What property of a pesticide increases its likelihood to move with water in surface runoff?

High solubility is the property of a pesticide that increases its likelihood of moving with water in surface runoff. When a pesticide is highly soluble, it dissolves readily in water, making it more susceptible to being carried away when water flows over treated surfaces. This can happen during rain events or irrigation, where the dissolved pesticide can easily be transported into nearby waterways or runoff areas.

In contrast, pesticides that are not highly soluble tend to remain in the soil or on the plant surfaces rather than moving with water. Low toxicity, high volatility, and low persistence do not directly relate to the movement of pesticides in surface runoff in the same way that solubility does. Low toxicity refers to the safety of the pesticide to non-target organisms, high volatility relates to how quickly a pesticide can evaporate into the air, and low persistence describes how long the pesticide remains active in the environment. While these factors are important for other aspects of pesticide use and environmental impact, they do not directly influence the behavior of the pesticide in water runoff as solubility does.