Deposition of dust with active substances in pesticides from treated seeds in adjacent fields during drilling: disentangling the effects of various factors using an 8-year field experiment

The side effects from the use of plant protection products and their potential effects on non-target arthropods (NTAs) such as honey bees, other insects within the vegetation layer and epigeic arthropods nowadays receive more attention. However, uncertainties about the factors driving the deposition of active substances (a.s.) into off-crop areas persist, in particular during sowing of treated seeds. Analysing a highly standardised 8-year field experiment, we assessed the importance of various factors potentially affecting dust drift and deposition of a.s., emitted during the sowing process of treated seeds and deposited on fields adjacent to the drilling field, i.e. on the ground, on flowers, and on nonflowering plant parts. Regarding a.s. deposition, the Heubach a.s. value has a predictive capability, which is independent from all other factors taken into account in this study, and can thus be considered as a scenario-independent measure of potential dust deposition. Petri dish samplers, an established standard method for measuring a.s. deposition, were representative of the results from the plant samplers for a given combination of drilling technique and adjacent crop type. Adjacent crop type is likely to impact on a.s. deposition. The present work will enable a more field-realistic exposure assessment for bees and other NTAs.

Automated summary

The study evaluates the deposition of active substances from treated seeds in off-crop areas, finding that the Heubach a.s. value has predictive capability and that Petri dish samplers are representative of plant samplers. The adjacent crop type is likely to impact the deposition of active substances.