Indoor assessment of dust drift effect using different types of pneumatic seed drills.

The air stream generated by the fan of pneumatic seeders – necessary to create a depression in the sowing element of the machine and to guarantee correct seed deposition – can blow away solid particles that have been detached from the seeds. In this study, experimental tests were carried out to evaluate the performance of technical solutions by seeder producers to limit dust drift. A specific test methodology has been developed to assess sowing machine performance. The tested technologies that convey the air to the soil, independent of their design, resulted in seed particle drift to be reduced by more than 60% compared to a conventional machine with the fan outlet oriented upwards. Particle drift was reduced by more than 70% if only an area between 5 and 20 m downwind the machine border was considered. This study has shown that the use of an appropriate design can reduce the dispersion of toxic substances in the atmosphere during seeding and that the methodology developed to carry out the trials could be used for seeder dust dispersion classification.