Under continued collaboration between the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC), Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (OFVGA), and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Pest Management Centre (AAFC-PMC), the 24th Annual National Pest Management Priority Setting Workshop was held in March 2026.
The meeting brought together a wide range of participants from across North America. Participants included, but were not limited to
- University and federal researchers
- Crop extension specialists
- Private consultants
- Provincial crop specialists
- Provincial minor use coordinators
- Registrant representatives
- Pesticides Regulatory Directorate (PRD), formerly known as the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) and AAFC-PMC staff
- Growers
- Grower organization representatives
- Delegates from the US IR-4 project, Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency, and Global Minor Use Foundation (Costa Rica).
The purpose of the meeting was to review the top priorities identified by each of the provinces’ horticultural and ornamental crop industries to establish the top national priorities in the following disciplines: entomology, pathology, and weed science/plant growth regulators for the minor and specialty crops. These priorities help guide AAFC-PMC’s research program and future minor use label expansion submissions to the PRD.
As in recent years, priorities were first identified as “B” nominations and then refined into “A” priorities. The workshop also continued to include “A” Priority Without Solution (APWS) projects; projects which screen several potential product solutions prior to selection of one final solution for further supporting data generation.
Thus, the goal of this year’s meeting was to nominate 47 ‘A’ priorities for capacity analysis consideration, including ten mainstream and two organic projects per discipline, 2 APWS projects per discipline, plus five regional selections. Ultimately, a total of 37 projects were elevated to an ‘A’ priority after 3 of 6 organic priorities, and 1 of 6 APWS priorities were nominated.
Following the workshop, priorities underwent a capacity analysis to ensure projects can be completed in an efficient and timely manner according to several factors including:
- Staffing and site resources
- Number of ongoing projects already underway for a particular crop
- Crop availability in residue crop zones across Canada
- Whether a selection would support a crop group registration
- Selected solution product availability
- Selected pest pressure
- Registrant support conditions
- New, invasive, or emerging pest status
- Whether or not the priority was selected as an ‘A’ priority but not taken on in previous years
- Re-occurring emergency use requests
- ‘Category A’ new product submission status(es)
As a result, a total of 21 projects were selected as final 2026 projects to move forward into the 2027 field research season, including 13 mainstream projects, 2 organic projects, 1 APWS and 5 regional projects. A further 6 to 7 food-use projects are expected to be selected as joint projects between the U.S. IR-4 program and AAFC-PMC. Projects which were not initially selected through capacity analysis as a final project this spring may still become selected as a joint project this fall. In total, it is anticipated that 26-30 projects will be undertaken for 2026.
The following table summarizes the projects agreed upon as ‘A’ priorities for the 2026 workshop. Lines which are bolded indicate projects which will move forward as AAFC-PMC projects in 2027. Lines which are italicized were not selected as part of the capacity analysis process.
Ideally, the projects selected this year will have their data requirements completed and submitted to the PMRA with a target submission timeline of about 2031. Subsequent registration decisions for these submissions are expected from PMRA one to two years following submittal.
Table 1. Selected “A” priorities from the 2026 National Priority Setting Workshop. Lines that are bolded will move forward as PMC projects in 2026 while italicized lines were chosen as an “A” priority but will not move forward at this time.
