Hot, humid summer days contribute to turfgrass stress and can increase the probability of insect and weed invasion, as well as disease susceptibility. Make sure you are in compliance when it comes to controlling pests with the various resources provided by the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC).
The NPIC provides objective, science-based information about pesticides and pesticide-related topics to enable people to make informed decisions about pesticides and their use. One of NPIC’s goals is to serve as a factual source of information for diverse professional and public audiences on pesticide-related issues.
Federal Pesticide Regulation – In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates pesticides at the national level. Congress gives the EPA this authority through several federal laws, including the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). By regulating pesticides, the EPA works to protect human health and the environment.
State Pesticide Regulation – In the United States, state governments play an important role in regulating pesticides. They may develop their own regulations that are stricter than the EPA’s federal pesticide regulations. This is done by each state’s pesticide regulatory office. They are often part of the State Department of Agriculture, but may be part of other state offices such as the Department of Environmental Protection.
NPIC also features an Herbicide Property Tool. This website has compiled each active ingredient’s water solubility, vapor pressure, sorption properties, and half-lives in water/soil. The relative groundwater risk for each chemical in different soil types (groundwater ubiquity scores) has also been calculated. Animations are provided to show the user what these values mean.