Release Date: March 18, 2021
Contact: Kevin Hoffman, Public Information Officer, (608) 224-5005, kevin.hoffman@wisconsin.gov
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MADISON – The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is accepting comments through March 25 for a proposed special pesticide registration to allow cherry growers to use Mustang® Maxx insecticide for pest control. The registration would help sweet and tart cherry growers control insect pests, especially Spotted Wing Drosophila, up to three days before harvest. The product is already registered for use in Wisconsin on stone fruits including sweet and tart cherries. However, the pre-harvest interval is 14 days, meaning it cannot be used in the last two weeks before harvest.
Mustang® Maxx is registered for use on a wide variety of fruit, vegetable and forage crops, as well as corn and soybeans in Wisconsin. Other pre-harvest intervals on the label will remain for all crops except sweet and tart cherries.
The special need for the cherry crop arises from their increasing susceptibility to Spotted Wing Drosophila as they ripen. Spotted Wing Drosophila is a non-native fly that has appeared in Wisconsin in the past 10 years. The flies cut slits in the skin of the fruit and lay their eggs. The larvae, or immature flies, then feed on the flesh of the fruit, causing soft spots and brown sunken areas. Although the flies target many species of fruit, cherries are particularly susceptible because the insects' population buildup coincides with the ripening cherry crop. By law, there is a zero tolerance for larvae in harvested cherries.
The previous registration for Mustang® Maxx expired December 31, 2020, for use on cherries, at a three day pre-harvest interval, as a five-year permit. No reports of adverse effects were received during the previous registration. The proposed registration will go through December 31, 2025. FMC Corp. is the manufacturer, and the active ingredient is zeta-cypermethrin.
The preliminary environmental assessment indicates that the proposed registration will not require a full environmental assessment. Comments received on or before 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 25 will become part of the preliminary environmental assessment record. For a copy of the assessment, contact:
Alyssa Foss, DATCP
P.O. Box 8911
Madison, WI, 53708-8911
(608) 224-4547
alyssa.foss@wisconsin.gov
How to Submit Comments
Submit comments to Alyssa Foss by mail at the above address or email at alyssa.foss@wisconsin.gov.
More Information
The special registration process allows states to register additional uses of pesticide products other than those listed on their labels, 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. For more information visit https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/SpecialPesticideRegistrations.aspx.
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