Rodriguez, a long termemployee of the Tx AgriLife center.This team works under the facultyguidance of Dr. Juan Anciso, aprofessor and extension specialist inthe Department of HorticulturalSciences, Texas A&M. Theyconduct an average of about 15IR-4 GLP residue trials annually .Texas This field site is located inEPA region 6 , and they are theonly location providing residuestudies in region 6.. They are ableto grow a variety of crops here,including peanuts, onions, broccoli,cabbage, sweet potato, and mustardgreens.

Less than 3 miles away from theTexas A&M AgriLife Research and.

Extension Center at Weslaco, TX isthe Texas A&M –Kingsville CitrusCenter. The two centers cooperateto conduct residue trials on citrus(oranges and grapefruit) when datais needed to support registrationsfor these commodities in EPAregion 6.

Robert Saldena and James Hearn,who both work out of Dr.Mamadou Setamou’s lab at theCitrus Center, play very importantroles in ensuring that the field trialsare conducted according to notonly IR-4 protocol requirements butalso in compliance with localcommercial practices.

Following IR-4’s Food UseWorkshop and National ResearchPlanning meeting every fall, theWeslaco TX team receives theirtentative schedule from theRegional Coordinator and beginspreparations for the followingyear’s field season. Land requests,seeds and transplants are decided,and contact is made with the citruscenter if any citrus trials are on thedocket for the following year. Keysto success for the Weslaco team areorganization and frequentcommunication, with both theregional coordinator and studydirector team at IR-4 headquarters..

The Southern Region is pleased tohave this team on board and looksforward to many years of successfulGLP residue trials under theirwatch.

Texas A&M AgriLifeResearch and ExtensionCenter — by Michelle Samuel-Foo, IR-4 Southern

Regional Field Coordinator

The peoplefrom L-Rare: CristinaMarconi,JamesHearn,RobertSaldena,AlfredoRodriguezand MichelleSamuel-Foo

Feature

pg 6Vol 48 No 2

Summer CIR-4 personnel have beenfortunate to take a number ofvery interesting crop tours this

year. Beginning with a cannabisoperation in Ft. Collins, CO as partof the Western Region SLR meetingtour, mushroom production seenon the annual IR-4/EPA/USDAsummer tour in June, turf cuttingand an urban vertical farm on thePMC tour and Michigan DecisionMakers Tour in July, and finally theCalifornia Specialty Crop Counciltour in early August visited farms inthe Central Valley.

IR-4/EPA/UDSDA Crop TourOn June 21, 2017, 49 peoplefrom the EPA and IR-4 participatedin a daylong crop tour to visit 3very different farms and learn moreabout farming practices.

The first stop on this tour was theSchmidt Farm in Sudlersville,Maryland. This farm grows 60acres of tomatoes for processingand 22 acres of wine grapes.Participants also learned about thisfarm’s production of 125 acres offresh market green beans, specialtysoybean varieties grown specificallyfor tofu and other varieties for higholeic acid content (for Perduechickens). Jennie Han, the owner

also discussed Schmidt Farm’spractices in helping sustain thesoils for generations to come.

The second stop on this tourbrought the group to Godfrey’sFarm, which includes apick-your-own operation and farmmarket. Here, participants weretreated to a wagon ride on thefarm, which grows blueberries,peaches, strawberries, blackberries,

and peppers. Godfrey’s farmpractices sustainability by usingIntegrated Pest Management, cropscouting and targeted pesticide useto maintain their top-qualityproduce.

The third stop on this tour was amushroom farm (see related articleon pg. 3). Most of those on thistour had not seen such anoperation and there were manyquestions and photos taken.Participants were grouped intosmaller numbers for viewing this624,832 sq. ft. growing facility.Here participants learned about thewood-less, odorless state of the artfacility and moved from room toroom to see the growing processfrom seed to harvest. Participantswere also treated to box ofmushrooms to take home.

The PMC TourWhen the IR-4 ProjectManagement Committee (PMC)met in July and some on thecommittee were interested in acrop tour.Since the meeting washeld in Philadelphia, a visit to thePhillip E. Marucci Center forBlueberry and Cranberry Researchcenter was in order. Centerdirector, Nick Vorsa, offered a briefhistory of the center, that wasfollowed by a look at the researchbeing conducted by CesarRodriquez-Saona. Cesar has been

conducting IR-4 Biopesticideresearch on finding pestmanagement solutions for SpottedWing Drosophila (SWD).

