State Laws + Rules
25%of exam
TDAFIFRARUPRecordsCEUsCategories
Pesticide Safety
25%of exam
Signal WordsWPSPPEExposureFirst AidSDS
Environmental Protection
20%of exam
DriftWater ProtectionESPPIPMPollinatorsResistance
Application Methods
15%of exam
CalibrationNozzlesFormulationsMixingCleanupSprayer Math
Label Compliance
15%of exam
Quick Facts
- Exam
- TX pesticide cert
- Agency
- TDA
- Questions
- 100
- Time
- 2 hours
- Pass
- 70%
- License
- Core + category
- Blueprint
- Not published
- Fee
- Varies
- Records
- Two years
Commercial vs Private
Commercial
- For hire
- Other property
- Annual CEUs
Private
- Own operations
- Agricultural land
- Five-year CEUs
Pay work vs own land
License Picker
- For hire→Commercial(Annual CEUs)
- Own farm RUP→Private(Five-year CEUs)
- Employer property→Noncommercial(Annual CEUs)
- Government work→NCPS(Annual CEUs)
- Need license→TDA application(Eligibility letter)
- Need RUP→Certification(Core + category)
- Add category→Metro exam(TDA account)
- Supervise trainee→Direct supervision(You remain liable)
License Basics
- TDA
- Texas licensing agency
- EPA
- Federal pesticide authority
- FIFRA
- Federal pesticide law
- Core exam
- General standards
- Category exam
- Work-specific license
- Commercial
- For hire applications
- Noncommercial
- Employer property work
- Private
- Own agricultural land
- NCPS
- Political subdivision work
- Direct supervision
- Certified applicator responsible
RUP vs GUP
RUP
- Certified access
- Direct supervision
- Higher concern
GUP
- Open purchase
- Still label-bound
- Lower concern
Certified vs open access
Texas Records
- Records
- Document each application
- Retention
- Keep two years
- Date/time
- Record application timing
- Location
- Record treated site
- Product name
- Record exact product
- EPA Reg No
- Record registration
- Rate
- Record applied rate
- Target pest
- Record pest controlled
- Applicator ID
- Record certification number
- Wind data
- Record field conditions
24(c) vs Section 18
24(c)
- Special local need
- State-specific use
- Supplemental label
Section 18
- Emergency exemption
- Temporary use
- EPA approval
Local need vs emergency
Restricted Use
- RUP
- Certified use only
- SLU
- Texas-limited product
- Regulated herbicide
- TDA-restricted herbicide
- Certified user
- May apply RUP
- Supervised user
- Works under certification
- GUP
- No certification purchase
- 24(c)
- Special local need
- Section 18
- Emergency exemption
- Eligibility letter
- Exam scheduling key
Signal Ladder
DANGER, WARNING, CAUTION drop risk
DANGER: highestWARNING: moderateCAUTION: lower
Label vs SDS
Label
- Legal use
- Rates/sites
- Required PPE
SDS
- Hazard detail
- Emergency handling
- Storage support
Legal use vs emergency detail
Safety Picker
- Label lists PPE→Wear listed PPE
- Eye splash→Flush eyes(15 minutes)
- OP symptoms→Stop work(Fresh air)
- Spill occurs→Contain first(Label/SDS)
- Treated area→Check REI(WPS)
- Hazard chemical→Keep SDS(Worksite access)
- Glove damage→Replace gloves
- Fumigation hazard→SCBA(Supplied air)
Signal + Toxicity
- DANGER
- Highest acute toxicity
- POISON
- Skull symbol possible
- WARNING
- Moderate acute toxicity
- CAUTION
- Lower acute toxicity
- LD50
- Lower = more toxic
- Acute toxicity
- Single exposure harm
- Chronic toxicity
- Repeated exposure harm
- Dermal
- Skin absorption
- Ocular
- Eye exposure
- Inhalation
- Breathing exposure
Exposure Routes
Dermal, oral, inhalation, ocular
SkinMouthLungsEyes
Acute vs Chronic
Acute
- Single exposure
- Rapid effects
- Signal word
Chronic
- Repeated exposure
- Delayed effects
- Long-term risk
Short dose vs repeated exposure
WPS + PPE
- WPS
- Worker exposure rule
- Worker
- Crop-production labor
- Handler
- Mixes or applies
- REI
- No-entry interval
- Decon water
- Wash exposure quickly
- Soap/towels
- WPS supplies
- Label PPE
- Required minimum
- Gloves
- Inspect before use
- Respirator
- Label-specified type
- SDS
- Emergency hazard details
IPM Order
Monitor, threshold, control, evaluate
Scout firstUse thresholdsChoose controlsCheck results
Drift vs Leaching
Drift
- Air movement
- Droplets/vapor
- Neighbor risk
Leaching
- Soil movement
- Water soluble
- Groundwater risk
Air movement vs soil movement
Drift + Water
- Drift
- Off-target airborne movement
- Droplet size
- Major drift factor
- Buffer zone
- No-spray separation
- Leaching
- Downward soil movement
- Runoff
- Surface water movement
