The intent of this network is to inform interested parties of newpesticides, impending pesticide use cancellations, pesticide tolerance revocations, and other items of agricultural interest. We recommend that you express any concerns or questions you have to the contact mentioned below or to your State Liaison Representative (on our web page) for the National Agricultural Pesticide Impact Assessment Program (NAPIAP). If you wish to contact us at USDA, our phone number is 202-720-3186, our fax number is 202-720-3191, and our email address is ksmith@ars.usda.gov, or consult our homepage for NAPIAP and OPMP at ipmwww.ncsu.edu/usdanapiap/.

PRELIMINARY RISK ASSESSMENTS FOR NINE ORGANOPHOSPHATES

EPA is seeking public comment on the preliminary risk assessments it has conducted for nine organophosphate pesticides. These assessments may be refined in the future if additional data become available on health and environmental effects, use and usage, or other relevant information on these pesticides. The nine pesticides are azinphos-methyl (Guthion), bensulide (Prefar 4-E), ethion (Ethion 4 Miscible), fenamiphos (Nemacur), isofenphos (Nemacur-O), naled (Dibrom), phorate (Thimet), profenofos (Curacron), and terbufos (Counter).

The EPA is currently reviewing all the organophosphates under a new, stringent set of risk criteria established by the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA). They will issue and seek comment on the risk assessments they are currently developing for an additional 31 organophosphates.

The nine assessments may be viewed or copied from the EPA website at http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/op/. Many of the files on the website are in Acrobat reader in PDF format. Or, you may obtain a hard copy of the individual assessments or a summary of them by calling 703-305-5805. Be forewarned that the first 100 pages of hard copy are free, but then it will cost you 15 cents a page.

The release of these preliminary risk assessments is one step USDA and EPA are taking to make FQPA implementation a more transparent process with broad public input and participation.

For further information contact:
Ms. Karen Angulo
EPA, Special Review Branch
703-308-8004
angulo.karen@epa.gov

Sources: Federal Register 63:43175 8/12/98; EPA Press Release R-109 8/14/98; EPA website at www.epa.gov/oppsrrd/op/

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: USDA NATIONAL RESEARCH INITIATIVE (NRI)

Applications are invited for competitive grant awards in agricultural, forest, and related environmental sciences under the National Research Initiative (NRI) Competitive Grants Program administered by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) of USDA.

The project types for which proposals are solicited include conventional projects (standard research grants or conferences) or agricultural research enhancement awards. Agricultural research enhancement awards are postdoctoral fellowships, new investigator awards and strengthening awards. See the Federal Register Notice listed below for more details.

The funding categories for Funding Year 1999 are as follows (funding in each category is rounded in millions of dollars): Natural Resources and the Environment ($16.3M); Nutrition, Food Quality, and Health ($7.4M); Plant Systems ($34.4M); Animal Systems ($22.4M); Markets, Trade, and Policy ($3.6M); and New Products and Processes ($6.3M).

A complete description of this program and an application kit are available on the NRI homepage at http:/www.reeusda.gov/nri. Paper copies of these materials may be obtained by sending an e-mail with your name, complete mailing address, phone number, and materials that you are requesting to psb@reeusda.gov. Or, you can call the Proposal Services Unit of CSREES at 202-401-5048.

Applications to the program may be made by Universities, Colleges, State Experiment Stations, Federal Agencies, corporations, private organizations, or individuals. Non-United States organizations will not be considered for support. Deadlines for submission are variable depending on the program area. One of the first which includes "Weed Biology and Management" is on 11/15/98. A later deadline for "Plant Pathology", "Entomology and Nematology", and "Biologically Based Pest Management" is on 1/15/99.

For more questions regarding NRI documents or programs contact:
USDA/CSREES/NRI
202-401-5022
nricgp@reeusda.gov

Source: Federal Register 63:46109 8/28/98

RECENTLY REGISTERED PESTICIDE ACTIVE INGREDIENTS

In order to keep you better informed about newly registered active ingredients, we plan to publicize them here when they are registered. We will also be reviewing some of the recently registered active ingredients that may serve as alternatives to pesticides you are currently using that could be affected by the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA).

PESTICIDE:   Burkholderia cepacia Wisconsin J82 (Blue Circle)
REGISTERED:  December 1996, EPA Reg. No. 63950-6,7
             Registered as a biopesticide

PESTS MANAGED:  damping-off (Fusarium, Pythium, Rhizoctonia)

CROPS LABELED:  beans, cabbage, corn, field crops, fruit trees,
                fruiting vegetables, nut trees, peas, root vegetables,
                seed beds, small grains, soybeans, spices, squash,
                tomatoes, turf, vegetable crops, and vine fruits  

SOURCE:      Mr. Jerry Reichling, Stine Microbial Products
             phone 515-677-2605, fax 515-677-2716


PESTICIDE:   chitosan (Greenleaf Plant Defense Booster)
REGISTERED:  November 1997, EPA Reg. No. 70464-1
             Registered as a biopesticide

PESTS MANAGED:  downy mildew, powdery mildew, and gray mold

CROPS LABELED:  cucumbers, grapes, strawberries
 

SOURCE: Mr. Jerry R. Zinn, Safe Science, Inc., phone 617-422-0674, fax 617-422-0675, web http://www.safesci.com

The Reregistration Notification Network is a cooperative effort of USDA-OPMP & NAPIAP, Interregional Project No. 4 (IR-4), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency(USEPA), and American Crop Protection Association (ACPA).
Last Modified September 9, 1998