| Crop | Pest(s) | Product Solution | Active Ingredient Solution | Registrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENTOMOLOGY PRIORITIES (10 of 10 selected, 4 final) | ||||
| Lettuce, head | Tarnished plant bug | Up-Cyde (reduction in PHI) | cypermethrin | UPL Agrosolutions |
| Lettuce, leaf | Tarnished plant bug | Up-Cyde (reduction in PHI) | cypermethrin | UPL Agrosolutions |
| Mustard greens | Tarnished plant bug | Up-Cyde | cypermethrin | UPL Agrosolutions |
| Spinach | Tarnished plant bug | Up-Cyde | cypermethrin | UPL Agrosolutions |
| Greenhouse tomato | Nesidiocorus tenuis | Pyganic | pyrethrins | MGK |
| Cherry, sweet | Leafhoppers | TBD | tiapyrachlor | Corteva |
| Leek | Two spotted spider mite | Nealta | cyflumetofen | BASF |
| Fescue | Cutworms | Pounce | permethrin | FMC |
| Ornamentals, outdoor | Strawberry blossom weevil | Harvanta | cyclaniliprole | ISK Biosciences |
| Ornamentals, greenhouse | Aphids | TBD | tiapyrachlor | Corteva |
| PATHOLOGY PRIORITIES (10 of 10 selected, 4 final) | ||||
| Rutabaga | Downy mildew | Allegro | fluazinam | ISK Biosciences |
| Lettuce, greenhouse | Phytophthora | Orondis Ultra | oxthiapiprolin + mandipropamid | Syngenta |
| Sugarbeet | Cercospora | Captan 480 SC | captan | ADAMA |
| Potato | Common scab | Enlist 1 | 2,4-D | Corteva |
| Strawberry | Powdery mildew | Vivando | metrafenone | BASF |
| Hazelnut | Eastern filbert blight | Captan 480 SC | captan | ADAMA |
| Camelina | Downy mildew | Xivana Prime | fluoxapiprolin | Bayer |
| Asparagus | Purple spot | Allegro | fluazinam | ISK Biosciences |
| Celery | Celery leaf curl | Aprovia | benzovindiflupyr | Syngenta |
| Mint | Fungal leaf blights (Alternaria sp.) | Cevya | mefentrifluconazole | BASF |
| WEED SCIENCE PRIORITIES (10 of 10 selected, 5 final) | ||||||||
| Garden (table) beets | Broadleaf weeds | Command | clomazone | FMC | ||||
| Broccoli | Broadleaf weeds | Command | clomazone | FMC | ||||
| Brussels Sprouts | Broadleaf weeds | Command | clomazone | FMC | ||||
| Plum | Yellow nutsedge | Sandea | halosulfuron | Gowan | ||||
| Summer squash | Broadleaf weeds | Prowl H2O | pendimethalin | BASF | ||||
| Quinoa | Desiccant | Insight | tiafenacil | Gowan | ||||
| Blueberry, highbush | Broadleaf weeds | Enlist 1 | 2,4-D choline | Corteva | ||||
| Cranberry | Grassy weeds | Kerb | propyzamide | Corteva | ||||
| Clover, alsike, red (established) for seed and forage (and hay) | Broadleaf weeds | Valtera EZ | flumioxazin | Valent | ||||
| Fenugreek, seeds | Broadleaf weeds | MCPA | MCPA | NuFarm | ||||
| REGIONAL UPGRADE PRIORITIES – listed by region (5 of 5 selected, 5 final) | ||||
| Apples (ATLANTIC) | Labelled weeds | Chikara | flazasulfuron | ISK Biosciences |
| Raspberry (QUEBEC) | Two spotted spider mite | Nealta | cyflumetofen | BASF |
| Peanuts (ONTARIO) | Rhizoctonia (seed treatment) | Vayantis IV RFC | various | Syngenta |
| Hemp, industrial (PRIARIES) | White mould, stem rot | Allegro | fluazinam | ISK Biosciences |
| Greenhouse peppers (BRITISH COLUMBIA) | Aphids | Pyganic | pyrethrins | MGK |
| ORGANIC PRIORITIES (3 of 6 selected, 2 final) | ||||
| Greenhouse cucumber (Entomology) | Nesidiocoris tenuis | Pyganic | pyrethrins | MGK |
| Coriander, seeds (Pathology) | Seed and soil borne diseases | Rootshield HC | Trichoderma harzianum rifai | Bioworks Inc. |
| Caraway, seeds (Pathology) | Seed and soil borne diseases | Rootshield HC | Trichoderma harzianum rifai | Bioworks Inc. |
| A PRIORITY WITHOUT SOLUTION (APWS) (1 of 6 selected, 1 final) | ||||
| Greenhouse strawberry | Neopestalotiopsis sp. | – | – | – |
Josh Mosiondz
OMAFA Minor Use Coordinator