IR4

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THE
IR-4
PROJECT
INTERREGIONAL RESEARCH PROJECT NO. 4
THE MINOR USE PROGRAM
Funding provided by USDA (CSREES and ARS) and the
SAES
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IR-4 Regional Director and USDA/ARS Contact
Locations
IR-4 Regional Director Locations University of
California at Davis University of Florida at
Gainesville Cornell University at
Geneva Michigan State University at East
Lansing ARS/IR-4 Minor Crop Coordinator Agricu
ltural Research Service Beltsville, MD
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IR-4 Headquarters

• Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
• Center for Minor Crop Pest Management
• The Technology Centre of New Jersey
• 681 U.S. Highway 1 South
• North Brunswick, NJ 08902-3390
• IR-4
• A National Agricultural Program to Clear Pest
  Control Agents for Minor Use

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USDA
State Land Grant
IR
-
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Universities
IR-4 is the only publicly funded program that
conducts research and submits petitions to EPA
for registration of pest control products.
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What is a minor crop ??
IR-4 is the major data source for pest control
product registrations on minor crops.

• Total U.S. acreage of 300,000 or less

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Minor Crops Major Value
Figures taken from the 1997 USDA Census of
Agriculture
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Minor Crops Major Value
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The IR-4 Mission
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IR-4 Brief History
1963 IR-4 is initiated by State Agricultural
Experiment Station Directors and USDA
Cooperative State Research
Service 1975 Established four Regional
Labs 1976 Established USDA-ARS program
component 1977 Expanded to non-food uses -
i.e. nurseries, ornamentals, floral
crops 1982 Established a biological control
program
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IR-4 Brief History
1989 Developed a FIFRA 1988 Strategy.
Established a Good Laboratory Practice
(GLP) program. 1993 Established a Quality
Assurance Unit with Standard
Operating Procedures (SOPs) and GLP
Guidelines. 1995 Completed FIFRA 1988
Reregistration Program.
Began Reduced Risk Product and
Biopesticide Initiatives.
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IR-4 Brief History
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IR-4 Program Overview
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IR-4 is a Grass Roots Organization
Requests for minor crop pest management needs
originate from

• Growers
• Grower groups
• Extension agents
• Ag scientists

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The IR-4 Process, Part 1
Part 1 Submitting the Pesticide Clearance
Request Form (PCR)
PCR
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The IR-4 Process, Part 2
Part 2 Turning PCRs into researchable projects
Annual Food Use Workshop

• University Staff
• USDA-ARS and
• CSREES

• Growers
• Commodity
• groups

Where PCRs are prioritized
National Research Planning Meeting
Regional Field Coordinators/ Headquarters
Coordination
Where research projects are assigned to locations
for the coming year
PCR
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The IR-4 Process, Part 3
Part 3 Developing data from the
projects
Study Directors
Registrants
Protocols
Field Coordinators
Good Laboratory Practices (GLP)
Lab Directors
Laboratory and Field Protocols
are developed for each project
Quality Assurance Review
Laboratory Analysis
Field Trials
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Field trials and residue analyses are set up
across the U.S
IR-4 HQ
IR-4 Regional Labs
State Satellite Labs
State Field Research Centers
ARS Labs
Hawaii

ARS Field Research Centers
Puerto Rico

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The IR-4 Process, Part 4
Study Directors Prepare Petition to Submit to
EPA
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Product Registration
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The continued availability of minor crop pest
control products has recently become a major
concern because of
The Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA)
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The FQPA has EPA reassessing the risk of many
pesticides applied to food crops. A
significant number of registrations could be
lost.
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To counter the FQPA losses, IR-4 has a Risk
Reduction Strategy for minor crops
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Risk Reduction Strategy
Reduced risk pesticide registrations for minor
crops. Reduced risk use patterns for existing
pesticide registrations. Registration of new and
support for existing pest control products
essential to Integrated Pest Management. Registra
tion of biologically-based pest control products.
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The IR-4 Risk Reduction Strategy will ensure
that a selection of existing and new pest
control products will be available for minor
crops in the future.
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IR-4 Food Quality Protection Act Responses
1997 45 reduced risk projects of 150 total
524 trials. Eight
biopesticide projects 1998 78 reduced risk
projects of 163 total 609
trials. Fourteen biopesticide
projects 1999 82 reduced risk projects of 136
total 600 trials.
Thirty-seven biopesticide projects
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IR-4 Partnership Initiatives ARS

• Improve coordination of field and
• laboratory research for the generation
• of data
• Strengthen the bonds that keep
• ARS an active part of the Minor Use Team

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• IR-4 Partnership Initiatives
• EPA

• year petition submission
• schedule
• Reduced risk chemical priorities
• Streamlined petition submissions
• EPA/IR-4 Technical Working Group
• quarterly meetings

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IR-4 Partnership Initiatives Crop Protection
Industry

• month project completion schedule
• Early commitment for new chemistries on
• minor crops
• Develop minor crop strategies
• Expanded biopesticide support
• Transgenic minor crop program
• Methyl bromide alternatives program

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IR-4 Partnership Initiatives Commodity
Groups/Growers/Stakeholders

• More active involvement by these
• groups in priority setting for projects
• Increased input for program strategies
• and longer term focus

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IR-4 Partnership Initiatives The Land Grant
System

• More involvement at the state level
• Early stage evaluation of new
• technologies
• Support for Regional Labs and Field
• Research Centers

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IR-4 Program Accomplishments 1963 - 1999
Over 5000 food use clearances about 40
of the total granted by EPA Over 7000 ornamental
crop clearances about 50 of the total
granted by EPA Over 100 biopesticide clearances
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The Bottom Line
IR-4 is a partnership providing integrated pest
management options for growers of minor crops.
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For more information on IR-
4 contact
The IR-4 web site
http//www.cook.rutgers.edu/ir4
Each state has an IR-4 State Liaison. Contact the
Regional Center nearest you for the name.
California 530-752-7633 Michigan
517-353-9497 Florida 352-392-2366 New
York 315-787-2308
ARS/IR-4 Program 301-504-8256 (phone) 301-504-8142
(fax)
IR-4 Headquarters at 732-932-9575
(phone) 732-932-8481 (fax)
Prepared by Sandy Perry, IR-4 Outreach
Specialist. ltperrys_at_msue.msu.edugt 2/00
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Would you like to receive the IR-4 quarterly
newsletter?
Contact George Markle at IR-4 Headquarters 732-93
2-9575 x 606 markle_at_aesop.rutgers.edu