Pest Management Solutions for Specialty Crops and Specialty Uses |
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The following is a recap of news and updates announced by the IR-4 Project during the month of January. |
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EPA Approves Post-Harvest Tolerance for Blueberry Growers |
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Blueberries are big business in the U.S., contributing $4.7 billion to the annual GDP, according to the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council. Twenty-six U.S. states count blueberries as a major commercial crop, and work hard to deliver this wildly popular fruit to kitchen tables across the country (and around the world).
To meet grower needs for better blueberry storage and transport, stakeholders have been working to find safe, effective tools and move them through the regulatory process. Through a collaborative effort to supply scientific data to regulatory decision-makers, The IR-4 Project (IR-4) recently secured a significant win on behalf of U.S. blueberry producers and packers, informed by the blueberry industry and supported by USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) researchers.
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2023 Research Symposium Announcement |
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During this virtual event, presenters will share research results from Integrated Solutions and Product Performance trials on food crops. Results from these trials are used to identify potential pest management solutions for specialty crops, and to support product registrations.
The Research Symposium is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Stay tuned for more information regarding registration and the event agenda. For now, we hope you’ll save the date on your calendar.
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The IR-4 Project's Annual National Education Conference |
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Much of the IR-4 team will be in San Juan, Puerto Rico from February 7-9 for the National Education Conference. We are looking forward to gathering for this internal training and networking event, where we'll connect with colleagues from across the country and take an agricultural tour. Follow along during this time, as we will be announcing an exciting and impactful IR-4 milestone, as well as sharing what we're learning as a team!
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Recent USDA-NIFA Article Points to IR-4's Poinsettia Research |
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The piece points to IR-4's pest management research and registration work on this important, festive specialty crop. Check out NIFA's article to learn more about how we partner to protect poinsettias.
IR-4's Environmental Horticulture Program Manager, Dr. Cristi Palmer, recently updated our Poinsettia Crop Vignette with recent research, which you can find on our website.
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Now Hiring: Quality Assurance Auditor |
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The IR-4 Project is seeking a Quality Assurance Auditor to join its headquarters team based on NC State's Centennial Campus.
Reporting to the National Quality Assurance Unit Manager, the incumbent will be a member of the IR-4 Project Quality Assurance Unit, and will be responsible for various types of quality assurance audits of IR-4 Project generated raw data and reports. The incumbent will perform inspections of field sites and lab analyses during critical phases of a study, as well as conducting facility inspections.
This vital role helps ensure the quality and integrity of IR-4 Project submissions to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). Many of the functions of this position are required for the IR-4 Project to achieve compliance with US EPA Federal Good Laboratory Practice Regulations (GLPs – as documented in Chapter 40- Code of Federal Regulations, Part 160).
This is a full-time (40 hours per week), EHRA non-faculty position.
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Join our QA team to visit and inspect fields like these. Image courtesy of NC State University. |
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ENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE UPDATES |
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December Research Summaries |
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Flumioxazin + Prodiamine Crop Safety - 2022
Fuerte (flumioxazin + prodiamine) has been registered in the United States since 2018. Starting in 2020, the IR-4 Project has been screening additional crops for their tolerance to over the top applications.
Read more
www.ir4project.org
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Pendimethalin + Dimethenamid-p Crop Safety - 2022
From 2007 to 2022, IR-4 completed 700 trials on Freehand 1.75G (BAS 659 G; dimethenamid-p + pendimethalin). The data contained in this report was generated to register uses of on and around environmental horticulture plants.
Read more
www.ir4project.org
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XDE-659 Crop Safety - 2022
XDE-659 is a new fungicide being developed by Corteva for the control of Botrytis gray mold, powdery mildew and other foliar pathogens of environmental horticulture crops. The IR-4 Project completed 20 crop safety trials.
Read more
www.ir4project.org
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Mefentrifluconazole Crop Safety - 2022
Avelyo (mefentrifluconazole) is a fungicide developed by BASF that has been registered for use since May 2020. It is used for the control of diseases such as anthracnose, powdery mildew, leaf spot, scab, rust, and blight.
Read more
www.ir4project.org
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FOOD CROP TOLERANCE SUCCESSES |
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The following tolerance successes were added to our website in December 2022 (find them under Food Crop Successes & Stories):
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This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2021-34383-34848 and 2020-34383-32455 with substantial cooperation and support from the State Agricultural Experiment Stations, USDA-ARS and USDA-FAS. In accordance with Federal Law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.
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