The role of field dust in pesticide drift when pesticide-treated maize seeds are planted with vacuum-type planters.

Field dust in pneumatic metering systems contributes significantly to clothianidin contamination in planter exhaust by seed abrasion. Adding diatomaceous earth as surrogate field dust to the Heubach seed dust protocol accounted for field dust abrasion and distinguished anti-abrasive properties of seed treatments. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.