To mitigate vapor drift, pesticide applicators should monitor which two factors?

Monitoring both temperature and pesticide volatility is essential for mitigating vapor drift during pesticide application. Temperature plays a critical role because higher temperatures generally increase the volatility of pesticides, causing them to vaporize more readily into the air. This increased vaporization can lead to off-target movement, especially in warmer conditions.

Pesticide volatility refers to how easily a pesticide can transform from a liquid form into vapor. If a pesticide has high volatility, it is more likely to drift away from the target area, potentially affecting non-target organisms and surrounding environments. By understanding the volatility of the specific pesticide being used and the temperature conditions at the time of application, applicators can make more informed decisions about application timing and methods, thus reducing the risk of vapor drift.

In contrast, while humidity and droplet size are important factors in other contexts, they are less directly related to vapor drift than temperature and volatility. Soil type and wind speed can influence application success and environmental impact but do not specifically target vapor drift mitigation. Application width and spray height are also relevant to effective application but do not directly control vapor drift in the same way as temperature and volatility do.