Revised 8/2024
HRT 135 - Training for Commercial Pesticide Application (3 CR.)
Course Description
Introduces students to the principles and practices for safe pesticide usage as required by law in the state of Virginia. Prepares students for the official tests administered by VDACS (Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services). Lecture 3 hours per week.
General Course Purpose
Students will learn pesticide safety practices, as well as applicable pest management techniques in order to prepare for the state certification exams. This course can be used for the Horticulture Chemistry requirement which is a required for the Horticulture Technology AAS degree.
Course Prerequisites/Corequisites
None.
Course Objectives
Upon completing the course, the student will be able to:
- Summarize the principles of pesticide safety;
- Identify and comply with the regulations affecting commercial pesticide applicators in Virginia;
- Recognize and implement management techniques for ornamental and turf pests; and
- Compute square footage and perform other required calibration math to determine the correct rate of product application.
Major Topics to Be Included
- Pesticide regulations in Virginia
- Labeling and formulations
- IPM (integrated pest management)
- Environmental concerns
- Mixing, loading, and applying pesticides
- Personal protection
- Spill management
- Ornamental pest management
- Turf pest management