Anti-pesticide sentiment has never been more prevalent, as California courts and anti-agricultural organizations frighten the public with non-science based claims of the harmful effects of crop protection materials such as glyphosate. What farmers need to understand though now, is that much more than glyphosate is currently at stake. The legislature is now being pressured to change the whole pesticide regulatory system as we know it. Watch this brief interview with Michael Miiller, Director of Government Relations with the California Association of Winegrape Growers to learn more.
Tag: Chlorpyrifos
-
New Pesticide Laws & Regs Now Taking Effect in California
If you missed the Annual Tree & Vine Expo, Marline Azevedo with the Stanislaus County Ag Commissioner’s office provided an update on changes in laws and regulations for growers moving into 2018. Watch her brief interview as she describes two key changes in Chlorpyrifos permit conditions & pesticide use around school sites.
-
Mealybug Management – In or Out of Sync
UC IPM Advisor David Haviland recently shared some tips on mealybug control. The goal is to lower mealybug populations, prevent movement, protect the cluster and keep the vines compatible for biocontrol (especially postharvest). Some insecticides effective against vine mealybug include: Chlorpyrifos (delayed-dormant treatment), Buprofezin (best against crawlers), Spirotetramat (foliar applied/systemic in the phloem and xylem), and Neonicotinoids (some soil, some foliar applied).
Moving into 2018, Haviland recommended growers and PCAs consider how temperature and weather impacts pest populations. “Insect development is often driven by temperature,” he said. “When the temperatures are higher, the mealybugs are more active and develop more quickly. In some springs, temperatures gradually warm up over time, and mealybug development is fairly synchronized. This allows growers to use products or growth regulators geared toward controlling the crawler stage in the spring, and they are very effective when the insects are synchronized in their development stage.”
“But in other years, early season temperatures vary from warming up to cold again with inconsistent weather patterns, and this confuses the pest as they start to develop. This puts them out of synchronization as far as development, leading to all stages of the pest present at the same time in the vineyard. In such a case using a pesticide that goes after one stage of the pest will be much less effective.”
As we never know what the weather will bring, growers and PCAs need to pay close attention to weather patterns and spring mealybug populations to determine the most effective IPM approach to take for successful mealybug management.
David Haviland to speak at Malcolm Media’s Annual Grape, Nut & Tree Fruit Expo Haviland will be presenting his latest research on vine mealybug management through mating disruption technology with sprayable pheromone at the annual Grape, Nut & Tree Fruit Expo coming up on November 14th at the Big Fresno Fairgrounds. The expo will run from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Haviland’s presentation will begin at 10:30 a.m. Growers and PCAs are invited to attend with free admission. Don’t miss Haviland’s presentation, the many other informative grower seminars that will take place. Pre-register for the expo here.
-By Matthew Malcolm, American Vineyard Magazine
-
California Pursues New Health Protections on Chlorpyrifos
Sacramento, Calif., (August 24, 2017) – The California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) announced today that both the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment are pursuing health protections on one of the most widely used agricultural pesticides in the nation, chlorpyrifos.
The Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) released today an updated draft risk assessment for public comment. This action marks the start of a public and scientific review of the document, which could lead to increased restrictions on chlorpyrifos statewide. DPR is currently developing interim restrictions on use of the pesticide and recommendations will be made to county agricultural commissioners next month.
In addition, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is referring chlorpyrifos for potential listing as a developmental toxicant under Proposition 65. OEHHA today posted an announcement that the state’s Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee will consider the listing of chlorpyrifos at its next public meeting.
“While chlorpyrifos has been protecting crops for more than 50 years, new information in the scientific community leads us to believe the level of risk it poses is greater than previously known,” said CalEPA Secretary Matthew Rodriquez. “We need to better understand the science to ensure our actions protect public health. The actions we are taking today reflect our commitment to the health and safety of all Californians, and the environment.”
DPR scientists believe chlorpyrifos may pose a public health risk as a toxic air contaminant based on its assessment of the latest studies in the scientific community. However, this new finding, indicated in the updated draft risk assessment has not been peer reviewed and must go through a public comment period and be independently evaluated by other scientists.
On Sept. 15, DPR will hold a public workshop on the updated draft risk assessment at the Pesticide Registration and Evaluation Committee meeting in Sacramento.
After the 45-day written public comment period, which begins today, DPR’s updated draft risk assessment will go before an independent panel of nine scientists known as the Scientific Review Panel (SRP). The thorough review process, which may ultimately lead to more restrictions on use, may conclude in December 2018.
Next month, DPR will provide county agricultural commissioners with specific interim recommendations, including:
- Increasing distances between sites where the chemical is applied and sensitive locations, such as homes and schools. These would be specific to each type of application method.
- New restrictions on methods used to apply chlorpyrifos.
OEHHA will soon open a written public comment period on scientific materials that describe the evidence for the developmental toxicity of chlorpyrifos. OEHHA will provide the materials and the written public comments to the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee. The committee is an independent panel of 10 scientific experts that determines whether chemicals are added to the Proposition 65 list as causing birth defects and other reproductive harm. The committee will also consider public comments presented at its November 29 meeting.
If the committee adds chlorpyrifos to the Proposition 65 list as a developmental toxicant, businesses that knowingly cause exposures above minimum levels must provide a Proposition 65 warning.
DPR’s updated draft risk assessment and other documents relating to chlorpyrifos are available at:
http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/whs/active_ingredient/chlorpyrifos.htm
OEHHA’s notice of the Nov. 29 meeting of the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee concerning chlorpyrifos is available at: www.oehha.ca.gov.