Aerial application works
Aerial application is an effective option for combating disease in both corn and soybeans. The ability to combine fungicide application with insecticides and other foliar nutrients makes aerial application an extremely efficient choice. Not only do fungicides prevent disease, they also increase overall plant health, standability, and yields.
More important than efficiency, however, is the timing of your aerial fungicide and herbicide application. When disease threatens a crop, often late in the growing season when getting equipment into the field is not possible, aerial application can treat problems and prevent yield-robbing damage.
Our hassle-free process
SOIL Service, Inc.’s, aerial application program is carefully managed to be hassle free and reliable for our growers. We have a dedicated aircraft through a trusted partner. We don’t compete with other companies for the use of our plane—when our customers need it, it’s available. We also work with the same pilots year after year, which makes for a smooth planning process. We customize your program to give you the best value for your dollar and use a minimum application rate of 3 gallons per acre.
Our proven products
Our highly effective aerial program includes many potential options: our two proprietary spray surfactants, fungicide, slow release nitrogen, Foliar Opp®, micronutrients, and insecticides are all available.
We have studied fungicide efficacy at Louisiana State University and Southern Illinois University, as well as on our research farm. Our research has shown that using our spray surfactants, Landoil® and SOIL BOOST PLUS®, along with fungicide and fertilizer, will enhance your aerial program’s performance, allowing you the opportunity to maximize your yields.
Landoil and SOIL BOOST PLUS improve the coverage and effectiveness of your fungicides. In addition, on our research farm over multiple replications, foliar feeding one gallon of slow release nitrogen increased corn yields 7.4 bu/acre. The nitrogen we have studied and recommend is 28% nitrogen that is 72% slow release. Finally, our research found that by including another gallon of our Foliar Opp orthophosphate potassium liquid fertilizer, you can potentially increase your yields 5 to 10 bushels per acre on both corn and soybeans.
SOIL Service’s aerial fungicide and foliar feeding program has been proven to be the best, giving you a strong, healthy crop throughout the growing season that is also able to handle severe drought stress.
Aerial application FAQs
What are Landoil and SOIL BOOST PLUS?
Our spray surfactants—Landoil and SOIL BOOST PLUS—are incorporated in our aerial mixes. With Landoil and SOIL BOOST PLUS, you’ll get improved coverage, lower spray solution pH, and better surface coverage and adherence. When added to your aerial mix, these products result in a solution that is rain fast in 20 minutes with excellent penetration and translocation capability.
What application rate does SOIL Service recommend?
We apply at an application rate of 3 gallons per acre. That’s more than most other companies, but it’s the rate our studies have proven to be most effective. Because of the volume of aerial work we do and the partnership we have with our aircraft company, we can offer this rate at a competitive cost to other companies using the lower 2-gallon application rate.
Do you recommend aerial application for both soybeans and corn?
Aerial application is very effective in both soybeans and corn. In corn, corn-on-corn and no-till acres may provide the greatest return on investment since they are more susceptible to disease. Taking into consideration the disease tolerance ratings on your corn hybrid can also help you gauge how profitable a preventative aerial application may be.
When is aerial application most profitable?
In soybeans, our research has proven application at the R3 stage to be most profitable. In corn, application at the VT stage is most effective.
What services does SOIL Service provide with aerial application?
We work with you to determine the products needed for your crop and situation, schedule the application, make the maps, and load the plane—making sure all this happens in a timely manner to maximize your benefit from the application.
What diseases are treated?
The list could be exhaustive, but a few of the most common diseases we treat are listed below.
- Beans – frog eye leaf spot, bacterial blight, brown spot
- Corn – gray leaf spot, southern corn leaf blight, common rust
In what regions do you apply?
Soil Service has done aerial application throughout Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri, and we are able to consider application in other states as well.