UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460 

JUN 0 1 2015 

MEMORANDUM 

OFFICE OF CHEMICAL SAFETY 

AND POLLUTION PREVENTION 

SUBJECT: BEAD Chemical Profile (BCP) for Registration Review: Sabadilla alkaloids 

(002201) 

FROM: Nikhil Mallampalli, Ph.D., Entomologist !vf (G( ML--

Biological Analysis Branch --

Jihad Alsadek, Ph.D., Economist f~h...,..17 ~ ,;-.,+MA."f,e,,l__ 

Science Information and Analysis Branch 

Economic 

Andrew Lee, 

Analysis 

Ph.D., 

Branch 

Economist az (! ~ 

Biological and Economic Analysis Division ( 503P) 

THRU: 

Biological 

Arnet Jones, 

Analysis 

Chief 

Branc/~ 

~~ • U 

Diann Sims, Chief ~J,--J Science Information and Analysis Branch~ 

Timothy Kiely, Chief ~ ~ • 

Economic Analysis Branch \J. J. 

Biological and Economic Analysis Division (1 P) 

TO: Roy Johnson, Chemical Review Manager 

Risk Management and Implementation Branch 5 

Pesticide Re-evaluation Division (7508P) 

Peer Review Panel date: April 29, 2015 

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SUMMARY 

The plant-derived Sabadilla alkaloids- primarily a mixture ofveratradine & cevadine - are 

currently registered under the brand name Veratran in the U.S. Registration was first granted in 

1961, and the formulation underwent reregistration in 2004 (USEPA, 2004). 

Based on private market usage data from 2009-2013, usage averaged approximately 30 pounds 

active ingredient (a.i.) applied annually on approximately 1,000 acres treated. The average a.i. 

rate over this time period was 0.030 pounds a.i. /acre. 

INTRODUCTION 

This document provides an overview of the pest management roles and quantitative usage 

information for Sabadilla alkaloids, a complex mixture of insecticidal plant-derived chemicals 

marketed in the United States under the brand name Veratran®· The BCP includes summaries of 

previous BEAD products and available public and/or private use and usage data for Sabadilla 

alkaloids to describe its role in pest management. There will be no LUIS report due to the small 

number of products. Information provided in this BCP may be used by stakeholders (e.g., users 

and registrants), OPP risk assessors, OPP risk managers, and the general public during the 

Registration Review process of this insecticide. 

USE SITES 

Registered agricultural use sites include avocadoes, citrus (all types), and mangoes. 

FORMULATIONS AND APPLICATION METHODS 

Sabadilla alkaloids are applied both aerially and by ground based equipment, and are formulated 

as a wettable powder. 

REGULATORY HISTORY OF SABADILLA ALKALOIDS and ASSOCIATED BEAD 

PRODUCTS 

Sabadilla alkaloids are insecticides registered for use in the U.S. since 1961. Sabadilla alkaloids 

underwent reregistration and an eligibility decision was issued in 2004 (EPA 2004). A 

Screening Level Usage Analysis (SLUA, 2014) was prepared by BEAD in 2014. It provides 

national level usage in terms of pounds of active ingredient (a.i.) applied and percent crop treated 

(PCT) data for crops for which usage data are available. 

There is no official record of other earlier BEAD work products (e.g., emergency exemption 

reviews, benefits assessments) that focused on Sabadilla alkaloids. An emergency exemption 

request may indicate a need for a particular chemical that is not registered for use on a particular 

site, and may yield information about a particular chemical's importance or value that is not 

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found in other EPA records. However, a lack of such reviews by BEAD does not specifically 

indicate the relative importance of the chemical. 

USAGE 

In terms of the percent crop treated for the Screening Level usage Analysis (SLUA, 2014), all 

crops are less than 2.5 percent crop treated. The relatively low percent crop treated on these 

crops suggests infrequent reliance on Sabadilla alkaloids to control pests on these crops in 

conventionally produced crops within the label. However, growers of certified organic crops 

may use Sabadilla alkaloids to a greater extent than reported in the usage databases monitored by 

BEAD, because organic growers are not specifically surveyed. 

Based on private market usage data from 2009-2013, reported usage averaged approximately 30 

pounds active ingredient (a.i.) applied annually on approximately 1,000 acres treated. The 

average a.i. rate over this time period was 0.030 pounds a.i. /acre. Figure 1 presents reported 

Sabadilla alkaloids usage in pounds a.i. over the 1998-2013 timeframe. Figure 2 presents total 

area treated in acres over the same time period (Proprietary Data, 1998-2013). Figures 1 and 2 

show the use of Sabadilla alkaloids is decreasing significantly except for a noticeable increase in 

2003. Private market usage data sources reported no usage for 2006 and 2011. However 

California Department of Pesticide Regulation (Cal DPR) reported usage data for that time frame 

and the data are included in Figures 1 and 2 below. 

