Harvesting Profits With Aerial Application
Benefits of Aerial Application
• Ability to apply crop protection products in a timely and efficient manner
• More economical coverage of large areas
• Can treat crops faster than ground machines, which is critical for disease/pest control
• Not limited by wet soil conditions when ground machines can’t operate
• No crop damage and losses from tire tracks, compaction, etc.
• Does not spread fungal spores
Real World Examples
• Aerial application pays for itself and puts more money in the grower’s pocket!
• The photo below illustrates yield data on an Illinois corn field in 2004. The area treated with fungicide resulted in a net increase of $115.85 per acre.
Untreated Treated
Beck 5322RW: Stratego Treated
|
Treated Yield |
223.35 bu |
|
Untreated Yield |
169.41 bu |
|
Difference |
53.94 bu/acre |
|
|
|
|
53.94 bu @$2.50 = |
134.85/acre |
|
Stratego Application: |
$19.00/acre |
|
Net Increase: |
+ $115.85/acre |
Air Tractor: More Yield On The Field
Soybean field treated by an Air Tractor
Soybean field treated by ground rig
Comparison between ground and aerial application costs:
(Example: 100 ha Soybeans in Brazil)
|
Details |
Ground Sprayer |
Air Tractor |
|
Partial cost of application |
$400
($4.00 x 100 ha) |
$900
($9.00/ha x 100) |
|
Loss due to tire tracks on a crop yielding 2,700 kgs/ha |
101 bags, or 2.24% of total |
ZERO |
|
Losses |
$1,010
(1 bag = $10) |
ZERO |
|
Total cost of application |
$1,410 |
$900 |
|
Profit with
Air Tractor |
|
$510, or 51 bags |
Photos & data courtesy of Ruy Alberto Textor, Brazil
Advantages of Air Tractor Aircraft
• Air Tractor, Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of agricultural aircraft.
• Models range in size from 400 gallon to 800 gallon capacity to efficiently treat a variety of field sizes, application rates, and ferry distances.
• The Air Tractor is a heavier aircraft than a Piper or Cessna ag plane, so there is greater downwash from the wings and better penetration of the spray in dense foliage.
• Air Tractor engineers have worked extensively with researchers and other experts to design optimal boom and nozzle placement and minimize drift potential.
The Experts Say:
“Air Tractors have an excellent [spray] pattern - with very low CVs or coefficients of variation across the swath. Air Tractor has done a magnificent job of keeping the lower fuselage aerodynamically clean. This helps with fuel efficiency, but less drag means less turbulence and drift potential as well. Air Tractors do an excellent job of spreading [dry material] as well. The large sump and tall gear stance allows the spreader to be down low enough that most of the aircraft aerodynamics don't disturb the pattern.”
- Dr. Dennis Gardisser, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor & Assoc. Dept. Head - Extension Engineer
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture – Cooperative Extension Service
Guiding Growers to Profit
• Many Air Tractor operators utilize GPS swath guidance systems , flow controls, and other new technology to provide the grower with superior service.
• State of the art Variable Rate Technology is now available for aircraft for liquid and dry applications. VRT allows the grower to save money on chemical costs and treat only those areas of the crop that need it.
• The maps below show the accuracy of aerial application using VRT.
Variable Rate GPS Technology
Prescription Map
As Applied Map