Minnesota Pesticide Applicator Practice Test 2025 - Free Pesticide Applicator Practice Questions and Study Guide

Systemic pesticides are defined as those that are absorbed by plants and transported throughout their tissues. This absorption enables the pesticide to affect pests that feed on the treated plants, as the chemicals circulate within the plant, protecting it from insects that might consume it. This mode of action is particularly effective for managing pests that would otherwise evade contact insecticides, because even if a pest does not directly come into contact with the pesticide during application, it will still ingest it when feeding on the treated plant.

The other options do not accurately describe systemic pesticides. For instance, pesticides that only affect pests on contact operate differently, as their effectiveness depends on direct exposure. Similarly, pesticides that are sprayed on the soil may not be absorbed by the plant in the same way, and those that volatilize quickly into the air have a transient presence that does not provide the sustained protective effects that systemic pesticides offer through internal distribution.