UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WAS H I N GTO N , D
. C

. 20460


### AUG 19 

### 2015

MEMORANDUM OFFICE OF CHEMICAL SAFETY ANO POLLUTION PREVENTION

SUBJECT: Revised BEAD Chemical Profile for Registration Review: ForcWorfenuron ( 12881 9) 

### FROM:

THRU: Car l Chen, Plant Pathologist Biological Analysis Branch Cynthia Doucoure , Environmental Protection Specialist

# ~ Sc ience Information and Analys is Branch Stephen Smeannan, Economi st 

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# \J..-\.\ ' ·**~** Economic Analysis Branc h 'fb-( '\J )

### ~ 

# J Bi ological and Economic Analysis Division (7503P)

Timothy Kiely , Chief 

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## l/v\t).{ Economic A nalysis Branch · )
. . \) Biological and Economic Analysis Division (7503P) TO : Wilhe lmena Livingston , Chemical Review Manager Ri sk Management and Implementation Branch IV Pesticide Re-evaluat ion Division (7508P)
Product Review Panel date: October 1, 2014

Page 

### 1of4SUMMARY Forchlorfenuron, a plant growth regulator, was regis
. tered in February 2005 for use on grapes, and kiwi to improve fruit yield and quality. 

### In March 2014, several new Section 3 uses of forchlorfenuron were added, including almond, sweet cherry, fig, pear, pistachio , and plums/prunes
. Available public and proprietary data sources show that forchlorfenuron is used primarily on grapes and kiwi in the state of California. On grapes, forchlorfenuron is used in much the same way as PGR gibberellin but less frequently because it is more expensive and because it is mainly used on grape varieties that are not tolerant of gibberellins (CA DPR, 2007). According to the July 2014 Screening Level Usage Analysis (SLUA) approximately 1,000 lb a.i. are applied annually on grapes with less than 2.5% of grape acreage treated annually. For kiwi, less than 500 lbs a.i. are applied annually and the percent of kiwi acreage treated is 25%. BEAD's sea rch of the data found that for grapes and kiwi that there is very low usage of forchlorfenuron.
INTRODUCTION The purpose of this document is to convey usage information and a broad overview of the pest management roles of pesticides that are beginning to undergo registration review. The anticipated audience con sists of the
. team of EPA staff currently evaluating the registration status of forchlorfenuron , and eventually the general public. This document builds upon the data BEAD provides in the Screening Level Usage Analysis (SLUA) to Registration Review teams. The document is based on information and data available to BEAD as of June 2014.
IDSTORY OF BEAD ASSESSMENTS FOR FORCHLORFENURON BEAD prepared a Screening Level Usage Analysis (SLUA) in June 2014 that provided average percent crop treated (PCT) values for grapes (<2.5%) and kiwifruit (25 %) during the 2004-2012 timeframe. The average annual pounds a.i. applied was 1,000 lb for grapes and less than 500 lb for kiwifruit. Please note that the SLUA is based on an amalgamation of public andproprietary data sources which, in this case, vary widely in their reporting of forchlorfenuron use on grapes. See the For chlorfenuron Usage section for more information. A search of the BEAD database for previous BEAD products for forchlorfenuron indicates that there are no records of prior BEAD benefits assessments or Section l 8s requests for forchlorfenuron
. However, a lack of Section 18 requests assessments doe s not specifically indicate the relative importance of the chemical in registered u se sites.
COMMON FORMULATIONS AND APPLICATION METHODS Forchlorfenuron is formulated as a soluble concentrate liquid and applied via ground sprays. Page 2 of 4USE SITES Agricultural Use Sites: Forchlorfenuron is registered for use on bushberries, blueberries, kiwi , grapes for fresh market (table), wine , and rai sins, almonds, sweet cherries, fig, pears , pistachio s, and plums/prunes
. Non-Agricultural Use Sites: There are no non-agricultural use sites regi stered for forchlorfenuron.
FORCHLORFENURON USAGE Agricultural Usage Trend Based on the available private and public market research, forchlorfenuron has been used consistently in very s mall quantities in the state of California on grapes and kiwifruit since 2001. California classifies forchlorfenuron as a reduced ri sk chemical and is used in the same way as the PGR gibberellin, but less frequently because it is more expensive and because it is typically u sed on only on grape varieties that are not tolerant of gibberellins (CA DPR , 2007). BEAD 's proprietary data source reports low amounts of forchlorfenuron in terms of total pounds applied on grapes and kiwi in recent years. · BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS RELEVANT TO FORCHLORFENURON Forchlorfenuron, CPPU or N-(2-chloro-4-pyridinyl)-N'-phenyl urea, is a plant growth regulator (PGR). It is currently registered for use on blueberries, bushberries, grapes, and kiwifruit. It affects cell divi s ion and can be used to increase fruit size. It also functions to increase fruit set, accelerate plant growth, and/or delay maturity. Forchlorfenuron is an extremely potent PGR , even at low application rates.
ROLE OF FORCHLORFENURON IN PEST MANAGEMENT Based on available data, forchlorfenuron doe s not appear to play a major role as a plant growth regulator in grape produc tion in the U.S. It is used almost exclusively in California in relatively s mall quantities in terms of pounds a.i. applied with les s than 2.5% of the table grape crop treated on average nationally. Potential factors contributing to low use of forchlorfenuron in grapes, according to California DPR, include the fact that it is expensive and u sed mainly on grape varieties that are not tolerant of PGR gibberellin. For grape production in California, forchlorfenuron was one of few PGRs with reported u sage data on grapes. For kiwifruit production in California, forchlorf enuron was introduced as a new PGR to growers in the Pest Management Strategic Plan for Kiwifruit Production in California (CKC/CMCC, 2003). It can be applied two to three weeks after bloom. Approximately 25 percent of the
Page 3 of 4kiwifruit production acreage was treated with forchlorfenuron on average between the years 2004 to 2012 (EPA, 2014).


### INFORMATION THAT MAY BE USEFUL FOR BEAD'S FUTURE WORK ON FORCHLORFENURON The Agency currently does riot have certain important information on forchlorfenuron. Obtaining the following usage information may improve future assessments conducted by the Agency related to the use and importance of forchlorfenuron:
• Typical use patterns (pounds a.i. applied, percent of crop treated, average a.i. rate) for forchlorfenuron use on all registered crops including grapes and kiwi.


### REFERENCES EPA, Forchlorfenuron Screening Level Usage Analysis (SLUA), June 2014 California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), Pesticide Annual Use Summaries, 2004-2012 CKC/CMCC. 2003. A Pest Management Strategic Plan (PMSP) for Kiwifruit Production in California. California Kiwifruit Commission (CKC); California Minor Crops Council (CMCC). Available at http ://www.ipmcenters .org/pmsp/pdf/CAKIWIFRUIT
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