Comments requested for special cherry pesticide registration in Wisconsin

Comments are needed on a proposed special pesticide registration for control of two cherry diseases, blossom blight and fruit brown rot. The special registration proposed by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture will allow growers to use Indar 2F on sweet or tart cherries, peaches, and nectarines for control of blossom blight and fruit brown rot. Indar 2F contains the active ingredient fenbuconazole and is registered by Dow AgroSciences LLC, Indianapolis, IN.

The special registration process allows states to register additional uses of pesticide products without prior federal approval. This provides states flexibility to meet local needs such as controlling an insect outbreak, weeds, or in this case, to control fungi that cause lesions on, or rot of, stone fruits. Brown rot in particular can lower fruit quality and result in crop loss due to prohibitive costs of harvesting and sorting affected cherries. Indar 2F is currently registered in Wisconsin for use on cherries, peaches and nectarines, but only at an application rate of 6 fluid ounces of product per acre.

The proposed special registration will allow the use of 6 to 12 fl. oz. of product per acre, or up to twice the current label rate. The current maximum application rate of 48 fl. oz. of product per acre per season will remain unchanged. Therefore, under the special registration, a grower could double the amount of product used per acre but consequently could make fewer applications per acre per season (a total of four applications at the 12 oz. rate) compared to the current federal label of eight total applications at the 6 oz. rate.

The preliminary environmental assessment indicates that the proposed amendment will not require a full environmental impact statement. This special pesticide registration will expire December 31, 2015.

Last year, Wisconsin produced 5.7 million pounds of tart cherries on 1,800 acres. Freezing temperatures in May 2010 caused damage during blooming and poor pollination resulting in a 48 percent decline in harvest amounts from 2009.