Inside thisissue...

NewsletterVol. 42 No. 3 Summer 2011

369

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Some FactsAbout Tea

In Search of BMSB Solutions

Focus on ResearcherMark Czarnota

Ornamental HorticulturePropagation

Pest Management Solutions for Specialty Crops and Minor Uses

Plans are underway for theGlobal Minor Use Summit-2(GMUS-2) that is slated to takeplace the week of February 20,2012. The Summit will be heldat the FAO headquarters inRome, Italy. The GMUS-2Organizing Committee has prepared a framework for thesummit which includes the purpose, objectives and struc-ture of the summit.

The first Global Minor UseSummit (GMUS) was held inRome, Italy in December2007. It was co-organized bythe Food and AgricultureOrganization of the UnitedNations (FAO), the USDAForeign Agricultural Service(FAS), the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) andthe USDA / IR-4 Project (IR-4),

and its purpose was to high-light many of the issues andobstacles that growers ofminor or specialty crops face.Nearly 300 participants from60 countries identified fourmain action items: (1) Improvement of interna-tional communications andinformation exchanges. (2) Increase capacity buildingefforts for developing coun-tries. (3) Engage the CodexCommittee on PesticideResidues to better supportminor use crops. (4) Enhance research effortsthrough collaborative pilotprojects and initiatives.

While various countries havemade great strides and con-tributed to the progress of

these four action items,many of the issuesremain; such as accessto safe and effectivetools to protect cropsand barriers to theinternational trade ofcommodities.

Global Minor Use Summit -2Slated for Rome, Italy, February 2012— by IR-4 Associate Director, Dan Kunkel

The co-sponsors of the firstGMUS have agreed to facilitateanother international forum tofurther the progress of minoruse issues. GMUS-2 will fur-ther engage with FAO membercountries (particularly develop-ing country members) toensure that their major issuesof concern are reflected in theSummit program. The aim of

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Information Exchange

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GMUS-2 will be to continueimproving the availability ofnewer, safer and more effectivecrop protection tools for spe-cialty crop growers in bothindustrialized and developingcountries. It is anticipated thiswill be accomplished throughdata generation and data shar-ing, facilitating the trade ofagricultural commodities inter-nationally, and learning fromexisting specialty crop programmodels.

Purpose of GMUS-2GMUS-2 will focus on globalagreements for pesticide policy,procedure and methodology tohelp deal with minor use issueswhile providing growers withaccess to safe tools to growtheir crops and promote freeand fair trade between nations.The Summit will provide aforum for the internationalexchange of information oncurrent activities that addressminor use issues and will iden-tify future opportunities andchallenges in technical andcooperative areas, and in poli-cy considerations.

Summit ObjectivesAn update on the action itemsfrom the first summit, will bethe first objective.

GMUS-2 will also addressminor use issues in technicaland cooperative areas throughenhancing existing or develop-ing new working groups toaddress issues of common

GMUS-2 interest, international datasharing and research collabora-tion.

Additionally, the Summit willinclude a discussion of increas-ing involvement of allstakeholders especially specialtycrop growers/ commodity asso-ciations and crop protectionindustry representatives inidentifying needs and facilitat-ing solutions to minor useproblems.

Other technical and coopera-tion objectives will include:re-evaluating capacity buildingand reviewing, discussing andimplementing guidance on cropgroups and extrapolation.

Finally, policy considerationswill be an important objectiveof GMUS-2. Some of thesewill include: advancing thetopic of international harmo-nization through cooperationand transparency in establish-ment of MRLs and riskassessment by regulators,establishing criteria standards(in association with CodexCCPR) to define and recognizeminor uses, developing a fiveyear plan for implementation ofnew policies for minor use reg-ulatory and harmonizationpriorities, and discussing policyaspects to enhance the regis-tration of minor uses throughthe dedicated minor use pro-grams, regulatory incentives,and guidance for crop groups anddata extrapolation.

Recommendations and

guidance in the form of a manual for practical implemen-tation of action items will alsobe discussed.

Structure of the SummitThe Summit structure willinclude a plenary session, groupdiscussions and break-out sessions.

