On May 15, Futurology hosted an open discussion titled "Profitable Rapeseed with Agricultural Drones: Calculating 'No Losses' in 2024", bringing together nearly 100 agricultural professionals to explore practical strategies for increasing rapeseed profitability through precision agriculture technologies.
During the event, Valerii Iakovenko, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Futurology, together with industry experts and technology partners, demonstrated how the combined use of agricultural drones, pod sealants, and adjuvants can generate an additional profit of up to UAH 5,817 per hectare.
Reducing Crop Losses with Agricultural Drones
One of the greatest advantages of agricultural drones is the complete elimination of wheel tracks in the field. Unlike conventional self-propelled sprayers, drones never come into contact with crops, helping farmers preserve up to 5% additional yield. At the national level, this represents more than 200,000 tonnes of additional rapeseed production.
Drones are particularly valuable during the final stages of crop development, when pod shattering can result in losses of up to 50% of the harvest. Timely desiccation helps prevent:
- Uneven crop ripening.
- The spread of plant diseases.
- Weed infestation caused by delayed harvesting.
Because agricultural drones never physically touch the crop, they eliminate losses associated with trampling and seed shedding while ensuring accurate application of desiccants.
Economic Benefits of Drone Application
Anatolii Bezoliuk, Head of the Agricultural Department at Futurology and XAG Ukraine, presented an economic model demonstrating the financial benefits of integrating agricultural drones into rapeseed production, supported by practical field calculations.
The presentation showed how precision spraying technologies can reduce operating costs while increasing profitability through lower resource consumption and improved crop preservation.
The Role of Adjuvants
Pavlo Andrusyk, Commercial Director of Spreytek Ukraine, explained how modern adjuvants improve the effectiveness of ultra-low-volume spraying performed by agricultural drones.
According to Spreytek Ukraine's research, using adjuvants during desiccation provides several important advantages:
- Saves approximately 150 litres of water per hectare.
- Reduces product application rates by 25–50%.
- Produces heavier, more stable droplets with reduced drift.
- Improves spray coverage and treatment efficiency.
Protecting Rapeseed Pods with Bioglue
Victoria Kuzmych, Head of the Expert Department at BTU, shared practical recommendations on preventing pod shattering through the application of biological pod sealants using agricultural drones.
Applying bioglue with drones provides:
- Up to 15% reduction in losses caused by trampling and mechanical damage.
- Up to 50% preservation of the harvest by preventing seed loss.
- Up to 90% reduction in spray solution volume without compromising treatment effectiveness.
Formula for Rapeseed Profitability
The conference concluded with a practical economic model showing how agricultural drones, pod sealants, and adjuvants can increase rapeseed profitability by up to UAH 5,817 per hectare while reducing production risks and preserving crop yield.
Download the "Formula for Rapeseed Profitability" to explore the complete calculations and recommendations.
