Location: Southeast Watershed Research
2022 Annual Report
Objectives
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
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.
Progress Report
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.
Accomplishments