The break-out sessions willfocus on data generation, data sharing and databases, cropgrouping, and policy considera-tions such as regulatoryincentives and harmonization.

On the final day of GMUS-2,participants will provide recom-mendations and summaries fromthe break-out sessions with thegoal of identifying key actionitems to carry forward.

Who should attend?The sponsors expect strong participation by developingcountries, government pesticideregulators, Codex, FAO/WTOmembers, crop protectionindustry representatives, agricultural producers, andother consumer and environmental groups.

SponsorshipThe sponsors of GMUS-2include: FAO, the USDA FAS,the U.S. EPA , IR-4 and otherorganizations etc. as identified.

Please visit the Global MinorUse Portal (one of the complet-ed action item from GMUS2007) at www.GMUP.org formore information and registra-tion as it becomes available.

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Some Tea FactsTea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world next to water, and can be found in almost80% of all U.S. households. It is the only beverage commonly served hot or iced, anytime, anywhere,for any occasion. On any given day, over 154 million Americans are drinking tea.

In 2010, Americans consumed well over 65 billion servings of tea, or over 3.00 billion gallons.About 80% of all tea consumed was Black Tea, 19.5% was Green Tea, and a small remaining amountwas Oolong and White Tea. On any given day, about one half of the American population drinks tea.On a regional basis, the South and Northeast have the greatest concentration of tea drinkers.Approximately 85% of tea consumed in America is iced.

Over the last ten years, Ready-To-Drink Tea has grown by more than 15 times. In 2010, Ready-To-Drink sales were conservatively estimated at $3.30 billion. 2010 was the 19th consecutive year thatconsumer purchases of tea increased. Retail supermarket sales alone surpassed the $2.15 billion dol-lar mark. Away-from-home consumption has been increasing by at least 10% annually over the lastdecade. The industry anticipates strong, continuous growth over the next five years. This growth willcome from all segments driven by convenience, interest in the healthy properties of tea, and by thecontinued discovery of Specialty Tea.

Much of the world’s tea is grown in mountainous areas 3,000 – 7,000 feet above sea level, situatedbetween the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn in mineral rich soil. Leading tea-producingcountries include Argentina, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya Malawi, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania.

Tea is nearly 5,000 years old. It was discovered in 2737 BC by Chinese Emperor Shen-Nung, knownas the “Divine Healer,” when as legend goes, some tea leaves accidentally blew into the Emperor’spot of boiling water. In the 1600’s, tea became highly popular throughout Europe and the Americancolonies. Tea played a dramatic part in the establishment of the United States of America.

In 1767 the British Government put a tax on the tea used by American colonists. Protesting this “tax-ation without representation,” the colonists decided to stop buying tea and refused to allow tea shipsto be unloaded. One December night in 1723, men dressed as Native Americans boarded Britishships in Boston Harbor and threw more than 300 chests of tea into the sea. This now famous BostonTea Party, in protest of the British tea tax, was said to be one of the acts leading to the RevolutionaryWar.

Tea is an all-natural and environmentally sound product from a renewable source. The tea plant is nat-urally resistant to most insects; oxidation of the tea leaf is a natural process; and, many tea packersuse recycled paper for packaging.

Tea is a refreshing beverage that contains no sodium, fat, carbonation, or sugar. It is virtually calorie-free. Tea helps maintain proper fluid balance and may contribute to overall good health. Tea containsflavonoids, naturally occurring compounds that are believed to have antioxidant properties.Antioxidants work to neutralize free radicals, which scientists believe, over time, damage elements inthe body, such as genetic material and lipids, and contribute to chronic disease. Every day, new findings from the international scientific community lend credibility to tea’s healthy properties.

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Information Exchange

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http://www.teausa.com

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Personalities in the News

Ron Tjeerdema has beenappointed as the WesternRegion Director. Ron wasappointed to the position afterhis predecessor, Marion MillerSears, lost her valiant battlewith cancer in February 2011.

Ron holds two BS degrees fromHumboldt State University, anMA from UC Santa Barbara,and a PhD in Pharmacology &Toxicology from UC Davis.Upon graduation, he firstserved as a faculty member for12 years in the Department ofChemistry & Biochemistry atUC Santa Cruz. He has been aprofessor in the Department ofEnvironmental Toxicology at UCDavis for the past 12 years; for

nearly 8 years he has alsoserved as department chair. Hehas been certified in GeneralToxicology by the AmericanBoard of Toxicology since1994.

