Getting an early application of sulphur on winter wheat is a good strategy for boosting plant development. Add some nitrogen and you have a recipe for strong early-season growth.
On this episode of RealAgriculture Wheat School, Sparta, Ont., farmer and Bayer Crop Science technical product lead Adam Pfeffer shares how he’s been using drones to deliver early sulphur applications on winter wheat.
In 2024, Pfeffer worked with Done Spray Canada’s Adrian Rivard to apply AMS at 100 lb/ac on his winter wheat fields. This spring, Rivard applied AMS at 80 lb/ac on Mar 18 to the field featured in the video.
With custom application, Pfeffer says the ability to apply sulphur early without tracking the field is a great benefit: “and the best part about it is I’m not flying the drone.”
With two passes for double coverage, Pfeffer says he’s getting a beautiful spread pattern and hasn’t seen any streaking. He’s also been impressed with the drone improvements and efficiency gains since he first worked with done application in 2021. At that time, Drone Spray was flying a DJI T10 drone with capacity for about 18 lb of product. In 2025, the company is using a DJI T50 drone that can fly with with about 88 lb of product.
Capacity has increased dramatically, notes Pfeffer. “In 2021, he spread 4,000 pounds in about 15 hours. This year, he did 6,000 pounds in the same field in six hours so capacities have increased dramatically. And like all technology, it improves over time. I’d be curious to see where we’re at four or five years from now with this kind of technology.”
In the video, Pfeffer and Tobin also look at drone use in cover crops, late-season nutrient applications, and the potential for future application of crop protection products, including fungicides.
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