May 2, 2023

The following is a recap of news and updates announced by The IR-4 Project during the month of April.

2022 Annual Report and Year End Summary Available Online

The IR-4 Project is pleased to announce that the 2022 Annual Report is now available on our website.

In the report you will find:

• Successes and research activities of the Food Crop program;
• Successes and research activities of the Environmental Horticulture program;
• Activities of the Biopesticide Regulatory Support program;
• Regional funding and personnel info
• Impacts of IR-4's international activities
• ...and more!

For a higher-level overview, read our 2022 Year-End Summary, which includes a letter from IR-4 Executive Director, Jerry Baron.

IR-4 Research Symposium Presentations Posted

Did you miss our recent Research Symposium, or would it be helpful to revisit some of the details? Good news— all of the recorded presentations are now available on our website!

The food crop research presented includes entomology, weed science, and plant pathology trials. If you have any questions regarding specific projects, feel free to contact the presenters directly: 

Alice Axtell - Entomology presentations

Principal Entomologist

919-515-3055

aaxtell@ncsu.edu

Roger Batts - Weed Science presentations

Principal Biologist - Weed Science

919-515-3054

rbbatts@ncsu.edu

Jaimin Patel - Plant Pathology presentations

Principal Plant Pathologist

919-515-4287

jpatel38@ncsu.edu

IR-4 Headquarters Team Transition:

Venkat Pedibhotla Accepts New Opportunity

With mixed emotions, The IR-4 Project Headquarters announces that Dr. Venkat Pedibhotla is leaving the organization, effective May 5, 2023.

After nearly 3 years as part of The IR-4 Project, Venkat is transitioning to a new opportunity. In his three years with IR-4, Venkat served briefly as the Principal Entomologist before transitioning to his most recent role as the Assistant Director for Research Planning and Product Performance. Throughout Venkat’s tenure, we have seen an exciting expansion of our Integrated Solutions and Product Performance projects, and IR-4 has pivoted to accommodate the increased activity. We wish Venkat the best in all of his future endeavors, and we thank him for his contributions to the IR-4 Project. 

Dr. Alice Axtell will serve in an interim capacity for these duties. She can be reached by email at aaxtell@ncsu.edu or by phone at (919) 515-3055 (office).

INDUSTRY TECHNOLOGY SESSION — Registration now open!

Thursday, July 20, 2023 | Virtual

In preparation for the Food Use Workshop, this annual event gives companies the opportunity to present updates on products already in IR-4 research, as well as new technologies. Visit the ITS event webpage to register and find more details.

FOOD USE WORKSHOP

September 12-14, 2023 | Raleigh, NC (virtual option available)

Research priorities for residue studies, efficacy and crop safety research, and integrated solutions projects for 2024 will be identified during this workshop. Visit the FUW event webpage for more details coming soon.

ENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE (EHC) WORKSHOP

October 10-12, 2023 | Little Rock, AR (virtual option available)

Research priorities for the 2024-2025 environmental horticulture research cycle will be identified during this workshop. Visit the EHC event webpage for more details coming soon.

Additional information is coming soon for all three events. Keep an eye on our events web page for updates.

Interested in Becoming a Sponsor?

IR-4's busy event calendar wouldn't be possible without the support of our sponsors. Interested in joining as a sponsor this year? Reach out to ir-4_project@ncsu.edu.

We are grateful for your support!

The EHC Program released one new research summary in April:

The following tolerance successes were added to our website in March 2023 (find them under Food Crop Successes & Stories):

• Mandestrobin (Federal register date: March 9, 2023)
• Trinexapac-ethyl (Federal register date: March 29, 2023)

This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2021-34383-34848 with substantial cooperation and support from the State Agricultural Experiment Stations, USDA-ARS and USDA-FAS. In accordance with Federal Law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.