UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460 

OCT 162DM 

OFFICE OF CHEMICAL SAFETY 

AND POLLUTION PREVENTION 

l\1EMORANDUM 

SUBJECT: BEAD Chemical Profile for Registration Review: Forchlorfenuron (128819) 

FROM: 

THRU: 

TO: 

Carl Chen, Plant Pathologist 

Biological Analysis Branch 

Science 

Cynthia 

Information 

Doucoure, Environmental 

and Analysis Branch 

Protection Specialist (). ~ 

Stephen Smearman, Economist 1A.A 1.. -~ 

Economic 

Biological 

Analysis 

and Economic 

Branch 

Analysis 

~ 

Division (7503P) 

Amet Jones, Chief 

Biological Analysis Branc 

Diann 

Science 

Sims, 

Information 

Chief ~ and Analysis Branch f- 11 . ; . 

~ y ,., . . (} 1; rvurH1"Uf ~ L ~ 

Timothy Kiely, Chief (}1()1tMJftti-J ~ .J 

Economic Analysis Branch 

Biological and Economic Analysis Division (7503P) 

Wilhelmena Livingston, Chemical Review Manager 

Risk Management and Implementation Branch IV 

Pesticide Re-evaluation Division (7508P) 

Product Review Panel date: October 1, 2014 

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SUMMARY 

Forchlorfenuron, a plant growth regulator, was registered in July 1989 for use on grapes, 

bushberries, blueberries, and kiwi to improve fruit yield and quality. In April2014, permanent 

tolerances were established for new uses offorchlorfenuron on 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 search 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 consists 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. 

HISTORY 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 n,ote that the SLUA is based on an amalgamation ofpublic and proprietary 

data sources which, in this case, vary widely in their reporting of forchlorfenuron use on grapes. 

See the Forchlorfenuron 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 18s requests for 

forchlorfenuron. However, a lack of Section 18 requests assessments does not specifically 

indicate the relative importance of the chemical in registered use sites. 

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COMMON FORMULATIONS AND APPLICATION METHODS 

Forchlorfenuron is formulated as a soluble concentrate liquid and applied via.ground sprays. 

USE SITES 

Agricultural Use Sites: 

Forchlorfenuron is registered for use on bushberries, blueberries, kiwi, and grapes for fresh 

market (table), wine, and raisins. On April2, 2014, permanent tolerances were established for 

new uses offorchlorfenuron on almond, sweet cherry, fig, pear, pistachio, and plum/prune. 

Non-Agricultural Use Sites: 

There are no non-agricultural use sites registered for forchlorfenuron. 

FORCHLORFENURON USAGE 

Agricultural Usage Trend 

Based on the available private and public market research, forchlorfenuron has been used 

consistently in very small quantities in the state of California on grapes and kiwifruit since 2001. 

California classifies forchlorfenuron as a reduced risk 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 

used 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 division 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 does not appear to play a major role as a plant growth 

regulator in ·grape production in the U.S. It is used almost exclusively in California in relatively 

small quantities in terms of pounds a.i. applied with less than 2.5% of the table grape crop treated 

on average nationally. Potential factors contributing to low use offorchlorfenuron in grapes, 

according to California DPR, include the fact that it is expensive and used mainly on grape 

varieties that are not tolerant ofPGR gibberellin. For grape production in California, 

forchlorfenuron was one of few PGRs with reported usage data on grapes. 

Page 3 of 4 
For kiwifruit production in California, forchlorfenuron 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 

kiwifruit 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 not 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 .PDF 

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