Field trials aim to understand how drone-based spraying technology impacts crops

When Corteva Agriscience needed to expand their spray drone trials from small research plots to a full-scale farm setting, working with EMILI at Innovation Farms powered by AgExpert during the 2025 growing season provided multiple benefits.

“Working with EMILI at Innovation Farms has been a game-changer for us,” said Corteva Field Modernization Scientist Kevin Falk.

While flying his DJI Agras T50 precision spray drone over Innovation Farms, Falk is developing a research methodology for using spray drones for small plot trials. He is also assessing how well Corteva crop health products perform when applied by drones compared to conventional methods such as tractor-mounted sprayers or hand booms.

Through this research Falk hopes to gain a better understanding of how to configure flight paths for small plots, what the optimal water volume, droplet size, and flight altitude is, and how to maintain spray quality and consistency across treatments. 

EMILI’s Innovation Farms Manager Leanne Koroscil is glad to see the data from Innovation Farms contributing to this research.

“Corteva has already seen success having one herbicide application approved by Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency. The next step is to have one approved for use in agriculture,” said Koroscil. “This project is laying the groundwork for a better understanding of how spray drone applications impact crops and could be an important milestone for spray drone use in Canada.”

While researchers like Falk can obtain permits, there are currently no pesticides approved for agricultural drone application in Canada. The data collected in field trials on Innovation Farms may change this.