FIGURE 1. Sabadilla Alkaloids Usage in Pounds Active Ingredient Applied (1998-2013) 

1,800 

"'C 

.~ 

a. 

c. 

<t 

<r 

VI 

"'C 

c: 

:J 

0 

a.. 

0 00 

C7l 

C7l 

..... 

C7l 0 ..... C7l 0 0 C7l 0 0 ..... N N 

Source: Proprietary Data, 1998-2013 

California Data, 2006 and 201 l 

N ..,, 0 0 0 0 N N 

<t Lf) 

0 0 5 0 0 ID N N 0 

0 

N 

Years 

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r-.. 

0 

0 

N 

00 

0 

0 

N 

C7l 

0 

0 

N 

0 

..... 

0 

N 

5 

..... 

..... 

0 

N 

N fVl ..... ..... 0 0 N N 
FIGURE 2. Sabadilla Alkaloids Total Area Treated in Acres (1998-2013) 

60,000 

0 00 O'l 0 M 

O'l O'l 0 0 O'l O'l 0 0 M M N N 

Source: Proprietary Data, 1998-2013 

California Data, 2006 and 2011 

N 

0 

0 

N 

l'l'1 <t LJ'\ 0 0 <'.) 0 0 8 ID N N N 0 

,.._ 00 O'l 0 0 0 0 M 0 0 0 0 N N N N 

0 

N 

Years 

N 

M 

0 

N 

l'l'1 

M 

0 

N 

Table 1. Comparison of Crops with Highest Use of Sabadilla Alkaloids, Percent Pounds AI 

Aoolied (1998-2002 and 2009-2013) 

1998-2002 2009-2013 

Average Annual Usage= 4,000 lbs. a.i. /yr. Average Annual Usage= 100 lbs. a.i. /yr. 

Crop %Lbs Crop %Lbs 

Avocado 56 Oranges 96 

Oranges 24 Lemons 4 

Grapefruit 11 - - Lemons 9 - - Source: Proprietary Data, 1998 -2013. 

Table 2. Comparison of States with Highest Use of Sabadilla alkaloids, Percent Pounds AI 

A lied 1998-2002 and 2009-2013 

1998-2002 2009-2013 

Avera e Annual Usa e = 4,000 lbs. a.i. I Avera e Annual Usa e = 100 lbs. a.i. I 

State % Lbs State % Lbs 

California 100 California 100 

Source: Proprietary Data, 1998 -2013. 

Use of sabadilla alkaloids increased on oranges during the 2009-2013 time frame and decreased 

on lemons during the same period. There are no reported usage data for avocado and grapefruit 

during the 2009-2013 time frame to compare with the 1998-2002 time frame. 

The average a.i. rate for the top crops in terms of pounds a.i. applied was for lemons at 0.04 lbs. 

a.i./acre and for oranges at 0.020 lbs. a.i. /acre, as shown in Table 3. There are no reported usage 

data for avocado and grapefruit during the 2009-2013 time frame. 

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T a e bl 3 . S a a b d"ll 1 a a a lk I OI "d S U seon T C op 

Average Annual Crop Pounds AI Applied 

Lemons 40 

Oranges 100 

*Total Acres Treated sums all acres treated for a crop. 

Source: Proprietary Data, 2009 -2013 

rops: A verage AIR ate, 2009 -2013 

Average Annual Average Annual 

Total Acres Al Rate (lbs. 

Treated* a.i./acre) 

1,000 0.040 

5,000 0.020 

BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS RELEVANT TO SABADILLA ALKALOIDS 

These alkaloids have not been assigned a Mode of Action (MoA) category by the Insecticide 

Resistance Action Committee (a group of industry technical experts). However, their activity 

appears to be similar to that of pyrethrins and synthetic pyrethroids, in that they interfere with 

sodium channels in nerve cells, thus disrupting nervous control of muscles (Duke et al. 2010). 

Sabadilla alkaloids are "approved for use in the USA as an organic insecticide ... by the Organic 

Materials Review Institute (OMRI)" (Duke et al. 2010). They act only upon contact or ingestion 

(i.e., no plant systemic activity) and degrade rapidly in air and sunlight (Rechcigl and Rechcigl 

1998). While Sabadilla alkaloids can be synergized by the addition of either piperonyl butoxide 

(PBO) or MGK-264 (Rechcigl and Rechcigl 1998), neither is currently included in the registered 

formulation. 

