CA Pesticide Applicator flashcards
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32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Restricted Material Permit
- A permit issued by the county agricultural commissioner that must be obtained before a California applicator uses any pesticide designated a restricted material; it may limit rate, timing, method, or site.
- Notice of Intent
- A request filed with the county agricultural commissioner for approval to apply a restricted material. The commissioner may approve, add conditions, or deny before the application begins.
- Pesticide Use Report
- California's record of a pesticide application, submitted by the operator to the county agricultural commissioner generally within seven days for production agriculture and monthly for other reportable uses.
- Pest Control Adviser License
- A California license allowing the holder to recommend pesticide use. Renewal requires 40 hours of continuing education every two years, including laws and regulations coursework.
- DANGER-POISON Signal Word
- Appears on labels of Category I products with high acute oral, dermal, or inhalation toxicity and is accompanied by the skull and crossbones symbol plus the word POISON.
- Restricted Entry Interval
- The period after a pesticide application during which entry into the treated area is prohibited. It appears with early-entry conditions in the label's Agricultural Use Requirements box.
- Labeling Versus Label
- Labeling is broader than the physical label: it includes brochures, supplemental distributor labels, safety data sheets, and other material referenced by the label, all legally enforceable.
- Section 24(c) Registration
- A special local need registration that lets a state allow an additional use of a federally registered pesticide; the product must also be registered by DPR to be used in California.
- LD50 and LC50
- Measures of acute toxicity: the dose (milligrams per kilogram) or concentration (parts per million) that kills half of test animals. Lower values indicate a more toxic product.
- Cholinesterase Monitoring
- California requires baseline and periodic red blood cell cholinesterase tests for employees handling Category I or II organophosphate or carbamate pesticides more than six days in any 30-day period.
- Dermal Exposure
- Skin contact, the most common exposure route for pesticide handlers. It is reduced by labeled gloves, coveralls, boots, and prompt washing with soap and water.
- Respirator Fit Test
- A check that the facepiece seals to the wearer's face. It must be done before first use and at least annually, after a medical evaluation and with no facial hair at the seal.
- Triple Rinsing
- Filling an empty pesticide container about one-quarter full, shaking, draining into the spray tank, and repeating twice, then puncturing or recycling the clean container.
- Closed Mixing System
- Equipment that transfers pesticide concentrate from its container into the spray tank without exposing the handler; California requires it for specified high-hazard mixing and loading tasks.
- Pesticide Storage Requirements
- Storage must be locked, ventilated, posted with a warning sign, hold absorbent material for spills, and keep pesticides separate from food, feed, seed, and livestock.
- Tank Mix Order
- Water first, then conditioners and compatibility agents, dry formulations, flowables, emulsifiable concentrates, and finally surfactants or oils, with agitation maintained throughout.
- Economic Threshold
- The pest population density at which control action is taken to prevent damage from exceeding the cost of the treatment; it sits below the economic injury level.
- Mode of Action Rotation
- Alternating pesticide groups classified by IRAC, FRAC, or HRAC so the same biochemical target is not exposed repeatedly, slowing selection of resistant pest populations.
- Complete Metamorphosis
- Development through egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages, as in beetles, moths, and flies. The larval stage usually feeds most and is often the management target.
- Disease Triangle
- The concept that plant disease requires a susceptible host, a virulent pathogen, and a favorable environment. Management works by disrupting at least one of these three components.
- GPA Calibration Formula
- Gallons per acre = (gallons per minute x 5940) divided by (miles per hour x swath width in feet). The constant 5940 applies to water-based spray solutions.
- Nozzle Wear Criterion
- Replace a spray nozzle when its flow deviates more than 10 percent from a new nozzle of the same size or from the boom average, because worn tips distort pattern and rate.
- Temperature Inversion
- A stable layer of cooler air trapped under warmer air that holds fine spray droplets aloft and can carry them long distances. Spraying during an inversion is avoided.
- Volume Median Diameter
- A droplet size statistic in which half the spray volume is in droplets larger than the stated diameter and half is smaller; fines under about 200 microns drift most.
- Particle Versus Vapor Drift
- Particle drift is physical movement of spray droplets off target; vapor drift is volatilization of pesticide from soil or foliage after application, common with ester formulations.
- Pesticide Leaching Risk
- Leaching increases with high water solubility, low soil adsorption, long persistence, sandy low-organic-matter soils, and a shallow water table beneath the treated field.
- Vegetated Buffer Strip
- A band of vegetation between a treated field and a water body that slows runoff, filters sediment-bound pesticides, and is required by some labels and California regulations.
- Pollinator Protection Label
- Label directions that restrict application to blooming crops or weeds while bees forage, and may require notifying beekeepers or avoiding application during bloom.
- Spill Response Sequence
- Protect people, stop the source of the leak, contain the spill with absorbent or diking, clean up into labeled containers, then report and decontaminate the site.
- Poison Control Number
- 1-800-222-1222 reaches California poison control for exposure advice. Callers should have the product label, and call 911 for severe symptoms or breathing difficulty.
- Pesticide Illness Reporting
- California employers must report suspected pesticide illness or injury affecting a worker to the county agricultural commissioner within 24 hours while arranging medical care.
- Eye Flushing First Aid
- Hold the eyelids open and flush with clean water for at least 15 minutes, remove contact lenses if easy, then seek medical care with the label in hand.