After a time of blueberry picking atthe center, the group touredTuckahoe Turf Farm. This 800 acrefarm provides the athletic fields formany professional and collegefootball and baseball teams. Theyrecently provided turf for the Mallin Washington, DC. Owner, AllenCarter, gave the group ademonstration on how turf is cut

Metropolis Farms pGriffin explains the used for the lights nthe plants.

Farm manager, DanJerry the ease of whparts for industrial cleaning.

— with contributions from Van Starner, IR-4 Associate Director; Phil Korson,Cherry Mark

pg 7Vol 48 No 2

FeatureCrop Tours and rolled onto a pallet. While mostfarms have dogs, this turf farmclearly states: NO DOGSALLOWED!

The group headed back to Philly tosee an urban farm on the secondfloor of a building in southPhiladelphia. After a one-hour lunchwhere the charismatic president ofMetropolis Farms, Jack Griffin, toldus his story and shared his vision forurban farming the group saw thisunique operation up close. Jack,once a venture capitalist, whostudied economics, has developed a“Revolution Vertical FarmingTechnology™ designed to beultra-efficient, environmentallyresponsible and commerciallyscalable. (metropolisfarmsusa.com).”All the pieces of the farming systemcan be purchased from “big box”stores, and is intended to be easilyassembled and disassembled forcleaning in an industrial dishwasher.This 10-minute downtime toexchange parts is the reason thisfarm is so clean and pest anddisease free.

With the population projected togrow to 9.7 billion by 2050 Jack’svision is to feed people and feels thisis the way to feed the populations ofthe future.

To see a slide show from these toursvisit www.ir4.rutgers.edu

Michigan Decision Makers TourThe 2017 MichiganDecision Makers Tour washeld on July 18-20, 2017,in Traverse City Michigan.The theme of his year’stour was invasive pests witha special focus on BrownMarmorated Stink Bug and

Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD).The Michigan IPM Alliance hostedthe tour this year.

The tour kicked off with talks onthe 18th and an early morning starton the 19th and 20th. Over 60people attended the welcomereception at the TownlineCiderworks Tuesday evening.

In attendance were 10 people fromU.S. EPA, five from Region #5(Chicago Office), one from USDAOPMP, Jerry Baron from IR4 as wellas state regulators, researchers andmost importantly growers.

SWD has been a game changer forthe cherry industry. Growers donot have enough crop protectiontools today with short Phi materials(3 day) to deal with this pest andsimultaneous harvest the crop.

This is a nasty pest that regeneratesquickly and can explode undercertain conditions. Michigangrowers are at a crossroad andmust find new management tools to

combat this pest aswell as other invasivepests. Tourparticipants effectivelyreceived this messageand witnessed thedevastation this pestcan cause.

MetropolisFarms indowntownPhiladelphiais evengrowingsunflowersin this urbanverticalfarmingsystem.

president, Jackcontrol systemneeded to grow

n Sypolt, showshich they exchangedishwasher

keting Institute, Vice President; and Krista Coleman, IR-4 Biopesticide Research Assistant

2017 California Specialty CropsTourCalifornia Specialty Crops Council,Executive Director, Gary Van Sickleorganized another successful tourwith visits to farms in the CentralValley. Attendees from the IR-4Project included: IR-4 RegistrationManager, Debbie Carpenter,Biopesticide and Organic SupportAssistant, Krista Coleman, and IR-4Western Region Director, MattHengel. The tour included stops inVisalia, Selma, Parlier, Coalinga,Salinas, Los Banos, Sacramento, andmore.

Discussions were focused on notableproblems such as the Asian CitrusPsyllid spreading huanglongbing(HLB) disease in citrus, decline ofreturn on investment in raisins, dueto post-harvest trade barriers,vertebrate pest control, and the needto establish viable water usepractices. Many stops allowedattendees to view the world ofproduction and processing, includingseveral packing facilities.

The message this attendee extractedfrom the three-day tour was thatfarming is a valuable resource worthinvesting in. This includes humanresources as well. With the averageage of a farmer rising, it is importantto educate upcoming generations onthe benefits of entering such a fieldand the necessity of maintainingsustainable practices for feeding thebillions of people across the globe.

Peaches areprocessed andpackaged for the freshmarket by B&CPacking, you mighteven find them inyour local Costco!

Mike Goodis, US EPA RegistrationDirector, shakes a Cherry Tree onthe 2017 EPA Michigan Tour.