In nearly 25 years in the fieldof environmental toxicology,Ron Tjeerdema has attractedover $25 million in extramuralresearch support and publishedin excess of 200 peer-reviewedresearch articles and another300 research abstracts.

His areas of expertise rangefrom chemical fate in the envi-ronment, sensitive lifestagebioassays and biochemicalmechanisms of toxicity. He has

Ron Tjeerdema Appointed as WSR Program Director

worked extensively with pesti-cides, petroleum hydrocarbonsand dispersants, and marineplanktonic toxins.

He has recently been selectedas Editor-in-Chief of AquaticToxicology, and serves on theeditorial boards of a number ofjournals including Reviews ofEnvironmental Contamination& Toxicology, Journal ofToxicology, Marine PollutionBulletin and Bulletin ofEnvironmental Contamination& Toxicology.

Welcome to IR-4, Ron.

Federal Register: March 9, 2011 (not previously reported) FomesafenTrade Name: ReflexCrop: Pepper (bell and nonbell),Potato, TomatoPR#: 09677, 08084, 08082Federal Register: April 13, 2011EtoxazoleTrade Name: ZealCrop: Avocado, Mango, Papaya,Black sapote, Canistel, Mameysapote, Sapodilla, Star apple,Pepper/eggplant subgroup 8-10B,Melon subgroup 9A,Squash/cucumber subgroup 9B,Cranberry subgroup 13-07A,

IR-4 Successes Apr.‘11 - Jun. ‘11

The trade names listed below are provided as a means to identify thechemical for which a tolerance has been established. A trade namelisted here may not be the name of the product on which the newfood use(s) will be registered. Only labeled products may be used ona food crop. Be sure to obtain current information about usage regulations and examine a current product label before applying anychemical.

Small vine climbing fruit exceptfuzzy kiwifruit subgroup 13-07F,Low growing berry subgroup 13-07G, TeaPR#: 09738, 09216, 09292,09234, 09814, 09018, 09205,08096, 10342, 10341, 10552Federal Register: April 20, 2011FluopicolideTrade Name: PresidioCrop: Root vegetable subgroup1APR#: 09893, 09913Federal Register: April 22, 2011Trisulfuron-methylTrade Name: UpBeet

Crop: Garden beetPR#: 08043Federal Register: May 11, 2011PropiconazoleTrade Name: TiltCrop: Bulb onion subgroup 3-07A, Green onion subgroup3-07B, Caneberry subgroup 13-07A, Bushberry subgroup13-07B, Low growing berry sub-group 13-07G except cranberry,Mint (revised tolerance)PR#: 10501, 10502, 10503,10504, 10505

None in June

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Personalities in the News

Grzegorz (Greg) Krawczyk hasagreed to serve as StateLiaison Representative forPennsylvania. This is a belatedofficial announcement as he hasactually been serving in thiscapacity for over a year. Gregwill not be a new face for manyof us, as he has been the treefruit entomology representativefor the northeast at severalFood Use Workshops over theyears.

Greg is a Research AssociateProfessor at Penn State’s FruitResearch and Extension Center,Biglerville. He started atBiglerville as a post-doc in1997, receiving a permanentappointment in 1999. His principle area of interest isIntegrated Pest Management(IPM) in tree fruit, and is cur-rently working on identifyingsome products that will controlBrown Marmorated Stink Bug(BMSB) and fit into IPM pro-grams. A small part of hispreliminary BMSB screeningwork is being funded throughthe IR-4 Efficacy/Crop SafetyProgram. Greg received hisdoctorate from Michigan StateUniversity in 1996. His mas-ters and undergraduate workwere completed in his nativePoland.

With his knowledge of insectsand IPM, coupled with hisgreat enthusiasm, Greg is awelcome addition to the IR-4program. I am sure we allwould like to welcome Greg,and look forward to workingwith him in the future.

