Avoid Pesticide Misuse

Dec 01, 2022

An applicator should always read and follow label directions. Remember that the label is the law. There are several ways an applicator can misuse a pesticide, such as applying pesticides to a site not listed on the label, applying more pesticide than the label recommends, and improper storage. Improper storage could be storing pesticides near food or water or storing pesticides in something other than the original pesticide container.

Pesticide Drift

An applicator needs to keep in mind that pesticides can become volatile and drift off site. The perfect formula for pesticides drifting off site are higher temperature, higher wind, and lower humidity. We may not have low humidity in Alabama, but Alabama can certainly have high wind and high temperatures. For this reason, many pesticide applicators may want to apply pesticides early in the morning, late in the evening, or even at night. In addition, an applicator may choose to change the viscosity of the spray or use spray heads that produce a larger droplet size to reduce drift.

Filling Tanks

When filling a spray tank with a hose, do not allow the hose to go inside the spray tank. An applicator should always maintain an air gap between the end of the hose and the chemical in the tank. If for some reason water pressure is lost while the end of the hose is in the tank, back-siphoning can occur. In this case pesticides can flow from the tank into the water lines. A backflow prevention valve may prevent contaminated water from getting into a well or municipal water, but it would still be in the water lines. Maintaining the air gap between the end of the hose and the chemical in the tank would prevent this from happening.

Calibration

Calibration is an extremely important step of pesticide application. It is possible for two people to mix pesticide in two tanks the exact same way and apply a different amount of pesticide per acre. Different tips, different pressure, and different speed can change the rate of pesticide being applied. Proper sprayer calibration will determine the amount of water being applied per acre. Once the applicator determines the amount of water that is being applied per acre, they will know how much pesticide to apply to the tank.

Contact your local Extension office if you have questions about sprayer calibration. There are existing publications and videos that will explain the process step-by-step for all types of equipment including air blast sprayers, boom sprayers, boomless sprayers, granular applicators, and backpack sprayers.

Lots of information can be found on a pesticide label. It is important for an applicator to read and understand how to correctly use a product. Contact the local Extension office with any questions about pesticide safety.

Source : aces.edu

Video: Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Understanding how a plant responds to stress is one thing.

Using that knowledge to make better management decisions is another.

Systemic acquired resistance, or SAR, is the plant's more direct defense response. When stress or infection occurs, the plant begins signaling throughout its system and preparing defensive compounds.

But if we know that response exists, can we help prepare the plant before the stress arrives?

The answer starts with understanding what triggers the response and what the plant needs to carry it out.

The Trigger and the Fuel

Salicylic acid plays an important role in triggering the SAR pathway.

Think of it as turning the truck on.

The engine may be running, but it still needs fuel to do the work.

In this case, manganese plays an important role in supporting the enzyme systems involved in the plant's defensive response.

This makes manganese status an important part of the conversation. Whether a producer is using tissue testing, sap analysis, or simply scouting for visible deficiency symptoms, the goal is to make sure the plant has adequate manganese available.

Manganese is required in relatively small amounts, but that does not make its role small.

If the plant receives a signal to defend itself but lacks the nutrition needed to support that response, it may struggle to carry out the process efficiently.

The trigger matters.

The fuel matters too.

Prepare Before the Stress Arrives

The best time to think about stress management is before the plant is overwhelmed.

Once a crop is already struggling, management can quickly turn into a game of catch-up.

This is similar to nitrogen management. Once a plant becomes severely deficient, correcting the problem does not necessarily erase the time and yield potential already lost.

Plant defense can work the same way.

Low-rate, targeted approaches designed to support the SAR pathway may fit best ahead of an expected stress event rather than after significant damage has already occurred.

That requires producers to think about predictable stress.

We may not know exactly what the weather will do tomorrow, but we generally know summer heat is coming. We know certain field conditions increase disease pressure. We know a herbicide application can temporarily stress a crop as the plant processes the chemistry.

Even a properly timed and labeled herbicide application can create a temporary response in the plant.

That does not mean the herbicide is bad.

Weeds can create significantly more yield loss than the temporary stress caused by controlling them.

The question is not whether we should eliminate every stressor.

The question is whether we can better prepare the plant to manage necessary and predictable stress.

Not All Stress Is Bad

Stress is a normal part of plant growth.

A perfectly stress-free environment does not exist in the field.

In fact, some stress is necessary for normal plant development. A plant responds to wind, temperature, moisture, sunlight, and countless other environmental signals throughout the season.

The environment is stress.

The plant's job is to manage it.

Problems begin when the stress load becomes greater than the plant's ability to respond.

Extreme heat, drought, high salt concentrations, disease pressure, and even certain management practices can add to that load.

This is where understanding SAR becomes useful.

Instead of waiting until the plant is visibly struggling, producers can begin identifying periods when stress is likely and make management decisions around those windows.

ISR Starts With the Soil

While SAR is a more direct defense response, induced systemic resistance, or ISR, brings the conversation back to soil health.

The longevity of a farm is closely connected to the health of its soil.

Carbon plays a major role because it supports biological life within the soil. Bacteria, fungi, and other organisms interact with plant roots and influence how the plant grows, accesses nutrients, and prepares for stress.

This is why soil health cannot be reduced to one product or one application.

It is a system.

Keeping living plants in the field longer can support biological activity. Cover crops may fit some operations. Better water management can improve soil conditions.