Contact: Donna Gilson, (608) 224-5130, donna.gilson@wi.gov
Jim Dick, Communications Director, 608-224-5020, jim.dick@wi.gov
MADISON – Comments will be accepted until May 3 on a proposed special pesticide registration for Lorsban® 15G to control insects in ginseng.
The special registration proposed by the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection will allow growers to use Lorsban® 15G on ginseng for control of several kinds of larvae, or immature stage, of insects: cutworms, grubs, rootworms, and wireworms. The larvae feed on young ginseng roots, thereby causing damage that can result in reduced yield of ginseng roots.
Lorsban® 15G contains the active ingredient chlorpyrifos and is registered by Dow AgroSciences LLC, Indianapolis, IN. The proposed special registration will allow one application of Lorsban® 15G per crop, at a rate of 13.5 pounds per acre, more than 365 days before ginseng harvest. The product could be used either before planting the crop or after the plants have emerged.
The preliminary environmental assessment indicates the proposed registration will not require a full environmental impact statement. If approved, the special registration will remain in effect until Dec. 31, 2016.
For a copy of the environmental assessment, contact Matt Sunseri, P.O. Box 8911, Madison, WI 53708-8911, (608) 224-4547 or review the assessment at the department, Mon.-Fri., 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m., 2811 Agriculture Dr., Madison. Comments received on or before 4:30 p.m., Friday, May 3, will become part of the preliminary environmental assessment record. Send comments by mail at the above address or to matthew.sunseri@wi.gov.
Lorsban is currently registered in Wisconsin for use to control these insects in various field and vegetable crops, but not ginseng.
The special registration process allows the state agriculture department to register pesticide products without prior federal approval. It helps growers address local pest problems that cannot be adequately controlled by any available federally registered product. These problems include insect outbreaks, fungal diseases, and grasses and weeds that outcompete crops. Details about the special registration process are available at http://datcp.wi.gov/uploads/Environment/pdf/SpecialRegistrationApplication.pdf.
DATCP previously authorized a similar request for Lorsban® that expired on Dec. 31, 2012. The department has not received any reports of adverse effects from previous special registrations of this product.