The IR-4 Newsletter Vol 42 No. 3 Summer 2011

The IR-4 Newsletter is published quarterly for distribution to cooperators in our part-ner State/Federal/Industry research units, State and Federal officials, commoditygroups, and private citizens. Material from the IR-4 Newsletter may be reproducedwith credit to the publication. Major funding for IR-4 is provided by USDA-NIFA andUSDA-ARS in cooperation with the State Agricultural Experiment Stations. NewJersey Agricultural Experiment Station Publication No.P-27200-11-03, supported bystate, US Hatch Act, and other USDA funds.

Editor: Sherrilynn NovackIR-4 Public Relations and Communication Manager, 732.932.9575 x 4632,novack@aesop.rutgers.eduNewsletter Committee:Northeast Regional Field Coordinator, Edith Lurvey, 315.787.2308. North Central Regional Director, Bob Hollingworth, 517.432.7718. Western Regional Assistant Field Coordinator, Stephen Flanagan, 541.688.3155. Southern Regional Field Coordinator, Michelle Samuel-Foo, 352-392-1978 ext 406Southern Region Program Assistant/Quality Assurance Support Robin Adkins352.392.1978 x 424. Commodity Liaison Committee member, Dave Trinka of MBG Marketing,269.434.6791. Alabama State Liaison Representative, Charles Gilliam, 334-844-3045 IR-4 HQ, 732.932.9575.Assistant Director, Van Starner x 4621Ornamental Horticulture Manager, Cristi Palmer x 4629Technical Coordinator/Entomology, Ken Samoil x 4614Assistant Coordinator, Interdisciplinary Working Group Kathryn Homa x 4604

Grzegorz (Greg)Krawczyk New SLR forPennsylvania— by Edith Lurvey, Northeast Regional Field Coordinator

MorePeople inthe NewsDaniel Rossi, ExecutiveDirector of the NERA, a for-mal coalition of Directors ofState Agricultural ExperimentStations (SAES) for theNortheastern Region of theUnited States of America, hasrejoined the IR-4 PMC as theNER Administrative Advisor.

Doug Buhler, IR-4 PMC NCRAdministrative Advisor hasbeen appointed as interimdean of the Michigan StateUniversity College ofAgriculture and NaturalResources.

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Feature Article

n Wednesday, June 22,2011, IR-4 hosted the EPA,USDA and others on a tourthey titled “In Search of BrownMarmorated Stink Bug (BMSB)Solutions”. This pest is nowfound in 33 US states and iscausing millions of dollars oflost revenue to growersthroughout the Mid-Atlanticand elsewhere. The purpose ofthis year’s tour was to providean opportunity for US EPA reg-ulators, USDA personnel, andother participants to hear fromgrowers, firsthand, about theseverity and devastation causedby this pest.

Tracy Leskey, USDA-ARS,Appalachian Fruit ResearchStation Entomologist andBMSB expert was instrumentalin organizing the stops alongthe tour. She delivered theopening session at the station,which serves the eastern fruit-production area from Georgiato Maine. Michael Glenn,Station Director and TracyLeskey gave an overview of theresearch on BMSB and findingsof their work. Ralph Scorzaalso gave participants a look athis research, rapid breeding ofplums, and Scott Wolford dis-cussed engineering research

and operation of new equip-ment that gently shakes fruitfrom trees and was developedat the research station.

General BMSB InformationThe BMSB is an invasive pestnative to China, Japan, Korea,and Taiwan and it is believed tohave been found first in the USin Allentown, PA in 1998. Theinsect deposits eggs on under-sides of leaves and has fivenymphal stages. It has twogenerations per year in theMid-Atlantic area, and itsdevelopmental period lastsapproximately 50 days fromegg to adult. It can now befound in more than 300 hostplants including tree fruit, smallfruit, grapes, vegetables,legumes, and ornamentals.

In 2008 and 2009, inKearneyville, WV, the pest wasfound late in the season andthe crop loss of apples in2009 was approximately45,000 bushels for one grow-er. This amount had to beredirected to processing fromfresh market due to damagedfruit. This amount was about10% of the fruit harvested,resulting in a loss in crop valuefor those damaged fruitbetween 80 and 90%.

