Product Registration Changes Impacting Horticulture: Q&A with Perennia Specialists

Changes are coming. Several pesticide products will be cancelled, or labels will be updated to include amendments to use patterns. The product changes come after the re-evaluation decisions by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) – the regulatory body that assesses the acceptability of risks according to current standards.

Join us to learn updates from our seven Perennia specialists who are here to support you in the horticulture sector. This webinar will be interactive – something that we miss by seeing you all in person! That’s why we are dedicating an entire question-and-answer period to you. In this conversational style webinar, we’ll answer frequently asked questions and live questions that you submit.

The focal crops during the session are apples, wild blueberries, cranberries, vegetables, viticulture, berries, and cannabis.

It’s like a tailgate meeting with our horticulture team! Featuring Caitlin Congdon, Francisco Diez, Sajid Rehman, Hugh Lyu, Sonny Murray, Talia Plaskett, and Michelle Cortens. Questions are moderated by Jennifer Haverstock.

If you have specific questions you'd like to see answered, you can send them to any of the crop specialists who will be sure to answer them during the webinar.

This webinar is NS Environment course number T1985 worth 1.0 point in Regulations. You must attend the entire session to receive points.

Register now!

Changes Coming for the Use of Chlorothalonil (Bravo®) Products

By Jill MacDonald, Perennia Research Associate

Chlorothalonil is a contact and protectant fungicide that controls a broad range of fungal diseases. It is used on a number of crops. Due to the recent re-evaluation of chlorothalonil by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) there are changes that will affect how growers use the product, in relation to how it is mixed, loaded and applied. The re-evaluation has caused a discontinuation of Bravo 500 and Ridomil Gold SL/Bravo Twin-Pak formulations. The final day that these products will be available for purchase is May 10th, 2020, and the final day that growers will be able to make applications of these products is May 10, 2021.  After this time, it will be the responsibility of the grower to properly dispose of any leftover product.

How will these changes affect how I use chlorothalonil products?

Changes to Number of Applications Permitted

There have been several changes made to the number of applications that are permitted on fruit and vegetable crops, it is important to check how your crop is affected. The full list of changes, including application rates and REIs can be found here.

A few of the crops that are undergoing changes to the number of applications permitted per season:

Crop	2019	2020
Blueberry (HB)	3	2
Cabbage	5	2
Celery, field	9	2
Cherries (sweet and sour)	4	3 (2 spring + 1 post-harvest)
Cole Crops	5	1
Cranberries	3	1
Cucurbit Vegetables	7	2
Onion, dry bulb	3	2
Onion, green bunching	5	2
Peach, nectarine	4	3 (2 spring + 1 dormant)
Potato, table	12	3
Tomato (not for processing)	9	2
Wheat	3	2

Additional PPE, Buffer Zone Changes and REI

New requirements have been put in place to protect the applicator and persons who are handling the product, by increasing the amount of personal protective equipment (PPE) required. It is recommended to read the revised product label to obtain information on PPE and changes to the buffer zone requirements and restricted entry intervals (REI) for certain activities. Growers are reminded to have the updated label available to staff members who may come in contact with the product, as well as making them aware of the changes.

Implementation of Vegetative Filter Strips

Use of chlorothalonil requires a 10 meter (32’) vegetative filter strip (VFS) to be planted, if there is an aquatic ecosystem downhill from the field or sprayed area. A VFS is different than spray buffer zones: the filter strip is typically perennial, hardy, deep-rooted native vegetation that can slow runoff and filter out any pesticides that the runoff may contain. 

