Equipment, Calibration and Application

About 5 of every 50 questions on each state's practice exam (Alaska Core, Alabama General Standards, California Laws, Regulations and Basic Principles, Delaware Core, Florida Core, Georgia General Standards, Idaho Core Competency, Illinois General Standards, Illinois General Standards (Structural), Kansas General Exam, Louisiana General Standards, Louisiana Structural General Standards, Massachusetts Core, Maine Commercial Core, Missouri CORE, Montana Core, North Carolina Core, New Jersey Core, Nevada Core and Laws, New York Core, Ohio Commercial Core, Pennsylvania Core, Rhode Island Commercial Licensing, Texas General Standards (Agricultural), Texas General Standards (Structural), Virginia Core, Vermont Core, Washington Laws and Safety and West Virginia Core) come from this topic.

Sources checked November 10, 2026

What to know

Know the application methods: broadcast covers the whole area evenly, band treats strips, a spot is no more than about 2 square feet under EPA's PRN 73-4, and crack and crevice puts small amounts into openings where insects hide. Even flat-fan nozzles are for banding, standard flat-fans need overlap because their pattern edges taper, cone nozzles are chosen for canopy penetration, brass tips wear fastest, worn tips raise output, and a clogged tip is cleared with air or a soft brush, never a wire. Prevent back-siphoning with an air gap of at least twice the fill line's inside diameter, a check valve in the fill line between the water pump and the tank, and never leaving a filling tank unattended; triple rinse containers one-quarter full, pressure rinse at about 40 psi for 30 seconds, and add rinsate to the spray tank. For calibration math, remember 43,560 sq ft per acre, that ounces caught on a 1/128-acre course equal gallons per acre, GPA = GPM × 5,940 ÷ (MPH × nozzle spacing in inches), MPH = feet × 60 ÷ (seconds × 88), and product per tank = tank gallons × rate per acre ÷ GPA. Practice per-1,000-sq-ft and percent dilution problems, such as 0.25% v/v equaling 1 quart per 100 gallons.

Where it comes from

• Virginia Tech Pesticide Programs, VTPP Quarterly 6(1), Banded vs. Broadcast Pesticide Application
• EPA letter to California DPR on pyrethroid labeling (Oct. 25, 2011), citing PRN 73-4
• University of Georgia Extension Bulletin 1158, Sprayer Nozzle Selection
• University of Kentucky Extension PAT-3, Sprayer Nozzles: Selection and Calibration
• Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Backflow Prevention Guidelines for Ag Chem Facilities (2020)
• Texas Agricultural Extension Service L-2430, Avoid Back-siphonage of Agricultural Chemicals into Water Supplies
• 40 CFR § 156.146
• Penn State Extension, Calibration How Tos: Easy Way to Sprayer Calibration
• University of Kentucky ENTFACT-804, Calibrating a Boom Sprayer: Ounces to Gallons Method
• University of Kentucky Extension AGR-239, Calibrating Boom Sprayers for Turf Applications
• Kansas State University Extension MF3100, Calculating Pesticide Measurements
• University of Missouri Extension G7510, Pesticide Dilution Table

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