You can reduce pesticide spray drift by ___________.

• A. decreasing spray droplet size
• B. increasing spray pressure
• C. increasing spray droplet size
• D. applying with a higher spray volume

Answer: (C)

Droplet size is the key factor in spray drift. Heavier, larger droplets fall out of the air more quickly, so they’re less likely to be blown off-target by winds. In contrast, smaller droplets stay airborne longer and can ride with air currents, drifting far from the target. So increasing the droplet size directly reduces the amount of pesticide that drifts away. If you make droplets smaller, drift increases; higher spray pressure tends to create finer droplets and can increase drift; using more spray volume alone doesn’t inherently minimize drift and can sometimes worsen it depending on conditions.