Location: Southeast Watershed Research
Project Number: 0500-00007-115-001-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2019
End Date: Jul 31, 2024
Objective:
Quality Assurance Services: To monitor all IR-4 Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) studies conducted at USDA-ARS research test sites. [IR-4 HQ will document the Quality Assurance responsibilities and funds in sub-award agreements between
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey and each regional office: Michigan State University (North Central region), University of Florida (Southern region) and University of California, Davis (Western region).] 2. Ornamental Horticulture
Research Activities: To develop appropriate efficacy and crop safety data to support the registration of safe and effective crop protection products on ornamental crops.
Approach:
The members of the IR-4 Quality Assurance Unit located at the IR-4 Regional Offices and Interregional Research Project Number 4 (IR-4) Headquarters periodically travel to USDA-ARS field test sites and analytical testing laboratories to conduct inspections of study procedures, facility equipment and personnel. Not all USDA-ARS sites which develop data cooperatively with IR-4 have Quality Assurance expertise and these are needed to ensure the data developed by USDA-ARS will meet the Federal Good Laboratory Practice Standards regulations (40 CFR Part 160). The data generated at USDA-ARS field test sites and the final reports generated from that data are also audited to assure compliance with the IR-4 protocol and conducted in accordance with 40 CFR Part 160, the Good Laboratory Practice Standards (GLPs). The GLPs require all studies be monitored by Quality Assurance (QA) personnel to, “assure management that the facilities, equipment,personnel, methods, practices, records, and controls are in conformance with the regulations in this part”. Approach for Objective No. 2: 1. A sufficient number of test plants are obtained that either are healthy for crop safety trials or have the target disease or insect present in adequate numbers. 2. At the appropriate time, the test chemical or biological agent is applied on to the plants following good research methods which approximate grower practices. 3. Numerous observations on the control of target pests and any injury on the crop are taken after test application. 4. The raw data from the research are statistically analyzed and summarized. 5. The final report, containing the summarized data is submitted to the IR-4 Ornamental Horticulture
Manager for submission to the cooperating registrant. The data will be used by the crop protection companies to support Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved registrations of chemical and biological crop protection products to allow the public to purchase high quality ornamental horticulture plants at a reasonable price.
These funds will support activities at IR-4 Headquarters at Rutgers University as follows:
• Quality Assurance Services for ARS trials;
• Support ornamental field trials at the State facility in New Jersey and other locations as needed.
