Which factors most influence vapor drift?

The correct answer, which highlights temperature and pesticide volatility, focuses on critical factors that indeed influence vapor drift. Vapor drift occurs when pesticide vapors, especially from volatile formulations, move away from the target application area due to environmental conditions.

Temperature plays a significant role in this process; as temperatures rise, the volatility of pesticides increases, meaning that more of the pesticide can evaporate into the air. When a pesticide is highly volatile, it has a greater likelihood of drifting away from where it was applied, particularly if there are changes in temperature after application.

Pesticide volatility refers to how easily a pesticide turns from a liquid to a gas. Pesticides that are formulated to be more volatile will inherently create a greater risk for vapor drift. This means that understanding the volatility of the specific pesticide being used, along with current temperature conditions, is essential for managing and minimizing the risks associated with unintended pesticide drift.

In contrast, factors like humidity and pesticide formulation, while they can influence pesticide efficacy and behavior in certain contexts, do not directly correlate to vapor drift to the extent of the interplay between temperature and volatility. Altitude and wind speed may have some relevance to drift during the application phase but are not as directly related to the vaporization process as temperature