The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the proposed registration of new active ingredient isocycloseram.
The new active ingredient isocycloseram (Plinazolin), a broad-spectrum contact insecticide proposed for use on agricultural crops, includes key priority pests and crops such as onions for thrips, citrus fruit for ACP, citrus thrips and mites, stone fruit for mites and oriental fruit moth, brassicas for DBM, cabbage looper, imported cabbage, fruiting vegetables (tomatoes and peppers) for thrips, pepper weevil, leafminer, and leafy greens for thrips and leafminer, among other crop groups and pests. See the full list of crops and pests in the proposal.
Isocycloseram belongs to IRAC Group 30 and will represent the first foliar Group 30 option providing a new mode of action for resistance management.
EPA is opening the comment period for 30 days, starting on May 16, and will close on June 10, 2025, at 11:59 PM EDT (8:59pm PDT). The comments are in response to the proposal: https://www.regulations.gov/document/EPA-HQ-OPP-2021-0641-0006.
You may upload or type in comments by clicking “comment” in the top left corner, or submit comments here.
A letter template developed by Western Growers for comments is below. Please use this template as your organization sees fit.
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To:
Charles Smith, Director
Registration Division
Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20460-0001
RE: Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OPP-2021-0641
Dear Director Smith:
[farm name] would like to support the EPA registration of the active ingredient Plinazolin (isocycloseram; IRAC Group 30). [Describe organization here. For example, Acme Farms has been growing broccoli and romaine hearts for 15 years in Santa Maria, California.]
Growers are up against mounting pest and disease challenges intensified by pesticide resistance, reduced efficacy, and diminishing availability of traditional pest control tools. Novel pest control options to address existing and anticipated gaps in pest management are sorely needed to ensure that growers are equipped with the appropriate tools to
address these challenges and we applaud the EPA for its work to facilitate the registration of new chemistries to help fill the void.
[our commodity] has been inundated with [describe pest challenge. For example: Diamondback Moth (DBM) is the single most damaging and problematic pest for brassica crops. Over the past two years, yields per acre on cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli have dropped by over 20% and spray cost have increased 49% per acre due to DBM.]
Isocycloseram will offer growers a new, non-systemic, effective, and efficient option to
control a broad range of economically important pests in many different crops while
supporting IPM strategies and resistance management. There is no known resistance or cross-resistance to isocycloseram and therefore it will serve as a resistance breaker for certain pests that have or can become resistant to currently available registered insecticides. This is exactly the next generation technology that will allow specialty crop growers to continue to produce nutritious food in a sustainable way. Isocycloseram offers a new mode of action that can be rotated with existing chemistries for managing [key pest issue], and other critically important pest challenges for the hundreds of fruits and vegetables grown domestically to feed Americans.
We appreciate the opportunity to support the registration of isocycloseram.
Sincerely,
[Name] [Title]
