KARNAL BUNT DISEASE

South Asia is said to be the place of evolution of Karnal bunt disease of wheat caused by Telletia indica. This disease of the wheat grain is now present in several parts of the world and therefore has raised concern as a possible trade barrier. A team of plant pathologists led by Dr. S. Nagarajan and a statistician are now in the process of developing PRA for this disease using the diverse ecological situations that exist within India. They are currently analysing the risk involved in shipping material, for example, from Punjab to South India/ Himalayan destinations etc.

Those who are interested and would like to share any information can contact:

S.Nagarajan Ph.D
Director, Directorate of Wheat Research
PO Box 158
Karnal 132001 INDIA
Fax: 91_184_251390
email: snaharajan@flashmail.com

CODEX COMMITTEE ON PESTICIDE RESIDUES (CCPR) THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS
APRIL 2-7, 2001

The following are some of the highlights of the 33rd session of the CCPR.

• Two major concerns are (1) lack of data and methodology to adequately assess acute dietary intake of pesticide residues at the international level and (2) the length of time taken to establish internationally accepted pesticide residue levels known as MRLs. New pesticides are unlikely to receive Codex MRLs for several years after being registered in the respective countries; this can create significant barriers to trade.
• There are 13 regional dietary groups, based on geographic factors and the associated diets, that are used in assessing dietary exposure.
• CCPR agreed that separate MRLs did not need to be established for genetically modified crops and that each crop-pesticide situation would be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
• Vulnerabilities of infants and children was a topic of considerable discussion. CCPR agreed that the MRLs should cover all population groups, including infants and children. A decision was reached to request member governments to provide information on how this is addressed on a national basis.
• The U.S. will take the lead in preparing a paper on methodology for cumulative risk assessment (exposure to multiple pesticides with a common mechanism of toxicity). This paper will be considered by next year's session.
• CCPR acted in a variety of capacities on 66 pesticides. This included advancing certain pesticide/commodity proposed residue levels in the series of steps towards MRLs, dropping or revoking certain ones, and altering the proposed MRLs.
• Five new compounds were added to the priority list to begin their long journey to established MRLs. They are cyprodinil, fludioxonil, trifloxystrobin (all proposed by Switzerland), dimethenamid-P (Germany) and methoxyfenozide (U.S.).

The IAPPS Newsletter is published by the International Association for the Plant Protection Sciences and distributed in Crop Protection to members and other subscribers. Crop Protection, published by Elsevier, is the Official Journal of IAPPS.

IAAPS Mission: to provide a global forum for the purpose of identifying, evaluating, integrating, and promoting plant protection concepts, technologies, and policies that are economically, environmentally, and socially acceptable.

It seeks to provide a global umbrella for the plant protection sciences to facilitate and promote the application of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach to a the world's crop and forest ecosystems.

The IAPPS Newsletter welcomes news, letters, and other items of interest from individuals and organizations. Address correspondence and information to:

Dr. Nancy N. Ragsdale, Editor
IAPPS Newsletter
ARS/USDA
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E-mail: nnr@ars.usda.gov