Last year, they began recogniz-ing BMSB as a season longpest and growers held an emergency meeting inSeptember 2010 to discussstrategies for managing thispest.

Stinkbugs overwinter in homesand are particularly fond ofclimbing to the top stories andattics of homeowners, Tracydiscussed the plight of onehomeowner in Harpers Ferry,WV. She quoted the owner whostated, “This weekend I vacu-umed up more than 8,000stink bugs (vast majority werealive) in my attic, to add to thenow more than 4,000 I’veremoved from my living spacesince January. I have nowdestroyed 12,348 stink bugs inmy home in 45 days sinceJanuary 1, 2011. After all theeffort this weekend, another100+ found their way into mykitchen (a two year old addi-tion) Sunday afternoon.”

Tracy discussed the challengesin managing the stink bug andidentified them as:•The tremendous season-longpressure from populationsmoving from wild and othercultivated hosts into croppedareas leading to constant re-infestation of plots.

In Search of Brown MarmoO

Maryland’s DepartmeDeputy Director, Malooks on as Robert Btour participants at hMountain Orchard.

Tracy Leskey, USDA-ARS,Appalachian Fruit ResearchStation Entomologist and BMSB expert, shows BillGardenhour, owner of of Gardenhour Orchards evidence ofBMSB damage (right) on the day of the tour.

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•The greatest efficacy hasbeen observed when adultsdirectly contact wet spraymaterial. Only a small portionof the damaging population islikely exposed to wet deposits. •Avoidance behaviors allowthem to potentially escapetreatments.•Insecticides labeled as excel-lent against native stink bugsare not showing the same fieldefficacy against BMSB. Severalinsecticides caused initialknockdown but the BMSBrecovered within 24 hours.Other materials were com-pletely ineffective.

Recent studies involving 7 daysurvivorship evaluations usingcarbamates have been con-ducted. Of these, Lannatedemonstrated moderate togood efficacy. The organophos-phate chemistries generallyshowed some efficacy as wellas one pyrethroid, bifenthrin.The neonicotinoids testeddemonstrated significant levelsof insect recovery.

Since this pest originated inanother part of the world it has

no known predators orparasites in the states.There is a parasitic wasp inAsia that effectively con-trols BMSB by parasitizingeggs but this wasp is notavailable for release in theU.S. yet.

Hearing from the growers wasvery impactful. Bill Gardenhouris the fourth generation owner

of Gardenhour Orchards inSmithsburg, MD. On his farm,he grows pick your own andfresh market fruits and vegeta-bles. He just spotted BMSB inhis peaches a couple weeks agoand has been spraying hisorchard regularly ever since. Hestated, “It is only June, and Ihave pest pressure. I need tosustain my apples untilSeptember/October. Also, Iworked a long time to developan Integrated Pest Management(IPM) program here but I haveto spray more than ever to con-trol this pest so forget aboutIPM.”

Robert Black, owner of CatoctinMountain Orchard, Thurmont,MD, and final tour stop of theday agrees with Bill. He and hisfamily have worked hard toimplement Best ManagementPractices that include trickle irri-gation, which allows forincreased growth while usingless water and power along withan IPM program to allow the“good bugs” to control the“bad bugs,” but he too has hadto walk away from over 20 years

Agriculture Specialist Bob Rouse explainsthe impact brown marmorated stink bugsare having on local farms during the lasttour stop of Catoctin Mountain Orchard.

Feature Article

orated Stink Bug Solutions

ent of Agricultureary Ellen Setting,Black addresseshis Catoctin,

of IPM in order to control theBMSB.

Mark Seetin, Director,Regulatory and Industry Affairs,US Apple Association was aparticipant on the tour. He stat-ed in a letter to IR-4 ExecutiveDirector, Jerry Baron, “As vitalas the work of IR-4 has been inthe past, the unprecedentedchallenges posed to U.S. spe-cialty crop production by theBMSB makes it even more critical. US Apple estimated thatMid Atlantic growers lost 18percent of the 2010 crop to theBMSB, costing $37 million toapples alone. When all the otherspecialty crops produced in theMid Atlantic were factored in,the number was likely 5 timesthat amount. Worse, as we sawduring last month’s tour,prospects are growing that dam-age in 2011 could besignificantly greater than in2010. As the BMSB expandsacross the U.S., it is critical tothe specialty crop industry thatIR-4 continues to function in thecritically needed role as a facili-tator to bring the best availabletechnology to specialty cropgrowers to use in combating thedevastating potential of theBMSB.

