Dikegulac Sodium Registration Review Focus Meeting Held. 

Summary 

On July 24, 2014 the OPP registration review team met with representatives from USDA, PBI/Gordon and ArborSystems to discuss current use and usage, and sales data of dikegulac sodium. Dikegulac sodium is a growth regulator registered to prevent flowering and undesired fruit sets, to retard growth, and to promote lateral branching.  Currently, it is registered for use on hedges, shrubs, trees, and groundcovers in a number of residential, public, and industrial settings. The docket is scheduled to open in December 2014. 

Participants

BEAD: Carl Chen, Cynthia Doucoure, Arnet Jones
EFED: Brian Anderson, Jean Holmes, Greg Orrick, Elyssa Arnold
HED: Bridgett Bobowiec, Yvonne Barnes
PRD RMIB2: Matthew Manupella, Cathryn Britton 
RD: Heather Garvie
PBI/Gordon: Jim Kunstman
Arborsystems: Kim Davis 
USDA: Ted Rogers

Agenda Topics
 
   1. BEAD
   * Discussion of current usage information ,  for dikegulac sodium including:
         o pounds a.i. applied or sold annually 
         o average a.i. application rate
         o average # of applications per year
         o breakdown of use by application method
         o describe the primary uses (e.g., In nurseries? Greenhouses? Ornamentals in yards? Any particular species?)
         o Is use expected near water? Could use be restricted near water bodies?
            
   * What is the geographic distribution of dikegulac sodium use in the U.S.?
   * Given what appears to be relatively low usage, how important is this chemical to the nursery and floriculture sector in the U.S.?
     
   2. EFED
   * Are the registrants aware of any similar chemicals on the market? (e.g., chemicals that are expected to have similar toxicity profiles in particular)
   * Are the registrants aware of any fate or ecotox studies that have not been previously submitted to the Agency?
   * Has the registrant encountered any concerns from users about exposure of pollinators to dikegulac-sodium?