Cherry Farmer, Don Gregory addresses themore than 60 people gathered to discussthe impact of SWD on US Cherry Farmers.

Fortunately, for us, propagators andgrowers have figured out themysteries of growing the showytropical genera and their hybrids. Inaddition to honing in on theoptimal light, moisture, andfertilizer needs, propagating orchidsoccurs today mainly via vegetativemethods: division, back bulbs, keiki(or little plantlets), aerial cuttings,and meristem or tissue culture. Forbreeding and hybridization toproduce new cultivars, seedgermination for many orchidsrequire mycorrhizae fungi tosurvive and thrive. While there areseveral pests and diseases thatimpact orchids during production,management products are availablefor all but viruses which need to bemanaged through good sanitationand vector control. Here at IR-4 wehave screened various tools tomanage Erwinia bacterial diseaseson a couple orchid species alongwith screening insecticide cropsafety.

Today, orchids are still prized aselite flowers, but now they areaffordably priced and cancommonly be purchased in gardencenters, florists’ shops, and evengrocery stores!

Orchids have been regarded as oneof the most prized flowering plants,especially the large floweringtropical species. During theVictorian era, plant collectorsexplored tropical zones andbrought back to Europe manydifferent species. Many of the Latinspecies names of the collect plantsare derived from those collectors ortheir wealthy sponsors. In the 18thand 19th centuries, only thewealthy could afford theseexpeditions to source new orchidsor provide the special hothousecultivation orchids required upontheir arrival in Europe.

The orchid family originated back inthe early Cretaceous period (about120 million years ago) andrepresents one of the two largestplant families. Orchids naturallyexist on every continent exceptAntarctica and species haveadapted to temperate and tropicalregions. Many temperate specieshave small subtle flowers, whiletropical species tend to have largeshowy prominent flowers in everycolor of the rainbow. There are atleast 28,000 currently acceptedspecies with some of the commonlyknown genera being Dendrobium,Phalaenopsis, Oncidium, Cattleya,and Vanilla. Yes, vanilla flavoring isextracted from the seed pod of anorchid.

More Orchid Info(aboutorchids.com)

Orchids Grow All Over theWorld. Over 30,000 species oforchids inhabit every corner ofthe planet except for the driestdeserts and Antarctica. Humanshave crossbred these species tocreate 150,000 hybrids, withmore appearing all the time. Mostare grown for their beautifulflowers, but the seedpods of theVanilla orchid provide the popularflavoring. And unlike most plants,they do not grow in soil, but inthe air. Their roots attach to treesor rocks where they capturemoisture and nutrients that washover them in the rainforest.

Orchids are Ancient Plants

Evidence of orchids appears fromthe age of the dinosaurs, 120million years ago, making themsome of the first flowering plants.Orchids are one of the largest andoldest families of plants in theworld. For centuries, people allover the world have fallen in lovewith their flowers. Their brightcolors, bizarre shapes, andenchanting smells have evolved toattract pollinators. Many have arelationship with a single type ofinsect or bird that can pollinatetheir flowers.

Habitat Destruction EndangersMany Orchids

Orchids in every part of the worldface dangers from pollution,habitat destruction, and globalwarming. Do everything you canto stop these threats. We arealready losing many of thesewondrous plants forever. Reducewhat you use and recycle. Takeaction to stop rainforests frombeing cut down or burned, orwetlands from being paved over.Only buy plants from legitimatevendors, and never take plantsfrom the wild.

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pg 8Vol 48 No 2

The Exotic OrchidSpotlight on Orn. Hort.

— by Cristi Palmer, IR-4 Ornamental Hort. Manager

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WHO, GLP & IR-4

The World Health Organization(WHO), after more than 50 yearsof evaluating vector controlpesticides with a small network ofCollaborating Centers, istransitioning to an evaluationsystem based on formal GoodLaboratory Practices (GLP). IR-4 ishelping with this major change.

Public health pesticides (PHPs) arethe primary tools for fightingmalaria, dengue, and other diseasescarried by arthropod vectors, andthe WHO Pesticide EvaluationScheme (WHOPES) publishesStandards and Recommendationsfor vector control products tosupport national efforts to usethese chemicals safely andeffectively. Over recent decades,WHOPES has relied on otherbodies to evaluate pesticide safetyand has focused on testing theefficacy or product performance oftreated bed nets, indoor residualsprays, larvicides, space sprays, andother such products. The testingregime typically requires laboratory(“Phase I”) tests of intrinsic toxicity,household-scale (“experimentalhut”) Phase II trials, and multi-yearPhase III village trials of durabilityand acceptability. In addition, newclasses of products mustdemonstrate epidemiological dataof reduced disease burden toreceive a WHOPESrecommendation; new productsfrom existing classes can avoid thisrequirement. WHOPES is notformally a regulatory agency, butmany governments will not acceptvector control products withouttheir approval.

