Back to Research Authorization - Instructions to Researchers

Research Authorization Instructions

1. If an active ingredient is not registered in California, attach acute toxicity data, unless such data has been previously submitted. Usually an MSDS or technical bulletin is sufficient. If the product is federally registered, list the U.S. EPA registration number or federal Experimental Use Permit number.

2. More than one product or crop may be included in this Research Authorization (RA) if other parameters are similar. Generally, crops to be harvested, crops to be destroyed, and non-crop trials should be placed on separate RAs.

3. Stage of Growth - Identify the point in the crop production cycle when the pesticide will be applied.

4. Size of Trial - Each trial should be described by a unit of measure or count adequate to define its physical limits (acres, pounds, number of houses, etc.). Requests for uses which are not federally registered are limited to 10 acres (except for pheromones) unless a federal EUP is obtained. Any RA request over 100 acres per crop will require specific justification. All treatments and replicates at the same site can be considered part of the same trial, including multiple applications.

5. Type of Data Sought - What do you expect to determine from application of this product (e.g. residues, efficacy, crop tolerance, control of certain pests, environmental fate)? Also indicate here if the treated crop is genetically engineered.

6. Crop Harvest/Destruction: All food or feed crops treated with products for which no tolerance or exemption from tolerance has been established must be destroyed. Unless a justification/rationale is given for harvesting a food or feed crop, the default decision will be crop destruct. Treatments made according to a USEPA-registered label, or where a tolerance is established and similar use patterns exist, can be considered for crop harvest. Justifications for harvest should include the specific applicable residue tolerances.

7. Dates - The Starting Date and the Last Application Date should bracket the projected timeframe for actual pesticide applications. The Trial Completion Date is the end of the trial, after the collection of data, and the harvest or destruction of treated commodities. It is the time at which the trial site is released back to the cooperator.

NOTICE
Researchers must comply with the requirements contained in Title 3, Division 6, Sections 6260-6272 of the California Code of Regulations which are available from the Plant Physiology office or on the Department's home page (www.cdpr.ca.gov.). Briefly, the Research Authorization notification and reporting requirements are:

1. At least 24 hours prior to initiation of a trial, a Notice of Intent and a copy of the RA must be submitted to the County Agricultural Commissioner (CAC).

2. Within 7 days of trial initiation, a plot map must be submitted to the CAC showing the exact location of the trial.

3. At least 24 hours before a commodity treated under an RA is harvested or destroyed, an Experimental Trial Report (PDF, 13 kb) must be submitted to the CAC.

4. After the last application, but within two weeks of the completion date on the RA, the Experimental Pesticide Use Report must be returned to the Department, whether or not trials were initiated.

Use Precautions - When a registered pesticide is used in an RA trial, the use precautions and protective clothing requirements on the U.S. EPA -approved label should be followed. When trials involve experimental compounds whose toxicity has not been fully evaluated, protective clothing should at a minimum consist of protective eyeware, long-sleeved shirt, long pants, and chemically impervious gloves and boots, or other protective clothing as indicated on a technical bulletin or MSDS. The use of specific chemicals may be restricted by regulations which address worker exposure, reentry intervals, and use in Pest Management Zones.

The person or firm applying for this authorization accepts responsibility for the safe use of products being tested.
Please allow two weeks to process this application.