NM Pesticide Applicator cheat sheet

FIFRA is the federal law that requires pesticide registration and labeling; use must be consistent with the label.

In New Mexico, the New Mexico Department of Agriculture administers pesticide registration, licensing, and applicator certification under the New Mexico Pesticide Control Act.

A certified applicator may purchase and use restricted-use pesticides and may supervise noncertified applicators as allowed by label and state rules.

"Use inconsistent with the label" includes off-label rate, site, method, or timing and is a violation enforceable by EPA and NMDA.

Federal recordkeeping for restricted-use pesticide applications: certified applicators must retain records for at least 2 years.

Worker Protection Standard requires agricultural worker and handler training, decontamination supplies, notification, PPE, and REI compliance.

Pesticide misuse, spills, or discharges that threaten water or public health must be reported to appropriate state agencies; NMED handles many spill or release reports.

Certification is category-specific; applying in a category not covered by the credential is a violation.

IPM sequence: identify pest, monitor population, use thresholds, select least-risk tactic, evaluate result.

Action threshold = pest density at which treatment is warranted; economic injury level = density where loss equals control cost.

Economic threshold is set at or below the economic injury level to allow action before loss reaches the EIL.

Monitoring tools include sweep nets, sticky traps, pheromone traps, visual counts, and degree-day models.

Cultural controls include crop rotation, sanitation, resistant varieties, planting date adjustment, and weed management.

Biological controls conserve predators, parasitoids, and pathogens; broad-spectrum insecticides can disrupt them.

Resistance management: rotate herbicide, insecticide, or fungicide mode-of-action groups and use labeled tank mixes.

Correct pest identification determines whether a pesticide is labeled, whether it is the right life stage, and whether nonchemical control is adequate.

The label is enforceable; "labeling" includes the label and attached supplemental information.

Signal words: DANGER-POISON (Category I with skull and crossbones), DANGER, WARNING, CAUTION (Category IV).

Label sections include first aid, PPE, environmental hazards, directions for use, storage and disposal, REI, and PHI.

PHI = minimum days between application and harvest; REI = minimum time before worker entry without PPE.

Formulation codes include EC, WP, WDG, SC, SL, F, G, and ULV; each affects mixing, nozzle selection, and drift risk.

Percent active ingredient and pounds active ingredient per gallon determine dose; inert ingredients are not necessarily nontoxic.

Tank mixing is allowed only when the label permits; a jar test checks physical compatibility before mixing.

Restricted-use classification is based on acute toxicity, environmental hazard, or need for certified applicator supervision.

Acute toxicity is measured by LD50 (oral or dermal) or LC50 (inhalation); a lower value means greater toxicity.

EPA acute toxicity categories I through IV correspond to DANGER-POISON or DANGER, WARNING, and CAUTION.

Dermal exposure is the most common applicator route; PPE must match label requirements and chemical-resistant materials.

Respirator users need fit testing, cartridge selection per label, and no facial hair for tight-fitting masks.

Organophosphates and carbamates inhibit cholinesterase; early symptoms include headache, sweating, nausea, blurred vision, and weakness.

First aid: move to fresh air, remove contaminated clothing, wash skin with soap and water, flush eyes 15 minutes, and call poison control or medical help.

Bring the pesticide label to medical personnel; do not induce vomiting unless the label or a medical professional directs.

Heat stress can mimic or complicate pesticide illness; PPE increases heat load, especially in New Mexico heat.

Showers, eyewash, soap, and clean water must be available at handling sites per label and WPS requirements.

Off-target movement pathways include drift, runoff, leaching, volatility, and spills.

Leaching risk increases with sandy soils, high water tables, high solubility, and low soil adsorption.

Buffer zones and setbacks protect water, dwellings, schools, and sensitive habitats; follow label distances.

Protect pollinators: avoid applying to blooming crops when bees are foraging and follow label bee warnings.

Aquatic labels restrict application near water; do not allow spray or rinse water to enter drains or streams.

Temperature inversions trap small droplets near the ground and can cause long-distance drift even with low wind.

Persistence, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification affect non-target organisms and endangered species.

Endangered species restrictions may require EPA Bulletins Live! Two and county-specific limitations.

Rinsate and excess spray must be disposed of according to label and state rules, not dumped.

GPA = (GPM × 5940) ÷ (MPH × swath width in inches).

GPM per nozzle = (GPA × MPH × nozzle spacing in inches) ÷ 5940.

1/128 acre = 340 square feet; ounces collected per nozzle over that area equal GPA.

Flow varies with the square root of pressure: 4× pressure = 2× flow; 2× pressure = about 1.41× flow.

Speed changes GPA inversely: doubling speed halves GPA at fixed flow.

Replace nozzles when flow is more than 10% above rated output or the pattern is visibly distorted.

Calibrate before use, after nozzle changes, and when changing product, rate, or speed.

Check nozzle spacing and boom height; uneven spacing or height causes overlap streaks.

Use calibration cups and a stopwatch to measure nozzle output; average outputs across the boom.

Drift is off-target movement of droplets, particles, or vapor; droplet drift and vapor drift are separate risks.

Smaller droplets drift farther; use coarse or very coarse droplets, lower pressure, and drift-reduction nozzles.

Wind speed and direction must be within label requirements; avoid applications during temperature inversions.

High temperature and low humidity increase evaporation and fine-droplet drift.

Lower boom height reduces drift but must maintain proper nozzle overlap.

Buffer zones and no-spray zones protect sensitive areas and water.

Spray pressure above the label range creates fines; keep pressure at the nozzle manufacturer's recommendation.

Clean tanks and nozzles between products to prevent crop injury and incompatible mixtures.

Record weather, wind, temperature, and application parameters for drift-sensitive applications.

RUP records include date, location, crop or site, pest, product name, EPA registration number, amount, rate, applicator, and supervisor if required.

Federal RUP records must be kept at least 2 years and made available to regulators.

Store pesticides in original labeled containers in a locked, ventilated area away from food, feed, seed, and water.

Transport pesticides upright and secured, with labels intact, a spill kit, and paperwork; keep them out of the passenger compartment.

Spill response: protect people, stop the source, contain with absorbent, protect drains and water, and report if required.

Triple rinse or pressure rinse containers; add rinsate to the spray tank where the label allows.

Empty rinsed containers: remove the lid, puncture, and dispose at a permitted collection or according to state and local rules.

Never burn pesticide containers or dump excess pesticide; follow label and NMDA or NMED requirements.

Keep an inventory and emergency phone numbers, including poison control and state spill reporting.