Targeting Blackgrass

Agrii Agronomist Andy Nash has been utilising Skippy Scout’s “Scout Sphere” feature to target Clethodim and Propyzamide applications in areas of establishing WOSR containing black grass, protecting against runoff and saving approximately 64% compared to blanket application.

View our how-to guide to do this yourself…

Financial Benefits

Field area = 17.61ha
Grass weed area = 6.35ha
The cost of the Clethodim + water conditioner = £23/ha
Targeting grass weed area compared to blanket application saving of = £258.98
Savings per ha = £14.70

Follow-ups

We will fly the field again over the next couple of weeks to check the level of control & will likely spray the same area again with Propyzamide at
approx £44 / ha
This would save a further £495.44 compared
with spraying the whole field.
Total potential saving for this field £754.42

In this case study, Andy Nash uses the drone automation platform, Skippy Scout, to easily identify blackgrass in a field of OSR. This allowed for targeted patch spraying instead of the conventional practice of spraying the entire field, a method often employed to avoid the risk of missing any black grass. By Simply uploading the field boundaries onto the Skippy Scout app, selecting some scout points, and pressing ‘Fly Now’, Andy had actionable reports in his inbox just ten minutes after a twenty minute flight. This meant Andy could make informed decisions while still standing in the field.

View the report

Scout Sphere map of field before spray treatment, captured automatically in minutes by Skippy Scout

Map of field after treatment

Environmental Benefits

Applying Propyzamide only to the area of the field where it is needed also reduces the risk of water contamination by reducing the overall amount of product used.

For propyzamide to be effective it needs to be applied when soil temperatures are below 10° C as this optimises the grass weed control. Low, Autumn temperatures slow propyzamide breakdown and ensure grass weed roots are exposed to the chemical for as long as possible. This usually means waiting until the end of November/December before the ideal temperatures have been reached, this is also the time of year when rainfall is higher, which increases the risk of soil runoff and the potential to contaminate surface
water.

The area where the use of a drone can help mitigate the risk of surface water contamination is with crop monitoring and only applying propyzamide where it is needed.