According to Rechcigl and Rechcigl (1998), "sabadilla alkaloids [are] derived from the ripe 

seeds of Schoenocaulon officinale, also known as cevadilla or caustic barley, a tropical lily that 

grows in Central and South America. Sabadilla alkaloids were used historically for the control 

of insects on crops, animals, and humans (Allen et al. 1944). Since the advent of synthetic 

insecticides, sabadilla alkaloids uses have declined to the point that organic [growers] currently 

provide the major market for sabadilla alkaloids products." As early as the 1950s, it was noted 

that Sabadilla alkaloids are highly toxic to honeybees (Atkins and Anderson 1954); thus their use 

in :flowering crops may be constrained by the need to protect these insects. 

ROLE OF SABADILLA ALKALOIDS IN PEST MANAGEMENT 

While Sabadilla alkaloids (or the source seed materials) have historically been used against a 

wide variety of insects, the current label lists only thrips (unspecified species) as target insects to 

be controlled on the registered crops. The cause of the increase in usage in 2003, as reported by 

proprietary databases (Figs 1 and 2) is unclear. It may be that thrips were a temporarily greater 

problem on some of the registered crops that year (these insects can migrate from other crops or 

increase populations if their biological control by natural enemies is disrupted). 

The causes of the relatively high usage of these alkaloids on avocadoes and oranges (Table 1) are 

also unclear. It may be that these crops are often susceptible to thrips injury, or that they have a 

higher proportion of organic production (however, it is not clear to what extent organic growers 

are a component of the proprietary databases upon which the tables above are based). 

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Although thrips are the only pests listed on current labels, the registrant is apparently interested 

in the efficacy of these alkaloids against a wider range of insect pests of crop pests. At a recent 

USDA IR-4 program workshop, a presentation by the registrant indicates that there are ongoing 

comparative product performance trials including Veratran and several other materials 

acceptable for organic crop production. These trials show potential for the use of Sabadilla 

alkaloids against such incipient invasive insects as the brown marmorated stink bug and the 

spotted wing drosophila (MOK 2014). 

INFORMATION THAT MAY BE USEFUL FOR BEAD'S FUTURE WORK ON 

SABADILLA ALKALOIDS 

The Agency currently does not have important information on Sabadilla alkaloids. Obtaining the 

following usage information may improve future assessments conducted by the Agency related 

to the use and importance of these chemicals: 

All details of use in organic and non-organic crop production, including application 

rates, number of applications per year, and typical application timing during a 

growmg season. 

Major target pests in avocadoes and oranges (the highest usage crops). 

REFERENCES 

California Department of Pesticide Regulation pesticide use data. Available on the web at: 

http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/pur/purmain.htm [Accessed April 2015]. 

Allen, T.C., R.J. Dicke, and H.H. Harris. 1944. Sabadilla alkaloids, Schoenocaulon spp., with 

reference to its toxicity to houseflies. J. Econ. Entomol. 37: 400-408. 

Atkins, E.L., Jr., and L.D. Anderson. 1954. Toxicity of pesticide dusts to honeybees. J. Econ. 

Entomol. 47: 969- 972. 

BEAD, 2014. Sabadilla alkaloids Screening Level Usage Analysis. Biological and Economic 

Analysis Division, Office of Pesticide Programs, US Environmental Protection Agency. 

January 14, 2014. 

Duke, S.O., C. L. Cantrell, K.M. Meepagala, D. E. Wedge, N. Tabanca and K. K. Schrader. 

2010. Natural Toxins for Use in Pest Management. Toxins 2: 1943-1962. 

EPA. 2004. Reregistration Eligibility Decision Exposure and Risk Assessment on Lower Risk 

Pesticide Chemicals Sabadilla alkaloids. Available on the web at: 

http://www.epa.gov/oppOOOOl/chem search/reg actions/reregistration/red PC002201 27-Sep-04.pdf [Accessed April 2015]. 

Page 6 of7 
MGK. 2014. MGK Update: IR-4 Biopesticide Food Use Workshop. Held at Atlanta, GA, 

September 9-10, 2014 Available on the web at: 

www.ir4.rutgers.edu/ .. ./workshoppresentations/MGK.pdf [Accessed April 2015]. 

Rechcigl, J.E. and N.A. Rechcigl. 1998. Biological and Biotechnological Control of Insect Pests. 

358 pp. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, FL. 

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