A pod sealant has been successfully applied to an oilseed rape crop ahead of this harvest using a drone, in the first ever trial in the UK.

Pod sealants are typically applied to crops prior to desiccation to reduce shattering of oilseed rape pods due to wind or rain in the critical final weeks before harvest.

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However, passing through with a standard sprayer can itself lead to crop damage and some seed losses.

One solution is to apply the pod sealant using a drone.

Visitors to the De Sangosse stand at the Cereals event learned about the trial where the autonomous XAG P100 Pro drone applied Pod-Stik to an OSR crop in Yorkshire.

Robert Pearson, founder and chief executive officer of drone specialist AutoSpray Systems who carried out the trial in partnership De Sangosse, pointed out that the drone can cover up to 20ha an hour.

“Drones offer clear advantages, including the ability to operate when ground conditions are too wet for traditional machinery, the elimination of soil compaction, and a reduced safety risk for the operator.”

Yorkshire farmer

For Yorkshire grower Andrew Manfield who hosted the trial, the advantages of drone application were clear from the outset.

“We’ve overcome a lot this season and brought the oilseed rape through to a point where we’re hopeful for a strong harvest,” he said.

“However, protecting that potential is always a challenge – especially up here on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds where wind damage is a real risk.”

Traditionally, he would use Pod-Stik to protect the pods, but the downside is having to run a sprayer through a mature crop.

“With plants standing at roughly seven feet tall, even a self-propelled sprayer causes some damage and inevitable yield loss.”

According to Andrew, the drone gives him the ability to apply the product without mechanically damaging the crop with the sprayer and potentially to apply it more effectively.

Canopy penetration

“With a standard sprayer, you can optimise nozzles and pressure, but you’ll never get the same level of canopy penetration that a drone can deliver.”

He says with the drone, operators have much finer control of droplet size, and the rotor downdraft helps push the spray into the top layers of the crop where the pods are.

“That’s a major advantage,” Andrew said.