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

BACKGROUND Neonicotinoid‐contaminated dust escaping pneumatic seeders causes exposure to non‐target organisms such as pollinators. Two sources of dust have been reported: abrasion by talc which is added as seed lubricant during planting, and seed‐to‐seed abrasion occurring during seed handling, distribution and planting. We report a third important source that warrants remediation. Here, soil dust stirred up by planters was found to enter the...