What characteristic of pesticides influences their movement away from a target site?

The movement of pesticides away from a target site is significantly influenced by their adsorption and solubility characteristics.

Adsorption refers to the extent to which a pesticide can bind to soil particles or other substrates. A pesticide that has high adsorption will tend to stay in place rather than leaching into the groundwater or moving off-site. In contrast, pesticides with low adsorption are more likely to move away from the target site because they are not strongly held by the soil.

Solubility plays a vital role as well. Pesticides that are highly soluble in water can move with water as it percolates through the soil or when it rains, increasing the likelihood that they will drift away from the application site. Conversely, pesticides that are not very soluble will remain in the applied area and have a reduced chance of moving off-site.

Understanding these characteristics helps applicators manage pesticide applications effectively, ensuring that they achieve the desired control of pests while minimizing environmental impacts. Factors such as color, texture, volume, application method, temperature, and density may have operational implications but do not directly affect the chemical movement of pesticides like adsorption and solubility do.