Mika Pringle Tolson

Field Program AssistantIR-4 Western Region

Western Region Ornamental Program

• Overview of the program

• Participation

• Specifics of 2010 and 2011 research

• Strengths and challenges

WR Ornamental Program 2010-11

IR-4 Ornamental Program• Added to IR-4 in 1977• Goals

– to support research on crop protection products

– expand product uses on ornamental crops (greenhouse, nursery, floral, turf, landscape, interiorscape, tree farms)

– to allow management of new and important pest species

• Efficacy• Crop safety• Test both chemical and biological products• 4 disciplines

• Entomology• Plant Pathology• Weed Science• Plant Growth Regulators

Focus of Ornamental Program

• Very similar to Food Use Program

1. Workshop

2. Set priorities

3. Seek out researchers

4. Design protocols

Process

January

Ap

ril

July

Oct

ob

er

Ornamental Horticulture Program:Research Cycle

Biennual Workshop

Annual National Research Planning Meeting

Establish Research Trials

Identify Grower NeedsProject Request Form

Grower/Extension Survey

Receive & Summarize Trial Data

Encourage Participation

• Researchers in your state• Growers• Extension Specialists• Companies with products that need

efficacy or crop safety testing

How to Provide Input on Priorities

• Attend the Ornamental Workshop

• Annual Survey

2011 Ornamental Workshop

October 5-7, 2011

Sheraton Grand Hotel

Sacramento, CA

2010 WR ResearchCrop Safety

• Mostly herbicides, some fungicides and insecticides (CA, OR, CO)

Weed Science• Liverwort and early post emergent efficacy (CA, OR)

Plant Pathology• Pseudomonas, Pythium, Fusarium, rust, Swiss Needle

Cast (CA, OR, WA)

Entomology• Thrips, mites, and snail efficacy (CA)

Research Protocol

2011 WR ResearchCrop Safety

• Mostly herbicides, some fungicides and insecticides (CA, OR, CO)

Weed Science• Liverwort efficacy (CA, OR)

Plant Pathology• Agrobacterium, Fusarium, Pseudomonas, Swiss

Needle Cast (CA, OR, WA)

Entomology• Thrips, mealybug, and snail efficacy (CA, NM, HI)

Plant Growth Regulators• Woody and herbaceous PGRs (CA)

Research Results

• IR-4 Website• Individual trial reports• Summary reports

• Good source of comparative efficacy and crop safety information

• Summaries are prepared by Cristi Palmer’s team at HQ• Ely Vea• Lori Harrison• Kathleen Hester

Searching the Online Database

Detailed Search

State

Year

Search Results

Report Link

Individual Report

• Researcher interaction

• Balance between national and regional needs

• Focus on completing data packages for label changes

• Registrants are well represented in the process

Strengths

• Resource intensive

• Effort to $ ratio is high

• $180k annual funding for regions

• As little as $4,000/researcher/year

• Cascading effects of incremental updates

• Prescriptive nature of work doesn’t allow for innovative solutions to pest problems

• Are we serving all the stakeholders?

Challenges

Questions

Thank You!

Mika Pringle Tolsonmptolson@ucdavis.edu

530-752-7635