Major portions of this article were pre-sented by Tracy Leskey as a slidepresentation during the tour and havebeen used here with her permission.Tracy can be contacted attracy.Leskey@ars.usda.govIR-4’s Kathleen Hester also contributed to this article.

UPDATE: see sidebar on page11 for a related article.

Information Exchange

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More Tea Facts continued from page 3

Recent research has explored the potential health attributes of tea through studies in humans, animalmodels and through in vitro laboratory research. For the most part, studies conducted on green andblack tea, which are both from the Camellia sinensis plant, have yielded similar results. Recentresearch suggests that tea and tea flavonoids may play important roles in various areas of healthand may operate through a number of different mechanisms still being explored.

Heart HealthThe current body of research suggests that drinking tea can offer significant heart health benefitsranging from reducing heart attack risk to lowering Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, or“bad” cholesterol, with benefits seen with just one cup and upwards of six cups a day. A Harvardstudy found that those who drank a cup or more of black tea per day had a 44% reduced risk ofheart attack. In a large population based study, adults who drank just over two cups of green tea perday reduced their risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 22-23%.2 Additionally, a USDepartment of Agriculture study found that participants who drank five cups of black tea per dayalong with a diet moderately low in fat and cholesterol reduced their LDL cholesterol by about 11%after three weeks.

Certain CancersBenefits to gastrointestinal health reaped by tea-drinking seem to be cumulative and dependantupon the amount of tea consumed per day as well as the number of tea drinking years. One studyfound that women who consumed the equivalent of 2.5 cups of tea per day had a 60% reduction inrectal cancer risk, compared with women who drank less than 1.2 cups of tea daily. An additionalstudy found tea drinkers to have an approximate 42% reduced risk of colon cancer compared tonon-tea drinkers. Men who drank more than 1.5 cups of tea per day were found to have a 70%lower colon cancer risk. One study showed that participants who drank iced black tea and citruspeel had a 42% reduced risk of skin cancer and hot black tea consumption was associated with asignificantly lower risk of the most common form of skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma.

Neurological DeclineA recently published long-term study of nearly 30,000 adults found that drinking three or morecups of tea per day was associated with a 69% reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.According to research presented at the 2007 Scientific Symposium on Tea and Health, theanine, anamino acid that is for the most part uniquely found in tea (green and black), may help prevent agerelated memory decline. This human-based data is supported by recent animal studies utilizing thea-nine. Another recent animal study shows that green tea may have protective effects againstAlzheimer’s disease.

Caffeine ContentTea is naturally low in caffeine. A cup of Black Tea, for example, contains about 40 milligrams ofcaffeine.

Cost Per ServingPrepared in the home, tea costs about three cents per serving, cup or glass. Tea continues toremain one of the most economical beverages available.

When Northerner, MarkCzarnota, took the job at theUniversity of Georgia’s (UGA)College of Agricultural andEnvironmental Sciences, he didn’t know he’d learn a newskill, picking cotton, but suchwas the case for him and other“Yankees” who join the schoolin Griffin, GA.

Mark has been with UGA since2001. As the school’sAssociate Professor andExtension Specialist, Mark trav-els throughout the state meetingwith growers and regularlyspeaks to commodity groupswhere he presents currentresearch findings, labelingchanges and trends in weedcontrol.

His 25% research appointmentis a vital component of his position. Mark uses thisappointment to support hisextension program. Most of hisprojects are directly related toimproving producer knowledgeof weed control in theOrnamental, Floriculture,Christmas tree and small fruitindustries. He also works closelywith the agricultural chemicalindustry and has been conduct-ing IR-4 research to helpdevelop herbicides and controlstrategies for “difficult to con-trol weeds”.

