Spray drift in field crops: A dataset to analyse the influence of air induction nozzles, hedges, and their combination on the reduction of sedimentary drift, aerial drift and exposure of bystanders

Abstract

In 2021 and 2022, the national and cross-sector project CAPRIV funded by the French Ministry of Agriculture, made it possible to assess the influence of application techniques associated or not with a hedge or an anti-drift net on spray drift and bystander exposure. The acronym CAPRIV stands for “Concilier l'application des PPP et la protection des riverains” (Reconciling the use of PPPs and the protection of residents), within the orchard, viticulture, and field crops sectors. This specific data article focuses on field crops, especially on wheat. Over the two years, one boom sprayer equipped with flat fan and air induction nozzles was used on wheat fields adjacent to a hedgerow (2022) or not (2021). Spray drift has been measured according to a common protocol harmonised between cropping sectors within the project. Three different types of passive drift collectors were set up downwind of the treated field: Petri dishes for sedimentary drift, PVC wires placed between two masts for airborne drift and cotton T-shirts placed on manikins to assess potential dermal exposure of bystanders. The sprayed mix contained a fluorescent dye diluted in water. The mass of dye was measured using a classical technique with dilution and concentration evaluation. Two fluorescent dyes were successively used, Brillant Sulfaflavine and Sulforhodamine B. A total amount of 3792 collectors were analyzed individually. The data set provides a drift index for each collector expressed as the quantity of dye recovered per unit area of collector on the quantity of dye applied per unit area on the sprayed field multiplied by 100.

Keywords

• Wheat
• Sprayer
• Airborne drift
• Drift mitigation
• Contamination risk