- Point source
- Spill contamination
- ESPP
- Listed-species protection
- BLT
- County bulletins
- Pollinators
- Avoid bloom exposure
- Inversion
- Trapped cool air
Drift Controls
Bigger drops, lower boom, calmer wind
Coarse dropletsLower releaseFollow labelAvoid inversions
IPM + Resistance
- IPM
- Integrated pest decisions
- Monitoring
- Scout before treating
- Threshold
- Action trigger level
- Prevention
- Reduce pest pressure
- Cultural control
- Crop practice control
- Biological control
- Natural enemy control
- MOA rotation
- Change action group
- Resistant pests
- Survive repeated chemistry
- Economic threshold
- Treat before loss
Container Cleanup
Rinse, puncture, recycle, document
Triple rinseAdd rinsatePuncture containerRecycle if allowed
Contact vs Systemic
Contact
- Hits pest
- Coverage critical
- No plant movement
Systemic
- Plant uptake
- Internal movement
- Timing matters
Touch pest vs move inside
Application Picker
- Drift risk→Larger droplets
- Wind exceeds label→Delay spray
- Inversion present→Do not apply
- Sandy shallow soil→Leaching caution
- Near water→Use buffer
- Pests localized→Spot treatment
- Row treatment→Band application
- Boom uneven→Replace nozzle
Calibration Math
- Calibration
- Verify output rate
- GPA
- Gallons per acre
- Boom width
- Nozzles x spacing
- Nozzle output
- Flow per minute
- Uniformity
- Even boom output
- 10% variance
- Replace bad nozzle
- Pressure
- Changes droplet size
- Travel speed
- Changes application rate
- Area
- Rate x acres
Broadcast vs Band
Broadcast
- Whole area
- Uniform coverage
- More product
Band
- Row strip
- Less product
- Precise placement
Whole area vs row strip
Methods + Formulations
- Broadcast
- Whole-area treatment
- Band
- Row-strip treatment
- Spot
- Localized treatment
- Granular
- Low drift risk
- EC
- Solvent concentrate
- WP
- Dust inhalation risk
- Dust
- High inhalation risk
- RTU
- Ready to use
- Systemic
- Moves inside plant
- Contact
- Kills by touch
Mixing + Cleanup
- Closed system
- Reduces handler exposure
- Agitation
- Keeps mixture uniform
- Tank mix
- Check compatibility first
- Mixing order
- Follow label sequence
- Rinsate
- Return to tank
- Triple rinse
- Clean empty containers
- Pressure rinse
- Alternate container cleaning
- Puncture
- Prevent container reuse
- Labeled site
- Use leftover spray
REI vs PHI
REI
- Worker entry
- After application
- PPE exception
PHI
- Crop harvest
- Residue limit
- Food safety
Entry wait vs harvest wait
Label Picker
- Need legal site→Directions
- Need crop wait→PHI
- Need entry wait→REI
- Need toxicity→Signal word
- Need ingredient→Ingredient statement
- Need disposal→Storage/disposal
- Listed species→BLT
- Local need→24(c)
Label Parts
- Directions
- Legal use instructions
- Precautionary
- Hazards and PPE
- Ingredients
- Active plus inert
- Active ingredient
- Controls target pest
- EPA Reg No
- Federal registration
- Environmental hazards
- Water, wildlife, bees
- First aid
- Immediate response steps
- Storage/disposal
- Storage and waste rules
- Use site
- Allowed crop/location
Intervals + Rates
- PHI
- Harvest wait time
- REI
- Entry wait time
- Max rate
- Legal rate ceiling
- Rate range
- Use label conditions
- Adjuvant
- Improves spray performance
- SLN label
- State-specific use
- Supplemental label
- Additional directions
- Misuse
- Inconsistent label use
- Bloom restriction
- Pollinator timing limit
Common Traps
Label rates
Maximum is legal ceiling ≠ More is violation
Certification scope
Private is own land ≠ Commercial is for hire
RUP access
Certified may buy ≠ Uncertified needs supervision
Entry timing
REI protects workers ≠ PHI protects harvest
Drift weather
Calm may invert ≠ Wind may drift
Container cleanup
Rinsate goes tank ≠ Never drain rinse
Label docs
Label directs use ≠ SDS supports emergencies
CEU timing
Commercial annual renewal ≠ Private five-year cycle
Environmental path
Drift moves through air ≠ Leaching moves through soil
Last Minute
- 1.Pass mark: 70%
- 2.Core plus category required
- 3.TDA issues eligibility letter
- 4.RUP needs certification
- 5.Commercial: 5 CEUs yearly
- 6.Private: 15 CEUs five-year
- 7.Records: keep two years
- 8.Label sets legal rate
- 9.PPE means label minimum
- 10.REI entry; PHI harvest
- 11.Drift: bigger droplets help
- 12.Mix away from water
- 13.Never spray during inversions
- 14.BLT checks listed species
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