Pesticide Updates, Bulletins Live! Two and Inspect Your PPE
- It is an ideal time to inspect your Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to ensure it is in good condition to protect yourself and other workers. This includes inspecting and replacing goggles, head protection, gloves, respiratory protection, and chemical spill kits.
- Review the label for updates for any pesticide you have recently purchased. Even if you have used the chemical before, it is good to refresh yourself and your staff about PPE requirements, handling, use, storage, and disposal.
- Updated and new pesticide labels may require you to check Bulletins Live! Two (BLT). BLT is a web-based application that allows you to access Endangered Species Protection Bulletins (Bulletins) to see if your area has pesticide use limitations . For information on how to use BLT see the EPA website (https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/bulletins) or contact your local extension office.
You can stay up to date on pesticide news via the Maryland Pesticide Newsletter
https://www.mdpsep.com/pesticide-news
- In January 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced interim decisions for fungicides chlorothalonil, thiophanate-methyl, and carbendazim.
- Chlorothalonil— Reduced annual maximum application rates with further reductions in areas with soils vulnerable to groundwater leaching, buffers to all aquatic and conservation areas, Bulletins Live! Two, PF10 respirators for occupational handlers of antimicrobial products, limiting chlorothalonil use in papermaking, etc.
- Thiophanate-methyl—Restricting soil applications under certain conditions, reducing application rates, additional personal protective equipment for some uses, spray drift reduction buffers, runoff mitigation/conservation measures, ecological incident reporting, collection of spilled treated seeds, etc.
- In January 2025, the EPA released the final and draft biological opinions (BiOps) for methomyl and carbaryl, respectively. BiOps describe the pesticide impacts to listed (endangered and threatened) species and their critical habitat, along with potential mitigation measures.
- In January 2025, the EPA proposed to register three products containing the new active ingredient florylpicoxamid, a broad-spectrum fungicide that can be used on food crops and golf courses. It prevents spore germination on leaves by arresting fungal growth and development.
- In March 2025, the EPA registered two plant growth regulator products containing metamitron for use on apple and pear trees. Metamitron, a new active ingredient, is a chemical thinning agent that would thin excess fruit and allow the remaining fruits to grow larger, which may contribute to higher quality fruit and plant health.
UME Spray and IPM Resources
For print out of any of these resource please reach out to you local UMD Extension office or Emily Zobel (ezobel@umd.edu, or 410-228-8800)
- Common Fruit Herbicides: https://go.umd.edu/fruit-herbicides
- Spray Program for Multi-Tree Fruit Orchards: https://go.umd.edu/SPRAYORCHARD
- Spray Program for Multi-Small Fruit Plantings: https://go.umd.edu/spraysmallfruit
- IPM Threshold Guide for Vegetable Crops: https://go.umd.edu/vegthreshold
This article is featured in the Vegetable and Fruit News, Vol. 16, Issue 1.
Vegetable and Fruit News is a statewide publication for the commercial vegetable and fruit industries and is published monthly during the growing season (April through October). Subscribers will receive an email with the latest edition.
Subscribe