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 pesticides 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.

IR-4 Project Idaho

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

Through the years, Idaho stakeholders have requested more than 400 new food uses on specialty crops.  Over 200 of these have been registered and are available for farmers to use on crops ranging from grains, peas and beans, oil crops, corn, onions and potatoes to mint and grasses.  These are only part of the thousands of new registrations IR-4 has secured for Idaho growers and others in the west.

Examples of pesticide registration expansions resulting from recent Idaho requests