Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/57720
"There are effective alternative ingredi- ents in wax formulations that don't contain amines, such as ammonia," Willett said. "But the alternatives change the formula- tion properties just enough so that when the wax dries, the coating on fruit is not as shiny or lustrous as when morpholine is used." For packers, it's difficult to segregate product for different markets, he added. limits of top foreign markets on the Web site: www.nw hort.org/CodexMRL Template.html. T Efforts are underway to establish an MRL for morpholine of 0.3 ppm or 0.5 ppm, but such action would likely require a risk assessment to be done by EU officials, Willett said. Scald control Both DPA (diphenylamine) and ethoxyquin, used to control postharvest scald in apples and pears, have created market challenges for U.S. pome fruit exported to the European Union. In May 2010, sales of DPA fungicides were halted by the European Union, although use on apples and pears can continue for the near future under an emergency EU decree in France, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. A consortium of DPA registrants is sub- mitting data to the European Union to support continued use, he said. The cur- rent MRL in the European Union for DPA is 5 ppm for apples and 10 ppm for pears. No impact on the current 2011-2012 crop is expected, Willett said, but "this is an issue to watch." Last March, EU officials decided to remove ethoxyquin from their list of approved materials for pears and allow a grace period until September 2012, or longer, for fruit with residues of 3 ppm. "This action has potential to be a big challenge for U.S. pear producers," he said. About 15 years ago, Northwest pear growers helped fund $2 million of research to support ethoxyquin's contin- ued use in the United States. "Because there were only two uses of the chemical in the United States—for scald control in pears and as an antioxidant in pet food— EPA waived a lot of the tests because it was used so little," Willett said. Reregistration was approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2008. But with limited use of ethoxyquin in Europe (DPA is used more on pears than ethoxyquin), Willett is doubtful that regis- trants will find it economically feasible to conduct new studies. "It's clear that in Europe, for those www.DelegateInsecticide.com 800-258-3033 ®Trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC ©2010 Dow AgroSciences LLC. Always read and follow label directions. M38-359-001 (11/10) BR 010-42145 DAAGDELE0054 chemicals that leave a residue, the bar is set high and will continue to be set higher," he said. "Exporting to the European Union is much more challeng- ing than it used to be and will continue to be challenging. Some packers have made it work, but there's a lot less fruit going there now than in the past." Willett gave his talk at the December annual meeting of the Washington State Horticultural Association. • www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER MARCH 15, 2012 27 he Northwest Horticultural Council maintains current pesticide maximum residue