November - December 2003

Pesticide Registrations and Actions

• The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service (FDACS) issued the Special Local Needs [24(c)] registration number FL-030013 to Nichino America for use of Courier® (buprofezin) insecticide to control whiteflies on tomato with a one-day pre-harvest interval. The EPA registration number for the product is 71711-15. (FDACS letter of 10/28/03).

• The FDACS issued the Special Local Needs [24(c)] registration number FL-030014 to Syngenta Crop Protection for use of Switch® (cyprodinil + fludioxonil) fungicide as a dip on strawberry transplants to suppress root and crown rot. The EPA registration number for the product is 100-953. (FDACS letter of 11/5/03).

• On October 3, FDACS registered the fungicide Endura® (boscalid) for control of diseases on lettuce, potato, cucurbits, fruiting vegetables, and other crops. The EPA registration number for the BASF Corporation product is 7969-197. (FDACS PREC November Agenda).

• On October 3, FDACS registered the fungicide Pristine® (boscalid) for control of diseases on carrot, strawberry, bulb vegetables, and other crops. The EPA registration number for the BASF Corporation product is 7969-199. (FDACS PREC November Agenda).

• On October 20, FDACS registered the fungicide Tanos® (famoxadone) for control of diseases on cucurbits, potato, tomato, and other crops. The EPA registration number for the DuPont product is 352-604. (FDACS PREC November Agenda).

• On November 6, the FDACS registered the herbicide Envoke® (trifloxysulfuron-sodium) for selective control of certain broadleaf, sedge, and grass weeds in cotton, sugarcane, and transplanted tomato. The EPA registration number for the Syngenta Crop Protection product is 100- 1132. (FDACS PREC December Agenda).

• On November 7, the FDACS conditionally registered the systemic insecticide Poncho® (clothianidin) for seed treatment of rapeseed and corn. The EPA registration number for the Gustafson product is 264-789-7501. (FDACS PREC December Agenda).

• On October 22, the FDACS registered the experimental use label for the storage treatment NPI 100 10EC (lysophosphatidylethanolamine) for enhanced ripening and shelf life when applied to fruit at an early stage of fruit ripening. The EPA EUP number for the Nutra-Park product is 70515- EUP-3. (FDACS PREC November Agenda).

• On November 12, FDACS sent a letter to Florida State Beekeepers Association to inform them that the EPA had granted a specific exemption for the use of ApiLife VAR (thymol/eucalyptus oil/menthol) for control of Varroa mites in beehives. The exemption expires on November 8, 2004. (FDACS letter of 11/12/03).

• Bayer CropScience announced in November that due to incidences of injury to blueberries following application of Rovral® (iprodione) fungicide in Georgia in 2003, the company is prohibiting the use of all Rovral® products on all varieties of blueberries in the United States. The Rovral® product manager can be reached at 866 992-2937. (Bayer CropScience letter of 11/10/03).

• A new Monsanto corn variety, YieldGard Plus®, is the first EPA-approved genetically engineered crop that has the ability to control two different insect groups. The corn produces two different Bacillus thuringiensis (or Bt) proteins, enabling it to protect from leaf and stalk damage caused by insects such as the European corn borer (a moth), and from root damage caused by the corn rootworm (a beetle). This new variety of corn was produced by traditional breeding of previously-approved plant incorporated-protectants. The previous varieties are “MON 810” (YieldGard) and “MON 863” (YieldGard Rootworm), and the associated Bt proteins are Cry3Bb1 and Cry1Ab. (EPA Pesticide Program Update, 11/5/03).

 

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• The FDACS issued the Special Local Needs [24(c)] registration number FL- 030012 to the Florida Tropical Fish Farms Association, Inc. for use of Dylox® (dimethyl phosphonate) to control predacious zooplankton and amphipods in commercially operated freshwater (pond) systems used only for ornamental fish and non-food aquatic plant production. The EPA registration number for the product is 432-1289. (FDACS letter of 10/14/03).

• On November 6, the FDACS registered the herbicide Monument 75WG® (trifloxysulfuron-sodium) for selective control of certain broadleaf, sedge, and grass weeds in turf. The EPA registration number for the Syngenta Crop Protection product is 100-1134. (FDACS PREC December Agenda). 

• On October 22, the FDACS registered the experimental use label for the aquatic herbicide Stingray® (carfentrazone-ethyl) for control of weeds, including herbicide resistant weeds. The EPA registration number for the FMC Corporation product is 279-3272. (FDACS PREC November Agenda).

 

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• An organic nematicide has recently been cleared for use by the Organic Materials Review Institute. Ontrol® is a mixture of linolenic acid and ketones from Poulenger USA Inc., that is labeled for use on vegetables, fruit trees, and other agricultural applications. (Citrus & Vegetable Magazine, November 2003).

 

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• On November 7, the EPA invited public comment on the October 31 addendum to the Interim Reregistration Eligibility Decision (IRED) for the herbicide atrazine. Atrazine is widely used on a variety of crops and nonagricultural sites. While the January 2003 atrazine IRED included measures to address potential human health concerns, the October addendum discusses ecological monitoring and risk mitigation in sensitive watersheds, the most current scientific information regarding potential effects of atrazine on amphibian endocrinology and development, and the potential association between atrazine exposure and the incidence of prostate cancer and other cancers in humans. Concurrent with the release of the addendum, the Agency also published its revised draft aquatic life criteria document for atrazine and is seeking views reflecting the latest scientific knowledge. Both Federal Register notices with instructions on how to submit comments are available on EPA’s web site at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr. The notices can be read and comments submitted through EPA's online public docket, EDOCKET, at: http://cascade.epa.gov/RightSite/dk_public_home.htm. EPA is accepting public comments on the atrazine IRED addendum and scientific views on the draft aquatic life criteria document until February 5, 2004. (EPA Pesticide Program Update, 11/26/03).

• The USDA has set up a dedicated biotech compliance and enforcement unit within APHIS' Biotechnology Regulatory Services program. The unit will be responsible for targeted inspections of field tests as many as five times during a growing season. Self-reporting of compliance infractions also is part of the plan. This action is being taken even though only 115 infractions (out of 7,402 field tests) were noted during the 11-year period 1990-2001, and none resulted in harm to agriculture or the food supply. (CropLife America Spotlight, 10/27/03 & 11/7/03).

 

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