What is the IR-4 Project?

Since 1963, the IR-4 Project has been the primary entity in the United States to facilitate registrations of conventional pest management and biopesticides on specialty food crops (fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs, spices) and non-food environmental horticulture crops. IR-4 is sponsored by a grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The IR-4 Project in Hawaii

The University of Hawaii, Manoa hosts the IR-4 Field Research Center on Oahu. The research center conducts residue trials as well as efficacy and crop safety trials to support new pesticide registrations.

Through the years, Hawaii stakeholders have requested more than 350 new food uses on specialty crops.  Over 150 of these have been registered and are available for farmers to use on crops ranging from coffee, nuts, vegetables and tropical fruits to taro and watercress.  These are just part of the thousands of new registrations IR-4 has secured for Idaho growers and others in the west.  Many new registrations and uses have also resulted from IR-4 projects on environmental horticulture crops.

Examples of pest management registration expansions resulting from recent Hawaii requests

Julie Coughlin serves as Hawaii’s State Liaison Representative to the IR-4 Project. In this role Julie works with Hawaii’s specialty crop stakeholders to identify pest management needs and potential solutions, while advocatimg for IR-4 projects to support Hawaii specialty crops.