These rigorous requirements forevidence of efficacy have severalmotivations – national authorities

want to ensure that their citizensare as well protected from diseaseas possible; funders want to usetheir money effectively;manufacturers want to differentiatetheir products from competitors onthe basis of quality andeffectiveness. On the other hand,they add many years and substantialcosts to the product developmentprocess, and manufacturers havecomplained that the WHOPESprocess has been unpredictable,making it very difficult to plan forproduct introductions andmarketing. In addition, WHOPESincreasingly has issuedrecommendations for genericproducts after a brief evaluation ofequivalency to proven products,which has been seen as a severedisincentive to invest in innovation.

In the face of increasing demand fornew vector control products toaddress pyrethroid resistance andthe reluctance of manufacturers tosupport innovations through theWHOPES evaluation process, WHOin 2015 began a majorrestructuring of vector controlevaluation (who.int/whopes/en).WHOPES will continue to providetechnical guidance, specificationsfor pesticides and applicationequipment, training, and otherservices, but the actual review ofproduct data and approval of newproducts will shift by late 2018 toWHO’s Prequalification (PQ)program, which now reviewsmedicines, vaccines, and medicaldevices internationally. The PQmodel, like EPA or FDAregistration, relies on registrantsgenerating proprietary data understrict standards and rigorous reviewof the data dossier by WHO andoutside experts. The hope is that

this mechanism will speed the pathto registration and marketing byproviding consistent data guidelinesand will encourage innovation byprotecting intellectual property.

A major requirement for success forthis new approach will be globalacceptance of privately-held data,and the basis for data acceptabilitywill be the use of GLP standards inall participating test sites.Multi-center GLP testing has beenthe basis of IR-4 regulatory sciencesince the inception of GLPstandards by US EPA in 1989.IR-4’s PHP team has assisted eWHOPES in their transition byparticipating in WHOPES GLPtraining programs, instructingparticipants from Africa, Asia,Europe and the Americans on someof the basic principles ofcompliance. WHOPES has beenable to adopt IR-4’s StandardOperating Procedures, study designinstitutional management, dataarchives, and quality assurance tomeet their needs. -We are proud tosay that the collaboration betweenIR-4 PHP, QA, and other staff haveprovided critical assistance in theWHO vector controltransformation.

WHO, GLP, and IR-4 — by Karl Malamud-Roam, IR-4 Public Health Pesticides Manager

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International Update

On May 31-June 1, 2017, theCalifornia Specialty Crops Councilhosted its twelfth annual MaximumResidue Level (MRL) workshop inSan Francisco, CA. About one thirdof the 128 attendees were new tothe workshop this year with 16international attendees representing8 countries

Ed Ruckert, Partner at McDermottWill & Emery gave a presentationon “The Pesticide RegulatoryTrends in the New Administration.”His presentation addressed a widevariety of issues associated with thetransition of EPA from the ObamaAdministration to the TrumpAdministration.  These includedreviewing EPA personnel changes,budget challenges, the status of thePesticide Registration ImprovementExtension Act of 2017, the statusof the response to theenvironmental non-governmentorganizations’ request to revokechlorpyrifos tolerances and cancelthe product, the status of two EPAfinal rules, one concerning changesto the certification of pesticideapplicators and the other changesto the worker protection standards.He also discussed the situationregarding regulating pesticides toaddress potential pollinatorexposure to pesticides, the status ofthe Registration Review programand the endocrine disruptorprogram, and efforts directedtowards establishing andmaintaining MRLs/tolerances.  Headdressed improving the workingrelationship between EPA and

USDA regarding pesticide issues.Finally, he encouraged allinterested stakeholders to becomeinvolved as each of these andrelated issues are considered bythe Agency.

