DCPA: Notice of Receipt of Request to Amend to Terminate Uses of Certain Pesticide Registrations: Response from Hawaii
To: Rick Melnicoe
Director, Western Integrated Pest Management Center
Director, Office of Pesticide Information and Coordination (UC Statewide
Pesticide Coordinator)
University of California
Davis, CA 95616-8588
Harold Coble
USDA
Subject: Docket ID number OPPÆ2005Æ0024
March 18, 2005
Comments in response to: DCPA; Notice of Receipt of Request to Amend to Terminate Uses of Certain Pesticide Registrations,
Federal Register Notice February 16, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 31) [OPP-2005-0024;
FRL-7698-4]
Hawaii's weather is characterized by year-round sunshine and subtropical temperatures and rainfall. These conditions allow for year-round production and year-round weed growth. Weed management is a significant problem for growers of most vegetable crops in Hawaii. DCPA has an important role in providing good to excellent preemergence weed control.
The cancellation of DCPA products will present the biggest hardship on sweet potato growers, with up to one third of the state's acreage affected. Hawaii's sweet potato growers use DCPA for preemergent control of broadleaf weeds including Apple of Peru (Nicandra physalodes), Joee (Stachytarpheta dichotoma), Amaranthus sp. and Spanish Needle (Bidens sp.) and grasses including Panicum var., Buffelgrass (Cenchrus), Wiregrass (Eleusine). Current practice alternates DCPA use in rotation with a single other herbicide, Devrinol.
Smaller acreages of beans, bean yam, beets, cucumbers, eggplant, and turnips will also be affected by the termination of DCPA.
Comments submitted by:
Dr. Michael Kawate
Phone: (808) 956-6008
Cathy Tarutani
Phone: (808) 956-2004
Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences
3190 Maile Way
St John 307
University of Hawaii
Honolulu, HI 96822
