Progress 10/01/23 to 09/30/24
Outputs
PROGRESS REPORT Objectives (from AD-416): Determine magnitude of the residues of pesticides in minor crops and conduct other residue studies as appropriate in support of registration petitions submitted to EPA by IR-4. Work primarily with reduced-risk compounds to replace uses that continue to be lost due to the tolerance reassessment mandated by the Food Quality Protection bAct (FQPA) of 1996. Approach (from AD-416): All work will be in compliance with 40 CFR Part 160, "Good Laboratory Practice Standards." Analytical methodology, Standard Operating Procedures, and GLP documentation will be updated for the project as needed. Priorities and assignments of crop/pesticide combinations for analysis are determined at an annual meeting. Crop samples will be obtained from IR-4 Field Projects and analyzed by methods approved by EPA. Laboratory residue data and all required documentation will be reported to IR-4 Headquarters. The primary entity in the United States to facilitate registrations of conventional pesticides and biopesticides on specialty food crops is the IR-4 Project (previously named Interregional Research Project #4). To provide solutions to a national need in these crops, pesticide residue research was conducted on pesticide/crop combinations (projects) to address specific insect, weed, and plant disease problems. Field trials were conducted throughout the United States by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) cooperators. The developed data are required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to register pesticides on specialty crops. Samples were shipped to the Tifton IR-4 Project Laboratory located at the Southeast Watershed Research Unit, Tifton, Georgia. During FY2024, the laboratory conducted residue analyses for 8 projects covering 55 field trials. Several projects have multiple analytes of interest requiring separate analyses for the various analytes. For the fungicide azoxystrobin, analysis on parent azoxystrobin and its metabolite R230310 were completed on one project totaling 5 field trials on greenhouse tomato with a second project in progress totaling 4 field trials on fresh and dried mint. Analyses on the fungicide difenoconazole was completed for 3 projects totaling 20 field trials on greenhouse tomato, spinach, and mint (fresh, dried, hay, oil). Triazole metabolite analysis remains for the tomato and 1 of the mint projects. Analyses were completed on 3 projects totaling 23 field trials for the fungicide ethaboxam on avocado, cherry and almond (nutmeat and hulls). For the fungicide cymoxanil, analysis on strawberry is in progress with 8 field trials in the project. Residue work was initiated on another 7 projects covering 51 trials which were assigned to the laboratory. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will establish pesticide tolerances based on this data so the growers of these crops will have the pest control tools they requested.
Impacts
(N/A)
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Progress 10/01/22 to 09/30/23
Outputs
PROGRESS REPORT Objectives (from AD-416): Determine magnitude of the residues of pesticides in minor crops and conduct other residue studies as appropriate in support of registration petitions submitted to EPA by IR-4. Work primarily with reduced-risk compounds to replace uses that continue to be lost due to the tolerance reassessment mandated by the Food Quality Protection bAct (FQPA) of 1996. Approach (from AD-416): All work will be in compliance with 40 CFR Part 160, "Good Laboratory Practice Standards." Analytical methodology, Standard Operating Procedures, and GLP documentation will be updated for the project as needed. Priorities and assignments of crop/pesticide combinations for analysis are determined at an annual meeting. Crop samples will be obtained from IR-4 Field Projects and analyzed by methods approved by EPA. Laboratory residue data and all required documentation will be reported to IR-4 Headquarters. At the request of growers, pesticide residue research was conducted on pesticide/crop combinations (projects) to address specific insect, weed, and plant disease problems on minor crops. The field trials were conducted throughout the United States by ARS and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) cooperators. Samples were shipped to the Tifton IR-4 Project (previously named Interregional Research Project #4) Laboratory located at the Southeast Watershed Research Unit, Tifton, Georgia. During FY2023, the laboratory conducted residue analyses for 6 projects covering 41 field trials. For the fungicide azoxystrobin, analysis on parent azoxystrobin and its metabolite R230310 were completed on 4 projects totaling 30 field trials: olive (fruit and oil), basil (fresh and dried), and two separate projects for tomato (green house transplant). Difenoconazole and triazole metabolite analysis remain for one of the tomato projects. The fungicide ethaboxam is currently being analyzed on avocado which has 6 field trials. The fungicide propiconazole is also currently being analyzed for total propiconazole on avocado which has 5 field trials. Residue work was initiated on another 5 projects covering 40 trials which were assigned to the laboratory. EPA will establish pesticide tolerances based on this data so the growers of these crops will have the pest control tools they requested.
