Exploring Aerial Application Safety by Plane or Drone

By Kathryn Seebruck and N. Dennis Bowman

One of the trademarks of summer is the sight of planes and helicopters making gravity-defying turns as they make passes up and down cornfields. While this evokes awe and amazement, it also elicits curiosity as to what they are doing and why. Additionally, when serious or fatal agricultural aviation accidents make local news headlines, they raise concerns about the safety of these practices and prompt questions about possible alternatives.

In mid- to late-July, field corn reaches its reproductive stage of growth, marked by the emergence of tassels at the top of each plant.

“This is an extremely important time in the growth of the crop, as the plants will begin to expend all their resources on producing grain,” says Kathryn Seebruck, commercial agriculture educator, University of Illinois Extension.

As such, it is imperative that the crop be protected from stress during this time. Adverse weather conditions and pest pressure during grain fill can significantly impact yields, resulting in economic loss to the producer. Already facing razor-thin margins due to low crop prices and high input and land costs, farmers strive to set their crop up for success and reduce the negative impacts from stressors like weather and pests.

One such method is to apply crop protection products such as fungicides and insecticides to prevent diseases and insects, respectively, from damaging the crop during this sensitive period. Many of these products are designed to be applied at the tassel stage of corn when the crop is most vulnerable to these pests. Aerial application of these products using airplanes or helicopters, also referred to as crop dusting, offers multiple benefits in comparison to using a ground rig, including:

• No crop damage or soil compaction
• The ability to make a timely application within a narrow timeframe
• The ability to cover more acres per day
• More effective application of the product at the upper half of the plant
• Limited availability of high clearance applicators 

While product application via manned aircraft is efficient and timely, the biggest drawback to their use is their safety. What makes them exciting to watch is also what makes them dangerous.