Update: The comment period has changed, and is now open until May 19, 2022 for Ziram, Thiram, and Ferbam, and May 4, 2022 for Iprodione, for stakeholders to share their feedback on the use of these multi-site chemistries. 

Stakeholder Input Requested!

The EPA issued a Proposed Interim Decision (PID) for several multi-site fungicides that are labeled for Apple, Grape, and Strawberry. The EPA periodically reviews pesticide registrations to ensure that pesticides continue to meet the standards for registration. You can read more about this specific PID here.

What fungicide chemistries are under review?

• Ziram, Thiram, Ferbam, and Iprodione are under review.
• Ziram will be of significant concern to our fruit crop industries in Wisconsin, specifically for apple and grape.

What are the use patterns of these chemistries in Wisconsin fruit crops?

• In apple, Ziram and Ferbam are multi-site fungicide options for the control of several fungal diseases and represent some of the few multi-site chemistries available for apple growers. While there are other multi-site fungicides such as mancozeb, which is highly effective for fungal disease control, it has a very long pre-harvest interval (PHI; 77days), so Ziram (PHI = 14 days) is a valuable tool in apple disease control.
• In grape, Ziram is an excellent product for the control of black rot. Black rot overwinters in mummified fruits, and infections begin early in the growing season. Fungicides used to control black rot are applied early in the season (immediate pre-bloom through post-bloom) and the most effective compounds include Mancozeb, Ziram, strobilurin fungicides, and sterol inhibitor fungicides.
• In strawberry, Thiram is registered as a foliar spray for several fungal diseases.
• Iprodione is labeled for strawberry and grape, but seldom used on these crops. It is also registered on stone fruits (cherry, peach, plum) for the control of several fungal diseases.

What can you do right now?

The comment period is open until May 19, 2022 for Ziram, Thiram, and Ferbam, and May 4, 2022 for Iprodione, for stakeholders to share their feedback on the use of these multi-site chemistries. Loss and cancellation of these chemistries will increase reliance on at-risk fungicides, and result in fewer multi-site fungicide options to support fungicide resistance management practices.

For more information, and to enter your comments, refer to the links below:

• Ziram: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/EPA-HQ-OPP-2015-0568-0057
• Thiram: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/EPA-HQ-OPP-2015-0433-0090
• Ferbam: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/EPA-HQ-OPP-2015-0567-0027
• Iprodione: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/EPA-HQ-OPP-2012-0392-0055

This article was posted in Disease and tagged Apples, broad spectrum fungicides, disease, EPA, Ferbam, Fungicides, Grapes, Iprodione, Leslie Holland, Strawberries, Thiram, Ziram.