Impacts
(N/A)
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Progress 10/01/21 to 09/30/22
Outputs
PROGRESS REPORT Objectives (from AD-416): Determine magnitude of the residues of pesticides in minor crops and conduct other residue studies as appropriate in support of registration petitions submitted to EPA by IR-4. Work primarily with reduced-risk compounds to replace uses that continue to be lost due to the tolerance reassessment mandated by the Food Quality Protection bAct (FQPA) of 1996. Approach (from AD-416): All work will be in compliance with 40 CFR Part 160, "Good Laboratory Practice Standards." Analytical methodology, Standard Operating Procedures, and GLP documentation will be updated for the project as needed. Priorities and assignments of crop/pesticide combinations for analysis are determined at an annual meeting. Crop samples will be obtained from IR-4 Field Projects and analyzed by methods approved by EPA. Laboratory residue data and all required documentation will be reported to IR-4 Headquarters. At the request of growers, pesticide residue research was conducted on pesticide/crop combinations (projects) to address specific insect, weed, and plant disease problems on minor crops. The field trials were conducted throughout the United States by ARS and NIFA cooperators. Samples were shipped to the Tifton IR-4 Project (previously named Interregional Research Project #4) Laboratory located at the Southeast Watershed Research Unit, Tifton, Georgia. During FY2022, the lab conducted residue analyses for 5 projects covering 24 field trials. For the fungicide propiconazole, parent propiconazole analysis was completed on 3 projects totaling 19 trials: avocado, passion fruit, and dragon fruit. Total propiconazole analysis remains for these three propiconazole projects with propiconazole avocado currently in method development. Propiconazole triazole metabolites are being analyzed on dry pea which has 5 trials. The dry pea project includes 3 crop fractions; seed, vine, and hay which are being analyzed for 4 different analytes. The pea project will also require analysis of total propiconazole when triazole metabolites are completed. There were four projects where a portion of the analyses, the triazole metabolite method, were contracted out to Adpen Laboratories and samples were shipped out in May and June 2022. Contributing Scientist Reports are in progress for samples that were shipped. The Tifton laboratory retained a portion of the shipped/ contracted samples to continue work on the remaining methods required for project completion. The on-going 4-year storage study project for the fungicide ipconazole on onion which covers 4 analytes, analyzed every six months, was completed in April 2022. Residue work was initiated on another 6 projects covering 46 trials. EPA will establish pesticide tolerances based on this data so the growers of these crops will have the pest control tools they requested.
Impacts
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Progress 10/01/20 to 09/30/21
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): Determine magnitude of the residues of pesticides in minor crops and conduct other residue studies as appropriate in support of registration petitions submitted to EPA by IR-4. Work primarily with reduced-risk compounds to replace uses that continue to be lost due to the tolerance reassessment mandated by the Food Quality Protection bAct (FQPA) of 1996. Approach (from AD-416): All work will be in compliance with 40 CFR Part 160, "Good Laboratory Practice Standards." Analytical methodology, Standard Operating Procedures, and GLP documentation will be updated for the project as needed. Priorities and assignments of crop/pesticide combinations for analysis are determined at an annual meeting. Crop samples will be obtained from IR-4 Field Projects and analyzed by methods approved by EPA. Laboratory residue data and all required documentation will be reported to IR-4 Headquarters. At the request of growers, pesticide residue research was conducted by ARS scientists at Tifton, Georgia, on pesticide/crop combinations (projects) to address specific insect, weed, and plant disease problems on minor crops. The field trials were conducted throughout the United States by ARS and NIFA cooperators. Samples were shipped to the Tifton, Georgia IR-4 Project (previously named Interregional Research Project #4) Laboratory located at the Southeast Watershed Research Unit, Tifton, Georgia. During FY2021, ARS scientists conducted residue analyses for 2 projects. The project for the herbicide halosulfuron-methyl on stevia covers 4 trials with 1 analyte which is currently in progress. The project was delayed in 2018 due to staffing shortages. It was restarted in FY2021 and remains in development as stevia has proven to be a problematic compound. The on-going 4-year storage study project for the fungicide ipconazole on onion which covers 4 analytes, analyzed every six months, is on track for completion in April FY2022. For the projects that were contracted out to other laboratories for completion of residue analysis in FY2019, the lab completed writing five Contributing Scientist Reports for a total of ten completed reports since samples were shipped. One Analytical Summary Report was also completed for the magnitude of the residue of difenoconazole on mango. These reports were considered late as they were left unfinished by the former Laboratory Research Director. The reports were competed and delivered in a timely manner once notice was given by IR-4 Headquarters in late FY2020. Residue work continued or was initiated on another 4 projects covering 20 trials. EPA will establish pesticide tolerances based on this data so the growers of these crops will have the pest control tools they requested. Record of Any Impact of Maximized Teleworking Requirement: The analysis and completion of on-going laboratory projects by ARS scientists at Tifton, Georgia, continues to be affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of maximum telework. Diminished laboratory productivity can be partly attributed to limited training opportunities of chemical processes and instrumentation systems needed by new ARS technicians at Tifton, Georgia. Since ARS scientists at Tifton, Georgia, are operating under an OIR (Other Important Research) plan, we continue to move forward with our mission critical projects, but face obstacles created under new social distancing guidelines.
Impacts
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