At the beckoning of the blue-berry industry, Mark used aportion of his time researching

Focus on a researcher:Mark Czarnota, UGA

weed control needs for thisimportant commodity.Controlling weeds in a blueber-ry field is critical, as loss ofnewly established plants andannual yield losses due to weedcompetition can easily escalateto $1,000 per acre. Throughhis research and extensionefforts, he has developed valu-able weed control informationto help the blueberry industryreduce production costs. Overthe past several years, experi-ments have been designed toevaluate herbicides for pre-emergence weed control in pinebark substrates, nutsedge con-trol in blueberries, and woodyweed control in blueberries.Information from this researchhas been presented in variouspublications and at state,regional and national meetings.

His work has also led to coop-eration with faculty at both theUniversity of Georgia andNorth Carolina State University.Information generated throughthese research and extensionactivities is helping to developsound weed control informationfor the blueberry industrythroughout the country.

Before Mark joined UGA, therewas no program servicing orna-mental and nursery crops,which generates an estimated$1.5 billion annually inGeorgia. Mark developed acomprehensive weed controlprogram that has provided valu-

able weed control information tocounty agents, growers and pro-ducers. Failures in weed controlprograms at a containerizednursery can lead to annual handweeding costs of $800 to$1,200 per acre. Mark providesrecommendations on selectionand use of available herbicides,as well as alternative measuresof weed control. With this infor-mation, growers and producersimprove their business profitabil-ity and remain competitive intoday’s global market.

Mark uses a variety of outlets todisseminate his information,including journal articles, refer-reed extension bulletins, populararticles, and presentations. Hehas also developed E-Learningmodules on how to get startedin the greenhouse business. Mark’s extension and researchhas generated over $550,000in grants and gifts and hisefforts have generated signifi-cant regional and nationalinterest thereby benefiting smallfruit growers and the entire USornamental and nursery indus-try. IR-4 recognizes Mark’s hardwork and is proud to focus onresearchers like him.

Mark Czarnota gets a lesson in picking cotton,which he explains is aUGA initiation for new-comers from the North.

Personalities in the News

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The first step toward placing abeautiful plant in a residentialor commercial interior or land-scape is propagation.Propagation simply meansreproducing a plant. There areseveral ways plants reproduce.Seed production is a common

way to propagate, conferringthe benefit of a mixed geneticpool. Specific parents arecrossed whose progeny willpossess certain desired traits incommon. Many bedding plantsincluding backyard vegetablesare propagated in this way.Another common method ofreproducing plants is throughbulb or corm formation underor at the soil line. Gladiolus,tulips, iris and other floweringplants are grown in large fieldsuntil the bulbs or corms arelarge enough to be sold andreplanted. An increasinglycommon method of propaga-tion is asexual, vegetativepropagation, through tissueculture or through rooting cut-tings harvested from stock“mother” plants. Rooted orunrooted geranium, chrysan-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ir4.rutgers.edu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 10

Vol 42 No 3

Spotlight on Ornamentals

Promiscuous Plant Propagation? Not at all!

themum and poinsettia cut-tings, for example, are oftenpropagated at offshore loca-tions whose environments areconducive to vegetative propa-gation and are sold bypropagators to growers whowill transplant them and growthem into finished materials.

The value of domesticallypropagated plants (seeds, cut-tings, bulbs/corms) in theUnited States is $694 millionannually (2009 Census ofHorticulture, NASS 2010).Growers also import $697 mil-lion in propagative ornamentalhorticulture plant materials intothe U.S. (Department ofCommerce, U.S. CensusBureau, Foreign TradeStatistics, 2010). Theseimports can present challenges,and one of the most pressing ispreventing non-native hitchhik-ers or potentially invasivespecies.

Hitchhikers can be new dis-eases or insects, or even weedsin the case of woody andperennial plant liner production(cycad scale, Ralstoniasolanacearum Race 3 Biovar 2,yellow fieldcress). As interna-tional trade increases,regulatory agencies, environ-mental watchdog groups, andeven concerned customers areincreasingly focused on trade

in imported seeds, bulbs, veg-etative cuttings, and otherplant material, as well as otherpathways. Wood pallets andother wood packaging materi-als, airplanes, ships and cargocontainers have been sourcesto move organisms throughoutthe world (Asian long-hornedbeetle, brown marmoratedstink bug). Travellers mayintentionally or unintentionallybring non-native species backas they return to U.S. soil(gypsy moth, kudzu, giantAfrican land snail). Storms andwind patterns have been sus-pects in certain exotic diseaseoutbreaks (soybean rust).

