Herbicide Application with an Agri-Drone to Control Milkweed in Soybeans

In a soybean field in Rivne region, significant localized infestation with common milkweed was detected. This is an extremely aggressive and difficult-to-control weed that quickly regrows due to its powerful root system and high resistance to conventional herbicides, suppressing cultivated plants. Milkweed can grow up to two meters tall, spreads easily, and traditional agronomic methods are not very effective against it. The task was to locally treat the milkweed-infested areas with herbicide across approximately 100 hectares of soybeans, reducing its negative impact on soybean yield. Since the weed was distributed unevenly across the field, the work had to be carried out using a highly precise and efficient method.

The treatment was carried out by one crew using a DJI AGRAS T50 drone, which is capable of quickly applying crop protection products across large areas.

Before the application, the crew surveyed the areas with milkweed patches and divided the field into sectors for targeted treatment. This made it possible to use the product efficiently and avoid unnecessary application on clean areas.

A glyphosate-based herbicide was used as the working solution, with an application rate of 16 L/ha of working solution, of which approximately 4.5–6 L of active glyphosate ingredient was applied directly per hectare. This increased rate was chosen specifically to control milkweed, as it is highly resistant to standard application rates.

Work details:

Treatment area: about 100 ha of soybeans, with only the high-density milkweed patches actually treated.

Equipment: DJI AGRAS T50

Crew: one pilot

Product: glyphosate-based herbicide

Application rate: approximately 16 L/ha of working solution, with the active glyphosate component at around 4.5–6 L/ha

Specifics: since the milkweed appeared in patches, detailed mapping of the weed-infested areas had to be carried out first in order to direct the treatment as precisely as possible.

Effective local control of milkweed: the use of an increased rate of a non-selective herbicide made it possible to suppress the above-ground part of the weed in the treated areas.

Precise application: thanks to the DJI AGRAS T50 drone, the treatment was carried out quickly and evenly, despite the patchy distribution of the weed across the field.

Efficiency: one crew completed the work within a reasonable timeframe, and the field was treated without delays.

Customer feedback: the client was satisfied with both the work and the result. The weed was significantly suppressed in the treated areas, which had a positive impact on the further development of the soybean crop.

This case demonstrates that under challenging conditions, when traditional weed control methods are ineffective, modern agri-drones make it possible to apply crop protection products in a targeted and efficient way, even when weeds are distributed unevenly across the field.

In particular, applying an increased rate of a non-selective herbicide to specific milkweed patches in soybeans proved to be a practical solution to an agronomic problem that is difficult to solve using conventional methods.