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3603081 
Journal Article 
Comparing different techniques to assess the risk for dust drift from pesticide-coated seeds 
Foque, D; Beck, B; Devarrewaere, W; Verboven, P; Nuyttens, D 
2017 
1 
Pest Management Science
ISSN: 1526-498X
EISSN: 1526-4998 
73 
9 
1908-1920 
English 
28233456 
WOS:000406689900016 
BACKGROUND: Although considered as a save pesticide application method, treated seeds can pose environmental risks when abraded pesticide-laden seed particles are expelled during sowing. This dust drift risk is clearly linked with the seed coating quality. Seed coating quality is traditionally assessed with Heubach dustmeters and guidelines are established in terms of 'Heubach value'. This technique may, however, not take all drift sensitive particles in to account. In this study, results of the Heubach test are compared to two alternative setups: mechanical sieving and individual sowing element.

RESULTS: The abrasion potential assessed with the Heubach dustmeter was much lower than the total dust fraction generated by mechanical sieving and the individual sowing element. The amount of dust produced and its particle size distribution of the both other techniques were comparable.

CONCLUSION: It looks like the Heubach dust meter underestimates the risk of dust drift. Using one of the alternative methods might be a more appropriate way to assess the abrasion potential of seeds. Due to the low investment cost required, mechanical sieving seems a good approach for non-specialized labs. The individual sowing element setup is the most realistic simulation of the in-field dust drift generation but requires a higher initial investment. Therefore, this setup is most suitable for specialized labs and is recommended for further research in this area. 
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