International propagators tryto minimize the spread ofhitchhikers as much as possi-ble. Finding an unidentifiableinsect or a diseased plant isenough for the U.S. Customsand Border Patrol to rejectshipments at the ports. Statesmay also reject shipments fromout-of-state for pests of localconcern. Reputation is impor-tant, and if domestic orinternational propagators getknown for sending problemsroutinely, sales may go down.To avoid having shipmentsrejected at the border, propa-gators and growers may have

— by Cristi Palmer, IR-4 Ornamental Horticulture Program Manager

EPA ApprovesTwo Insecticidesfor Control of BrownMarmorated Stink Bug

WASHINGTON – On June24, 2011, EPA approved,for emergency use, theinsecticide dinotefuran(trade names Venom andScorpion) on tree fruit tohelp manage populations ofthe brown marmorated stinkbug, an invasive insect thathas caused extensive yieldlosses in tree fruit produc-tion in the mid-Atlanticregion. The approval, knownas an emergency exemption,or Section 18, applies toVirginia, Maryland,Delaware, Pennsylvania,West Virginia, NorthCarolina and New Jersey.Under the exemption, pro-ducers of stone fruit (suchas peaches, plums and cher-ries) and pome fruit(including apples and pears)are allowed to manage thebrown marmorated stink bugwith two applications ofdinotefuran by groundequipment per season.

EPA Pesticide ProgramUpdateswww.epa.gov/pesticides From EPA's Office ofPesticide Programs -06/30/2011

to rely on chemical manage-ment tools, particularly rightbefore harvest and shipment.While necessary to ensureminimal pest movement andgood reputation, reliance on alimited number of chemicaltools can, if not carefullydesigned and monitored, leadto resistance issues furtherdown the crop productioncycle.

The best strategy for propaga-tors is to keep their operationsas clean as possible utilizingIntegrated Pest Management,or all available means to man-age diseases, pests, andweeds. Sanitation and scoutingare critical, as is tapping intobeneficial organisms and bio-logical and chemical controloptions as needed. Whenchemical control options areused, it is important to rotateto different modes of action toreduce resistance. For nurseryliner propagation, preemergentor postemergent herbicidescan be applied, and any escap-ing weeds should be manuallyremoved before they have theopportunity to flower and setseed to prevent unwantedpropagation.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ir4.rutgers.edu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 11Vol 42 No 3

Did You Know?

Calendar of Events

IR-4 Southern Region2011 Priorities Setting Call#2-August 4, 2011 10am ET

North Central SLR MeetingUniversity of IllinoisUrbana-ChampaginAugust 15-16, 2011

2011 Food Use WorkshopSeptember 13-14, 2011Cary, NC

2011 Ornamental HorticultureWorkshopOctober 5-6, 2011Sacramento, CA

2011 National ResearchPlanning MeetingIR-4 HQOctober 25-26Princeton, NJ

Global Minor Use Summit -2Rome, ItalyFebruary 22-24, 2012

IR-4’s research focus is primari-ly on tools to help with growingfinished plants, but someexperimental data are applica-ble to maintaining stock plantsor growing rooted cuttings. Toread IR-4 summary reports onvarious disease, insect, andweed efficacy projects, visit theOrnamental Horticulture pageon the IR-4 website.

Photo credits: Cristi PalmerSources: Joe Neal, LanceOsborne, Lin Schmale

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Call for NominationsNominate someone today for the IR-4 National Recognition ofExcellence Award.

The nomination deadline is October 1, 2011. This award is presented once every 3 years.

Nominees can be anyone associated with the program exceptactive members of the PMC. The number of nominees is notrestricted, but a maximum of 3 persons will receive the award.

The nomination must show evidence of outstanding achievementswell beyond normal job performance, and achievements that haveresulted in a major positive impact on the IR-4 program.

Once a person has been given this award, they are not eligible toreceive it again.

Find the nomination form at ir4.rutgers.edu.