Crop Grouping

Crop grouping allows researchers to apply residue data collected from one crop to other similar crops without having to conduct additional research. 

Crops are grouped with others that have similar traits, such as structure and form, cultural practices, edible portions and growing seasons/locations, as well as similar potential for pesticide residues. 

This internationally-accepted practice is cost effective and supports the competitiveness of domestic specialty crop growers in international trade.

The original crop grouping index was established in 1995 in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Since 2002, six revisions have taken place, adding new crop groups, subgroups, and representative crops, resulting in pest management tools being available for use by specialty growers on new crops within the group.

The following is the sixth revision, established in the fall of 2022.

INDEX OF CROPS/CROP GROUPS/CROP SUBGROUPS, AND CROP DEFINITIONS
September 21, 2022
CROPS/CROP GROUPS/CROP SUBGROUPS (including crop grouping revisions per Federal Register [FR] Final Rules beginning Dec. 7, 2007):

The crop group table includes all crop groups, subgroups, representative (rep) crops and commodities that were established with the crop grouping regulation published in the FR in 1995 (published as regulation in 17 MAY 95 FR:40 CFR 180.41). In October 2002 the IR-4/USDA International Crop Grouping Symposium was held to propose expansion of crop groups to include many “orphan” minor crops and to propose new crop groups, subgroups and rep crops.

In the crop group table, the name of each revised/new crop group is hyperlinked to the FR Final Rule that codified it. The 2-digit numbers following some crop groups/subgroups designate the year they were revised (-07 would be 2007, -10 would be 2010 and so on). If there is no 2-digit number following the crop group/subgroup, it is a new group that was not previously codified, or it is a new group that comes from splitting the original group (Crop Group 19 [herbs and spices] became Crop Groups 25 [herbs] and 26 [spices].

The first set of revisions to the 1995 crop grouping regulation (based on results of the Oct. 2002 Symposium) was published in the FR December 7, 2007, and included the following:  1) Crop Group 3-07: Bulb Vegetable Group; 2) Crop Group 13-07: Berry and Small Fruit Crop Group; 3) new Crop Group 21: Edible Fungi Group.

The second set of revisions to the 1995 crop grouping regulation was published in the FR December 8, 2010, and included the following:  1) Crop Group 8-10: Fruiting Vegetable Group; 2) Crop Group 10-10: Citrus Fruit Group; 3) Crop Group 11-10: Pome Fruit Group; 4) new Crop Group 20: Oilseed Group.

The third set of revisions to the 1995 crop grouping regulation was published in the FR August 22, 2012, and included the following:  1) Crop Group 12-12: Stone Fruit Group; 2) Crop Group 14-12: Tree Nut Group.

The fourth set of revisions to the 1995 crop grouping regulation was published in the FR May 3, 2016, and included the following:  1) Crop Group 4-16: Leafy Vegetable Group; 2) Crop Group 5-16: Head and Stem Brassica Vegetable Group; 3) new Crop Group 22: Stalk, Stem and Leaf Petiole Vegetable Group; 4) new Crop Group 23: Tropical and Subtropical Fruit, Edible Peel Group; 5) new Crop Group 24: Tropical and Subtropical Fruit, Inedible Peel Group.

NOTE: Crop group conversions based upon Crop Group 4 and 5 tolerances will not be straight forward and may result in displaced commodities (see EPA’s Supplementary Guidance for Phase IV of Crop Group Revisions Rulemaking memorandum, and EPA’s Visual Summary of Crop Group Phase IV Revisions – Changes from Groups 4 and 5 to Groups 4-16, 5-16 and 22 for full details).

  • The commodities arugula, garden cress and upland cress were members of Subgroup 4A (represented by lettuces and spinach), and have become members of Subgroup 4-16B (represented by mustard greens); a conversion request from Subgroup 4A to Subgroup 4-16A would result in the displacement of these 3 commodities, and tolerances will have to be requested for each of them individually.
  • The commodity Swiss chard was a member of Subgroup 4B (represented by celery), and has become a member of Subgroup 4-16A (represented by lettuces and spinach); a conversion request from Subgroup 4B to Subgroup 22A would result in the displacement of this commodity, and a tolerance will have to be requested for it individually.
  • The commodities celtuce and Florence fennel were members of Subgroup 4B (represented by celery), and have become members of Subgroup 22A (represented by asparagus); a conversion request from Subgroup 4B to Subgroup 22B would result in the displacement of these 2 commodities, and tolerances will have to be requested for each of them individually.
  • The commodity Chinese broccoli was a member of Subgroup 5A (represented by cabbage; and broccoli or cauliflower), and has become a member of Subgroup 4-16B (represented by mustard greens); a conversion request from Subgroup 5A to Crop Group 5-16 would result in the displacement of this commodity, and a tolerance will have to be requested for it individually.
  • The commodity kohlrabi was a member of Subgroup 5A (represented by cabbage; and broccoli or cauliflower), and has become a member of Subgroup 22A (represented by asparagus); a con- version request from Subgroup 5A to Crop Group 5-16 would result in the displacement of this commodity, and a tolerance will have to be requested for it individually.

Each of these displaced commodities in the Crop Grouping table below is presented in a different font color.

The fifth set of revisions to the 1995 crop grouping regulation was published in the FR November 6, 2020, and included the following:  1) new Crop Group 25: Herb Group; and 2) new Crop Group 26: Spice Group.

The sixth set of revisions to the 1995 crop grouping regulation was published in the FR September 21, 2022, and included the following:  1) Crop Group 6-22: Legume Vegetable Group; 2) Crop Group 7-22: Forage and Hay of Legume Vegetable Group; 3) Crop Group 15-22: Cereal Grain Group; and 4) Crop Group 16-22: Forage, Hay, Stover, and Straw of Cereal Grain Group.

As crop group revisions continue to be codified via FR Final Rules, they will be added to this table (rows colored brown/beige), and new petition submissions to EPA will request tolerances for the new or revised crop groups/subgroups. For existing tolerances and crop group/subgroup registrations based on the 1995 regulation, there will not be automatic revisions to the new groups. Instead, these changes will need to be specifically requested by registrants, or by IR-4 when submitting tolerance petitions.

CROP DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS, per 40CFR 180.1(g):

The crop group table also includes a number of crop definitions as established per 40 CRR 180.1, paragraph (g). These entries are in rows colored light blue (any new or revised crop definitions codified along with new crop groups/crop group revisions via FR Final Rules are shown in rows colored pink with the new or revision date). These definitions may exclude some commodities that have subsequently been included in crop groups and subgroups (for example, the definitions of Bean and Pea). By these definitions, tolerances and exemptions established for pesticide chemicals in or on the general category of raw agricultural commodity (RAC) listed in column A only apply to the corresponding specific RACs listed in column B. However, a tolerance or exemption for a specific RAC in column B does not apply to the general category of RAC in Column A. For example, a tolerance requested and established for the general category of RAC, Onion (in column A), by crop definition, applies to and covers the specific RACs bulb onion, green onion and garlic (the commodities listed in column B). However, a tolerance requested and established for the specific RAC, garlic (in column B), does not apply to the general category of RAC, Onion, in column A.