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26 mar 2021 · Projects are then voted on to identify which research priorities are addressed. In this way, IR-4 has assisted in the registration of nearly 50,000 additional crops uses, allowing specialty crop growers to improve pest management, reduce crop damage, and minimize food waste.
• Work towards a globally acceptable definition of “minor crops”; • Find consensus on crop grouping and representative crops (crops that are similar enough that they can be treated the same, i.e. onions and leeks);
Inter-Regional Research Project Number 4 ( IR-4 Project, also referred to as the Minor Crop Pest Management Program) is an agricultural program of the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service which has been in effect since 1963.
The IR-4 Project helps specialty crop growers address pest management concerns so they can produce healthy fruits, vegetables, herbs, and other crops recommended for a healthy diet; as well as flowers, shrubs, and landscape plants that enhance our environment.
The purpose of the IR-4 program is to enable the crop protection industry to provide safe, effective, and economical crop protection products for growers and consumers of minor/specialty crops.
But these minor crops—defined as those grown on 300,000 acres or less—are helped by a federal-state project known as Interregional Research Project No. 4, or IR-4. Its charge is to conduct field trials and collect data needed for EPA approval of so-called minor-use pesticides.
Working on a global scale helps IR-4 garner more support to address minor use needs and helps US growers access global markets. Minor uses of pesticides are uses that growers deem to be necessary to deal with pests in low acreage crops or represent minor uses on large acreage crops.