Updates on MRL establishment inTaiwan, South Korea and Australiawere presented by Emily Kao, JinSook Kim and James Dellerrespectively. Taiwan continues toexpand crop groupings for settingMRLs on additional crops.Nevertheless, without a MRLassignment there will be noacceptable residues. Datagenerators were furtherencouraged to keep submittingdata and they will work hard toaddress import issues, while beingmindful of their own grower needs.In Korea, the default MRL will be0.01 mg/kg. They will beextending the expiration date ofcurrent MRLs (set to expire12/2018) until 12/2021.Regarding Australia, they requirethat a MRL already assigned in thecountry of origin maybe extendedto a minor use permit. However,their list of low level inadvertentresidues can not be used for offlabel use. All of these countriesshared their support and efforts inthe Asia-Pacific EconomicCooperation (APEC) efforts andharmonization.

Audrey Chen, FMC Ag Solutions,presented an industry perspectiveon the challenges of setting MRLs.

She identified different applicationrates and timing (GAPs), differentresidue definitions, analyticalresidue method and differences inMRL calculation. She also pointedout the different crop groups usedfor extrapolation i.e. Leek (bulbvegetable in US/CODEX; stemvegetable in EU; leafy vegetablewith small leaves in Taiwan.

Rick Keigwin, Acting Director ofEPA Office of Pesticide Programgave a commented on the fourgoals of the EPA in the areas of 1)to Strengthen food safety, publichealth and environmentalprotection, domestically andglobally 2) Enhance regulatorydecisions through collaboration byleveraging scientific and regulatoryresources with the internationalcommunity 3) Conserve resourcesof U.S. consumers, growers, andindustry stakeholders through moreefficient and coordinated regulatoryprocesses and 4) Minimizeinternational trade issues related topesticide regulatory requirementsand facilitate trade and faircompetition. Rick also identifiedopportunities for involvement withinOECD working groups, NAFTAtechnical working groups, APECfood safety cooperation forum,CODEX committee on pesticideresidues and thought collaborationcould be accomplished throughglobal joint reviews and bilateralpartnerships.

Other presentations included TradeIssues, Global MRL DatabaseUpdate, Recent Work in the WTO

MRL Harmonization Workshop— by Dan Kunkel, IR-4 Associate Director; Gary Van Sickle, California Specialty Crops Council; and Ed Ruckert,McDermott Will & Emery

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Dried Prune Board, DowAgroSciences, DuPont CropProtection, E & J Gallo Winery,

Sponsors included: FMCAgricultural Solutions, GowanCompany, LLC, ISK BiosciencesCorp., Loveland Products, Inc.,Luxembourg-Pamol, Inc., Syngenta,The Morning Star Co., TessenderloKerley, Inc., Valent USACorporation, & Wonderful Orchards.

To view the agenda and all thepresentations visit the CaliforniaSpecialty Crop Council websitespecialtycrops.org/mrlworkshop.html

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SPS World Trade OrganizationSanitary and/or PhytosanitaryStandards) committee on PesticideMRL and more. IR-4’s AssociateDirector, Dan Kunkel gave a reporton “The IR-4 Project’s InternationalActivities”, which included capacitybuilding, USDA-FAS Support,updates on the Global Minor UseWorkshop, the details about theupcoming Global Minor UseSummit-3.

The second day of the Workshopstarted with an update regardingendocrine disruption and hazardcriteria in the European Union. Thiswill impact $65 billion of tradewithin the EU, and will have amajor impact on ag products.There were then four case-studypresentations, including a consumerpackaged goods perspective ofMRLs, wine and their MRL issues,trade issues for Canadian grainsand the challenges of securingimport tolerance for spiceingredients. The final presentationsfocused on the Spotted WingDrosophila (SWD) and themanagement problems it poses forgrowers and information onquarantine treatments for SWD.

The organizing committeeincluded: Dan Botts, Julie Chao,Robert Ehn, Gord Kurbis, MattLantz, Bob McClain, GaryObenauf, Mark Rasmussen, CindySmith and Lois Rossi. Workshopsponsors included: Sponsors were:Agrian, AMVAC ChemicalCorporation, BASF AgriculturalSolutions, Bayer CropScience, CA

MRLcontinued from previous page

ToleranceSuccesses May - July 2017

Federal Register:May 11, 2017FlonicamidTrade Name: Beleaf, FlonicamidCrop: Tomato subgroup 8-10A(tolerance increase);Pepper/Eggplant subgroup 8-10B(separate tolerance)PR#:10999

Federal Register: June 14, 2017SpirotetramatTrade Name: Movento, UltorCrop: Carrot, Stone fruit group12-12, Tree nut group 14-12PR#: 10788, 11455, 11456

