In the case of a full-cycle application of crop protection products (CPP) using agricultural drones throughout the season—or at least during the final stages of plant development (to prevent irreversible damage from wheeled machinery)—farmers not only benefit from significantly lower water consumption (8–12 L/ha instead of 100–200 L/ha with wheeled sprayers) but also gain additional income by preserving untrampled areas. Unlike traditional technology, where wheeled sprayers create tramlines, aerial CPP application with agricultural drones ELIMINATES TECHNOLOGICAL TRAMLINES.
The average area lost due to technological tramlines ranges from 3% to 10%, depending on the sprayer's boom width, wheel width, field configuration, and overall farming practices regarding turns and land management. If we assume that the farm maintains a good level of agricultural practices, the operators handle sprayers professionally, and the field configurations are relatively uniform, then for calculating the real area lost to trampling, we will use values of 3%, 5%, and 7% (depending on the sprayer's working width).
Table 1. Calculation of Losses Due to Trampling Depending on Various Parameters
REFERENCE: The calculations provided take into account the most common solid-seeded crops, average yield levels, and grain prices as of April 2024. If the yield in a particular farm differs, the corresponding "INCOME LOSS" value can be adjusted by adding or subtracting a percentage based on the actual yield under specific conditions. However, conceptually, this will not significantly affect the overall order of figures.
As we can see, WE LOSE FROM $33 TO $78 PER HECTARE due to the trampling of potential yields by wheeled sprayers. This means that if a farm has 1,000 hectares of solid-seeded crops, the POTENTIAL INCOME from applying crop protection products (CPP) with agrodrones WOULD RANGE FROM $33,000 TO $78,000 PER PRODUCTION SEASON.
"ADDITIONAL INCOME FROM $33,000 TO $78,000 PER 1,000 HA."
Did you remember these numbers? Good, let's move on and analyze them in more detail.
In the case of wheat, to recoup the investment in an agrodrone and equipment set, it is necessary to apply CPP without technological tracks on an area starting from 600 hectares.
In the case of soybeans, to recoup the investment in an agrodrone and equipment set, it is necessary to apply CPP without technological tracks on an area starting from 400 hectares.
In the case of rapeseed, to recoup the investment in an agrodrone and equipment set, it is necessary to apply CPP without technological tracks on an area starting from 400 hectares.
CONCLUSIONS:
It is enough to treat between 400 and 600 hectares of fields with an agro-drone in such a way that there are no losses from the technological tracks of wheeled sprayers. As a result, the investment in the agro-drone and equipment set will pay off within just one season.
If you go further and use an agro-drone to treat 1,000 hectares with the "No Technological Tracks" approach, then in addition to recovering the investment within one season, you can also earn an additional $20,000 to $40,000.
If we consider the worst-case scenario, where the cost of applying crop protection products with an agro-drone is $2 per hectare higher than with existing wheeled equipment in a particular farm, then after an average of five applications on 1,000 hectares, the additional expenses will amount to $10,000. However, even in this case, it would still be possible to earn an additional $10,000 to $30,000.
And if we factor in the elimination of losses due to timely application of crop protection products—when wheeled sprayers physically cannot enter the field—the resulting figures could be nothing short of surprising.
But that’s a story for the next article!
