Dust-off test: Heubach

For seeds treated with plant protection products (PPP) more and more authorities in Europe are introducing Dust-off norms by legislation. The main reason for the introduction of this Dust-off test is to protect the environment from free-floating dust from seeds treated with PPPs. INCOTEC has the first and only independent laboratory in the seed industry to offer the dust-off tests based on the Heubach technology which has been accepted by the industry.

To perform the critical analytical Heubach test, a strict protocol is followed. The environment under which the Heubach test is performed requires constant and specific laboratory conditions, which are available at our laboratories. Even minimal quantities of free-floating dust particles can be measured accurately on de-ionized micro-balances.

Furthermore, we are able to simultaneously analyse the presence and concentration of plant protection products in free-floating dust particles to determine the extent to which the active ingredient is present in the dust. However, the presence or absence of plant protection products in the free-floating dust has no influence whatsoever on the maximum level of dust release permitted by the local authorities.