Proceedings of the Sixty-first Annual Meeting of the Northeastern ...

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BEING HEARD BY THE IR-4 PROJECT. E. Lurvey, Northeast Region IR-4 Project,
Cornell NYSAES, Geneva, NY.
ABSTRACT
The mission of IR-4 is to support the registration of pest management tools for
specialty crops such as fruits, vegetables and ornamental horticulture. Pest
management tools include conventional pesticides as well as biological control agents
(biopesticides). The IR-4 research process is dependent on the active participation of
growers, researchers, extension personnel, and other client groups. First, only clients
without vested interests can submit a Project Clearance Request Form (PCR), either
through the IR-4 Northeast Region Field Coordinator (RFC), Edith Lurvey, the IR-4
website (http://ir4.rutgers.edu/) or the appropriate IR-4 State Liaison Representative.
The PCR is the first step in the process to get the pest management use on the IR-4
agenda for consideration. Only Par's that have been agreed to by the product registrant
will be eligible for consideration at the IR-4 Priority Setting Workshops in September
and October. Prior to either workshop, the IR-4 Northeast Region Field Coordinator
solicits input on the important needs from growers and researchers in the region. No
project is given a high priority without a regional champion. Priorities are as follows: A
priorities will have research started in the following growing season: B priorities may be
researched as funds allow; C priorities are kept on the researchable project list for
future consideration.
Food Use prioritization: An additional step was added to the Food Use process
this year. All projects to be discussed in a given year must now be nominated prior to
the workshop in September. This entails going to the IR-4 website a few weeks prior to
the workshop and selecting chemical/crop uses from the researchable projects list. Any
project not nominated for three years in a row will be dropped from the IR-4 active list,
and would need a new PCR to be reactivated. Growers, researchers, extension
workers, etc., need to contact the RFC directly for any project needing a high priority (A
or B Priority).
Ornamental Horticulture prioritization: A, B and C priorities are established
focusing on a specific pest or production need. These priorities are arrived at by
consensus among the participants from the four IR-4 regions, with some attention is
paid to projects of regional importance. For example, the 2007 national weed science
priority is phytotoxicity of several herbicides in perennial nursery plants, with a regional
priority (southern and western) for efficacy in the control of sedges in nursery
production.
Please note that the Northeast region solicits input via email on regional priorities
prior to the workshop. Final selection of regional A priorities is made via a
teleconference, if needed. If you would like to be added to the list serve for these calls
for input, please contact the RFC, Edith Lurvey (ell10@cornell.edu). Biopesticide
projects continue to be selected as competitive grants for proposals.
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