March  2002

Pesticide Potpourri

  • Ralstonia solanacearum race 3, biovar 2 on geraniums has been confirmed in the U.S. This is a bacterial pathogen that causes southern bacterial wilt of solanaceous crops, including potato, tomato, pepper, and tobacco. This pathogen is on the bioterrorism list because of its threat to food crops. The infected cuttings were shipped from Kenya by a supplier to companies in Michigan and New Hampshire. Once rooted, these cuttings were shipped again. There are currently no confirmed detections in Florida. (UF/IFAS Pest Alert, 2/24/03).
  • With the phaseout of methyl bromide looming, scientists have been looking for replacements for sites where this fumigant has historically been employed. For stored grain, researchers at Purdue have found that ozone may be a promising chemical. The team set out to test the efficacy of the reactive gas on a variety of grains, including rice, popcorn, soft red winter wheat, hard red winter wheat, soybean, and corn. Except for immature weevils that were inside grain kernels, a 50-ppm treatment affected all insect species tested. Additionally, the treatment did not affect any of the characteristics of the grains, such as the popping volume of corn, the milling characteristics of wheat, and the stickiness of rice. (Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, 2/17/03).
  • American Vanguard Corp. (AMVAC) has accquired the pre-harvest crop protection business from Pace International, LLC. Products included in the purchase include Deadline® slug/snail products, Hivol® plant growth regulators, Bac-Master® microbiocide, Hinder® animal repllent, and Supreme® crop oil. The purchase is expected to add four to five million dollars to AMVAC’s bottom line annually. (Yahoo! Finance, 3/3/03).
  • In an ironic twist, a conventional agrichemical manufacturer is greatly helping the organic growers industry. Mexican fruit flies trapped in Los Angeles County triggered a quarantine at the end of last year. However, the flies have been found in alarming numbers in San Diego County. The CA Department of Agriculture announced that it would begin spraying a bait containing spinosad (Naturalyte®), which is an insecticide derived from soil bacteria. Organic growers will not lose their USDA “Certified Organic” seal because of the residues. However, the process has just begun and says one analyst “Let’s hope the spraying can survive the usual onslaught of anti-pesticide activists waving injunctions, and of black-clad anti-corporation activists smashing spray-plane windshields with baseball bats. If they succeed in blocking the program, the tiny fruit fly might close down the U.S. organic food industry permanently.” (Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, 2/17/03).
  • The Environmental Regulatory Commission (ERC) met in late February in Tallahassee to continue rule adoption of a phosphorus criterion for the Everglades Protection Area. The ERC is considering setting the standard for every part of the system at 10 ppb. The Florida ag community is asking ERC members to: base the criterion on scientific information; consider economic impacts; and, to consider the risks/benefits to the public. The Duke University Wetlands Center and other highly respected experts dispute the need for 10 ppb even for water flowing into pristine areas, citing actual research that shows 16 ppb is an appropriate standard that would fully protect the Everglades. Nearly half of the planned Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) have been built, with more than 22,000 additional acres to come on line by the end of 2004. These STAs, paid for by farmers and taxpayers at a cost of $800 million, may be capable of lowering phosphorus concentration to the 15 ppb range. There is no proven technology that can reduce the concentration to 10 ppb. (FFAA Florida Focus, 2/18/03).
  • In a meeting with FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition staff to discuss priorities for FY2003 and beyond, it was learned that FDA's primary focus will be on anti- terrorism programs. Also of interest is the provision of the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002, requiring all domestic and foreign facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or hold food for human or animal consumption in the U.S. to register with FDA by December 2003, regardless of whether or not FDA has issued the final regulation. While farms, food retailers, and restaurants are currently exempted, this process will have an impact on food chain partners and could provide a possible platform for traceability of biotech-derived food and feed. (CropLife America Spotlight, 2/14/03).
  • During the next months several of the nation's largest activist groups will shift money and resources away from federal regulatory and legislative activities, moving instead to state and local initiatives. Groups such as Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, Union of Concerned Scientists and Greenpeace, while maintaining Washington presence, will focus considerable resources at the state and local level. Activists hope to build on recent state-level legislative successes and expand into other areas, such as greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy and forest conservation. (CropLife America Spotlight, 2/14/03).
  • Plant Management Network (PMN), an innovative new website for the plant health community, has added another tool to its growing list of resources for those on the front lines of plant disease management. Two widely used references, Fungicide and Nematicide Tests and Biological and Cultural Tests for the Control of Plant Diseases, are now available online to PMN subscribers. "Our goal is to create a strong mix of online material and applied information that anyone in the plant science field can access quickly and easily," says the director of PMN. "These two references are powerful additions to that growing list." Both references are published annually and provide researchers and practitioners with the latest information on testing methods being used for plant disease control. They have been in print publication for many years and recently moved online. PMN will feature the searchable, electronic version of each publication, which date back to 2000 for Fungicide and Nematicide Tests and 2001 for Biological and Cultural Tests for the Control of Plant Diseases. PMN also features two online peer reviewed, citable journals: Crop Management and Plant Health Progress, both of which publish applied research, review articles, crop and plant management guides, briefs, product and industry news, opinions, and letters to the editor. In addition to the journals, PMN subscribers have access to a photographic database of more than 1,400 plant disease images along with thousands of web-based resource pages offering fact sheets, newsletters, product listings, training resources and other tools. PMN is unique not only in its online journals and other features, but also because it's the result of a shared vision across scientific disciplines says the director. "Organizations and institutions throughout the plant science community contribute to PMN. It's a network in the true sense of the word.” Those interested in subscribing to PMN can find out more by going to: http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org . (PMN Release, 3/3/03).

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