Federal Register: July 5, 2017IndaziflamTrade Name: Alion, IndaziflamCrop: Bushberry subgroup 13-07B,Caneberry subgroup 13-07A,Coffee, Hop, Small vine-climbing

fruit except fuzzy kiwifruit subgroup13-07F, Stone fruit group 12-12,Tree nut group 14-12, Tropical andsubtropical small fruit with ediblepeel subgroup 23APR#: 10654, 10882, 10909,11071, 11654, 11655, 11656,11868

Federal Register: July 7, 2017FlonicamidTrade Name: Beleaf, FlonicamidCrop: Peas and beans (ediblepodded, succulent shelled, anddried) subgroups 6A, 6B, and 6CPR#:10472, 10473, 10474,10475

Federal Register: July 28, 2017FenamidoneTrade Name: ReasonCrop: Basil, Cilantro, Brassica headand stem vegetable group 5-16,Leafy vegetable group 4-16, Leafpetiole vegetable subgroup 22B,Kohlrabi, Florence fennel, Celtuce,Cottonseed subgroup 20CPR#: 10120, 10925, 11813,11814, 11815, 11816, 11817,11818, 11819, 11820

In cooperation with USDA-ARS we are in the process of pursuing theregistration of Pseudomonasfluorescens ACK55 for themanagement of invasive weeds such as downy brome in rangeland. Thisproduct is unique since the organismdoes not kill the weed but reducesgrowth and seed production, allowingfor native vegetation to outcompeteand re-establish in rangelands. Fourother bioherbicide products underdevelopment include new activeingredients for the selectivemanagement of dandelions in turf,algae, aquatic weeds, and formanaging certain broadleaf weeds ingrass and broadleaf type crops.

Tolerance Successes

Bioherbicidescontinued from front page

IR-4 Headquarters, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey500 College Road EastSuite 201 WPrinceton, NJ 08540

NON-PROFITUS POSTAGE

PAIDNEW BRUNSWICK, NJ

PERMIT NO. 157This material is based upon work that is supported by the NationalInstitute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture,under award number 2015-34383-23710 with substantialcooperation and support from the State Agricultural ExperimentStations, USDA-ARS and USDA-FAS In accordance with FederalLaw and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution isprohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, nationalorigin, sex, age or disability.

United States Department of AgricultureNational Institute of Food and Agriculture

IR-4 & PMC Working Together for obtaining pest management tools,while promoting trade.

Current pest issues in thegreenhouse industry include (but arenot limited to) Botrytis, gummy stemblight, powdery mildew, downymildew, Fusarium and Phytophthora.In 2017, IR-4 tolerance petitionswere prepared on ametoctradin +dimethomorph for control of downymildew and Phytophthora ongreenhouse-grown cucumbers andlettuce and boscalid +pyraclostrobin for control of Botrytis,gummy stem blight, and powderymildew on greenhouse-growncucumber, lettuce, pepper, summersquash and eggplant.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canadahave aided the greenhouse industry inmaking largescale greenhouseproduction a possibility.

The US greenhouse largescalehydroponic vegetable industry began in1989. At that time, there were nopesticides available to this industry,which made it very challenging toproduce quality crops such astomatoes, cucumbers, peppers,eggplant, strawberries, lettuce andherbs in an environment containinginsects and pathogens. It soon becameevident that this industry neededpesticide products in order to survive.Most of the US largescale growers havefacilities located in both the US andCanada. Therefore, registration of thepesticide in both countries is necessaryin order to promote trade. The IR-4Project and Canada’s PMC programhave greatly aided the greenhouseindustry by not only helping to obtain

these critically needed pestmanagement products, but alsohelping to develop registrations inboth countries. The IR-4 Projectdeveloped a US EPA ChemSACproposal that was recently approvedby EPA to allow Canadiangreenhouse data as support for USgreenhouse registrations, providedthat the use patterns are the samein both countries. The basis behindthis decision is that greenhousetrials are conducted in a controlledenvironment and trial locations arenot specified by region. Residuedata generated in greenhouses inCanada can be expected to becomparable to what would begenerated in greenhouse locationsin the U.S. With this ChemSACstanding policy, greenhouse residuetrials conducted in Canada do nothave to be repeated in the US,which will provide significantsavings in time and money. It willalso provide greenhouse growerswith greatly expanded opportunities

Article photos provided byMike Bledsoe

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