Meeting of the Panel on Efficacy Evaluation of Herbicides 
and Plant Growth Regulators

York, GB, 2007-11-14/16

 

 

The Panel on Efficacy Evaluation of Herbicides and Plant Growth Regulators met at the Pesticide Safety Directorate (PSD), in York (GB), on 2007-11-14/16, at the kind invitation of Ms Hoy. The Panel was welcomed by Mr Davis who gave a brief overview of PSD and the relevance of the range of work carried out by EPPO.

 

This year Panel members of both Efficacy Evaluation Panels (Fungicides/Insecticides and Herbicides/Plant Growth Regulators) were designated a new task: to start the work on specific extrapolations in the form of tables, which should form accompanying supplements to the newly published EPPO Standard  PP 1/257 Efficacy and crop safety extrapolations for minor uses.

 

These will effectively form working documents and will enable specific extrapolations to be regularly and easily updated and maintained. The preliminary format of the tables and first examples for vegetable brassicas and stone and pome fruit were initiated by the Panel on General Standards on Efficacy Evaluation. The Panel scrutinized and amended these accordingly, in preparation for the country consultation phase.

 

In the meantime, tables with examples of efficacy and crop safety extrapolations, produced by the PSD-led project for the European Commission (EU DG SANCO) are available on the EPPO website. They present useful information for users that was available at the moment of their creation (2005). The EPPO tables under development will eventually supersede the PSD-EU DG SANCO tables.

 

The Panel also continued its main work on the preparation of standards for conducting field trials to evaluate the efficacy of herbicides and plant growth regulators. A number of revised and new standards were completed and they will be sent to EPPO countries for comment: 

  • Reduction of lodging in cereals (PP 1/144); Regulation of growth in stone fruits (PP 1/208); Weeds in flower bulbs and tubers (PP 1/88); Weeds and leafy vegetables (PP 1/89); Weeds in root vegetables (PP 1/99); Weeds in orchards (PP 1/90); Weeds in Allium crops (PP 1/75); Weeds in Ribes and Rubus (PP 1/119); and Weed control between crops (PP 1/98). 
  • The Panel will next meet on 24/26 November 2008 in the Czech Republic. The precise location is to be confirmed.