NH Pesticide Applicator cheat sheet

FIFRA requires EPA registration before a pesticide is sold, distributed, or used in the United States, except for exempt or emergency uses authorized by law.

A pesticide label is legally enforceable; applying a product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling is a FIFRA violation.

The New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food administers the state pesticide program, including applicator certification and enforcement under RSA 430.

Restricted-use pesticides may be applied only by certified applicators or by noncertified persons working under a certified applicator's direct supervision when the label allows it.

Certified applicators must keep records of restricted-use pesticide applications for two years and make them available to federal or state officials on request.

A Section 18 emergency exemption authorizes a specific unregistered use for a limited period when an urgent pest problem exists.

A Section 24(c) special local need registration allows a state to add a use to a federally registered product for a state-specific pest or site.

When a state pesticide restriction is more stringent than the federal label, the stricter state restriction governs the application.

The Worker Protection Standard requires agricultural employers to provide handlers and workers with training, PPE, decontamination supplies, and REI notification.

DANGER is the signal word for the most acutely toxic products; DANGER with a skull and crossbones indicates that a small exposure can be fatal.

WARNING indicates moderate acute toxicity, and CAUTION indicates slight acute toxicity; the label's PPE section states the minimum protection required.

Chemical-resistant glove materials include nitrile, butyl, and neoprene; leather and cloth absorb liquid concentrates and do not provide chemical resistance.

A restricted-entry interval is the period after application when entry is prohibited unless the label permits early entry with specified PPE.

The main exposure routes are dermal, inhalation, oral, and ocular; dermal absorption is the most common route for pesticide applicators.

For pesticide on the skin, remove contaminated clothing and wash with soap and water; for eyes, flush with clean water for at least 15 minutes.

Heat stress can cause sweating, dizziness, weakness, and nausea, symptoms that can resemble pesticide poisoning and require stopping work and cooling.

Contaminated work clothing must be changed promptly and washed separately from family laundry to prevent secondary pesticide exposure.

Pesticide half-life is the time for half of the initial amount to degrade; longer half-lives indicate greater persistence in soil or water.

Microbial breakdown, chemical hydrolysis, and photolysis are major degradation pathways that reduce pesticide residues in the environment.

Strong adsorption to soil organic matter or clay reduces leaching but can increase persistence and carryover injury to later crops.

High water solubility, low soil adsorption, long persistence, sandy soils, heavy rainfall, and shallow groundwater increase groundwater leaching risk.

Runoff carries pesticides dissolved in water or attached to eroded soil; vegetated buffer strips slow runoff and filter sediment.

Volatilization and spray drift move pesticides through air; vapor pressure, temperature, droplet size, wind, and boom height affect this movement.

Bioaccumulation is greatest for persistent, fat-soluble pesticides and can increase concentrations as the chemical moves up a food chain.

Labels may prohibit application near water, flowering crops, or endangered species habitat; these buffer and timing restrictions protect sensitive resources.

Integrated pest management combines prevention, monitoring, action thresholds, biological and cultural controls, least-risk pesticides, and post-treatment evaluation.

An action threshold is the pest population or damage level at which control is justified to prevent unacceptable economic, health, or aesthetic harm.

Correct pest identification includes recognizing life stages, host plants, and damage signs; misidentification can lead to ineffective or unnecessary pesticide use.

Pesticide resistance is the inherited ability of a pest population to survive a dose that once controlled it and develops faster with repeated use of one mode of action.

Mode-of-action rotation uses pesticides with different group numbers to reduce selection pressure and slow resistance development.

Biological control uses predators, parasitoids, and pathogens to suppress pests; broad-spectrum pesticides can kill these beneficial organisms.

Cultural controls include sanitation, resistant varieties, crop rotation, and habitat management that reduce pest establishment and spread.

Monitoring methods include scouting, traps, weather data, and degree-day models that track pest development and timing of vulnerable stages.

The label directions section lists approved sites, pests, rates, timing, methods, and restrictions; use contrary to those directions violates FIFRA.

An emulsifiable concentrate is a liquid formulation with solvent and emulsifier that forms an emulsion in water and may injure sensitive plants.

A wettable powder is a dry formulation mixed with water to form a suspension; it requires agitation because particles settle.

A compatibility jar test mixes proposed products in the same proportions and water as the spray tank to detect clumping or separation before a full load.

Tank acres equal tank capacity in gallons divided by spray rate in gallons per acre; this gives the area one tank will cover.

Adjuvants such as surfactants, stickers, and spreaders are added only when the label permits and can change coverage or crop safety.

Dry formulations generally are added to water before liquid formulations, and adjuvants are usually added last unless the label states another order.

Triple rinsing pesticide containers removes residue; rinse water must be added to the spray tank or disposed of as the label directs.

Calibration measures nozzle output, travel speed, and effective swath width to determine actual spray rate in gallons per acre.

For broadcast spraying, gallons per acre equals gallons per minute times 5,940 divided by the product of miles per hour and nozzle spacing in inches.

Spray rate is inversely proportional to travel speed: increasing speed decreases gallons per acre if nozzle flow and pressure stay constant.

Nozzle flow varies with the square root of pressure; doubling pressure increases flow by about 1.41 times, not by two times.

Compare nozzle outputs with a calibrated container; replace nozzles whose flow differs substantially from the average or manufacturer's rating.

Spray drift is influenced by droplet size, wind, boom height, pressure, nozzle type, and temperature inversions.

A temperature inversion keeps fine droplets suspended near the ground and can move them long distances, increasing off-target drift risk.

Application methods include broadcast, banded, directed, and soil-incorporated placement; the label and pest location determine the appropriate method.