NM Pesticide Applicator key terms

The federal law, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, that governs how pesticides are registered, labeled, sold, and used in the United States; states may adopt stricter rules but cannot be more lenient.

A product that carries greater risk to people or the environment and may be bought and used only by, or under the direct supervision of, a certified applicator, as its label states.

A state-issued registration that permits an additional crop or site use of an already federally registered pesticide when a genuine local need exists; the product must carry the special local need labeling.

A person who has passed the required competency exams and holds a current license from the state to apply, or supervise the application of, restricted-use pesticides.

Applying a pesticide in a way that conflicts with its label directions or applicable law, such as a wrong rate, site, pest, timing, or method; it is a violation even when no injury results.

The maximum pesticide residue that law allows in or on a raw agricultural commodity; a crop treated so that residues exceed the tolerance cannot legally be sold.

A decision-making approach that combines monitoring, thresholds, and several control tactics, biological, cultural, mechanical, and chemical, so pesticides are used only when other methods cannot hold pests below damaging levels.

The pest population level at which the damage the pest will cause costs more than the treatment needed to prevent it, so control action is justified.

Managing pests with living natural enemies such as predators, parasitoids, and pathogens, either by conserving and protecting those already present or by releasing them into the site.

The inherited ability of a pest population to survive a dose that would normally kill it, developing when the same product or mode of action is used repeatedly at one site.

Regularly inspecting a field or site to identify pests, count them, and record damage so that treatment decisions rest on current information rather than routine spraying.

The component of a pesticide product that actually controls the target pest; it is named on the label along with its percentage and determines the product's use pattern and hazards.

An adjuvant that lowers the surface tension of spray droplets so the spray spreads and sticks to waxy or hairy leaf surfaces instead of beading up and running off.

A liquid formulation in which the active ingredient is dissolved in solvent with emulsifiers, forming a milky mixture when added to water; it can injure sensitive crops and damage equipment parts.

The minimum number of days that must pass between the last pesticide application and harvest of the crop, set on the label to keep residues within the legal tolerance.

The word, DANGER, WARNING, or CAUTION, printed on the label to show the relative acute toxicity of the product, with DANGER marking the most hazardous products.

The dose of a pesticide, usually given in milligrams per kilogram of body weight, that kills half the animals in a test group; a lower number means greater acute toxicity.

The harmful effects that appear soon after a single exposure or a short series of exposures, measured in the laboratory by tests such as LD50 and LC50.

The clothing and gear, such as gloves, coveralls, boots, eyewear, and respirators, that the label requires a handler to wear to reduce exposure while mixing, loading, or applying pesticides.

A material that slows the movement of a pesticide through it so the wearer is protected for the length of the work period; no material keeps pesticides out indefinitely.

The period after an application during which people may not enter the treated area without the protections the label and worker protection rules require.

The downward movement of pesticides through the soil with water, which can carry chemicals below the root zone and into groundwater.

Pesticide-carrying water that flows across the soil surface instead of soaking in, moving chemicals into ditches, streams, ponds, and other surface water.

Contamination that comes from one identifiable place, such as a spill on a mixing pad, a leaking tank, or an unrinsed container pile, rather than from scattered field areas.

Steps taken to keep bees and other pollinators from pesticide exposure, such as spraying when flowers are not open or when bees are not flying, and following label buffers and warnings.

The buildup of a pesticide in an organism's body over time because it is taken in faster than it is broken down or excreted, which can then pass up the food chain.

The process of measuring and adjusting an applicator so it delivers the intended rate over a known area, checking nozzle output, ground speed, pressure, and swath width.

The replaceable part of a sprayer that forms the spray pattern and sets the flow rate; worn or mismatched tips change the application rate and droplet size and should be replaced.

The volume of spray mixture applied to one acre, calculated from nozzle flow, ground speed, and swath width; it is the basis for adding the right amount of product to the tank.

The shape and evenness of spray produced by a nozzle or boom; an uneven pattern leaves streaks in the field and causes some areas to be over-treated and others under-treated.

The movement of pesticide off the target area by air during or shortly after application, which can injure crops, harm people and wildlife, and contaminate water.

The diameter of spray droplets, often described by volume median diameter; small droplets travel farther on wind and evaporate faster, while large droplets settle out quickly.

A weather condition in which a layer of cool air near the ground is trapped beneath warmer air, so spray droplets and vapors hang in place and can move long distances.

The tendency of a pesticide to change from a liquid or solid into a vapor; volatile products can move off site as vapor for hours after application, even in calm air.

The practice of rinsing an emptied pesticide container three times and adding each rinse to the spray tank, so the container can be recycled or discarded with little residue remaining.

A curb, dike, or tray placed under storage tanks and containers that captures the contents if the primary container leaks, cracks, or tips over.

A stocked set of absorbent material, brooms, shovels, containers, and protective gear kept on hand so a pesticide spill can be contained and cleaned up quickly.

A written log of each application, including product, rate, date, location, target pest, applicator, and weather, kept because the law requires it and useful for improving future decisions.

A document supplied by the manufacturer that summarizes a product's hazards, first aid, handling, storage, and spill response; it does not replace the directions on the label.