  

Figures were obtained from: https://www.syngentaebiz.com/dotnetebiz/imagelibrary/Vegetative_Strip_ECU_Bulletin_2019.pdf?utm_source=pardot&utm_medium=lp&utm_campaign=895&utm_content=en

Introduction of Closed-system Transfer

The PMRA will now require growers, under certain circumstances, to use a closed-transfer and application system. The closed-system transfer specifically focuses on mixing and loading of the product. All potato applications, or any applications when more than 340 kg a.i. are handled in one day will be subject to these requirements.  When product is directly transferred from the tote to the sprayer tank, this will now require dry poppet connections which comply with closed-transfer. Dry poppets are available from several manufactures and are also known by several names, such as dry poppet couplings or valves. Syngenta currently supplies a female dry poppet to male cam lever adapter with each tote of Bravo Zn. Many chemical handling systems and sprayers are fitted with cam lever connections from the factory, in this case you can purchase a dry poppet to cam lever adapter. The existing dry poppet valves on the 450L totes of Bravo®ZN are already compliant with the closed-system transfer requirement and will not need to be altered.

Figures were obtained from: https://www.syngentaebiz.com/Media_Upload/Pdfs/SY_19_WhitePaper_BravoZNClosedSystem_R3.pdf?utm_source=pardot&utm_medium=lp&utm_campaign=895&utm_content=en

Additional Important Changes

Hand harvesting of processing tomatoes and application through irrigation systems on strawberries and cucurbits (cantaloupe, muskmelon, honeydew, squash, pumpkin, watermelon and cucumber) is now prohibited.

For further details, please visit Syngenta.ca.

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Alliette re-evaluation

Alliette (fosetyl-aluminum) has recently undergone re-evaluation by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency.  Alliette is a systemic fungicide used manage a wide variety of diseases in various crops.  In vegetable production, it is used to control downy mildew in onions, lettuce, spinach, rutabaga, and many Brassicas, as well as white rust in spinach, purple blotch in onions, and damping-off in some greenhouse transplants.

There are a few new measures that have been proposed that may be relevant to Nova Scotia vegetable production.  Always follow the label.  Labels for all pesticides registered in Canada can be found here.

To protect workers entering treated sites, the following measures are proposed:

• Increase REIs for Brassica leafy vegetables (currently 12 hours), onions (currently 12 hours), spinach (currently 12 hours), as well as apples, blackberries, highbush blueberries, red/black raspberries, grapes, and ornamental plants.
• Establish a minimum 12-hour REI for other crops where appropriate.

To protect mixers, loaders and applicators, the following measures are proposed:

• Prohibit the use of fogging equipment (handheld or automated) or handheld mistblowers.
• Wear a chemical-resistant hat for airblast applications.

To read the full decision, please click here. There is a 90-day public consultation period if you wish to make your voice heard. 

Re-evaluation of Glyphosate

Pesticides must go through rigorous science-based assessments before being approved for sale in Canada, and undergo a cyclical re-evaluation to ensure they continue to meet modern health and environment safety standards.  During this re-examination, Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) assessed the potential human health risk of glyphosate from drinking water, food, occupational and bystander exposure, as well as the environmental risk to non-target organisms.  Both the active ingredient and formulated products were included in the re-evaluation, and were found to pose minimum risk to health and the environment.  For a detailing of the re-evaluation, please see: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pubs/pest/_decisions/rvd2017-01/index-eng.php

Some further measures to minimize risk have been added; expect to see these changes appearing on product labels in the near future.

Human Health

• To protect commercial and residential applicators: glyphosate is not to be applied using hand-wicking or hand-daubing methods.
• To protect workers entering treated sites: a restricted-entry interval (REI) of 12 hours is required for agricultural uses.
• To protect bystanders: a statement is required indicating that the product is to be applied only when the potential for drift to areas of human habitation or areas of human activity, such as houses, cottages, schools and recreational areas, is minimal.

Environment

• Environmental hazard statements are added to inform users of toxicity to non-target species.
• Spray buffer zones to protect non-target terrestrial and aquatic habitats are required.
• To reduce the potential for runoff of glyphosate to adjacent aquatic habitats, precautionary statements for sites with characteristics that may be conducive to runoff and when heavy rain is forecasted are required. In addition, a vegetative strip between the treatment area and the edge of a water body is recommended to reduce runoff of glyphosate to aquatic areas.