Maize is a hungry crop, and it keeps feeding well after most growers have stopped being able to get into it. A recent Farmers Weekly feature covered a trial on exactly this problem, and we were pleased to be part of it. Our own James Poynton flew the applications.
The late nitrogen problem
Hutchinsons crop nutrition specialist Rob Jewers points out that maize needs over 30% of its total nitrogen after tasselling, which is when the crop is filling its cobs. By then, though, the crop is usually too tall for conventional machinery. Summer dryness makes things harder still, because granular nitrogen struggles to get taken up in dry soil and is more likely to be lost through volatilisation.
Foliar nitrogen gets around the uptake problem, but hot weather brings the risk of leaf scorch, which can narrow the window for a sprayer. A drone gives you much more flexibility on timing and doesn’t need to drive through the crop.
What was tested
The trial took place near Broughton Astley in Leicestershire, with three products applied by drone on 22 July:
- N-Durance, a methylated urea product, applied at 20 litres/ha
- Peloton, a foliar nutrition product supplying extra macronutrients and micronutrients
- Align-N, an 18% foliar urea
The results
Plot cuts showed that the N-Durance and Peloton combination gave around 10t/ha more fresh weight than untreated plots. Predicted fresh weight yields, based on a 40t/ha average, were:
| Treatment | Predicted fresh weight yield (t/ha) |
| Untreated | 38.44 |
| Align-N | 30.23 |
| N-Durance | 42.71 |
| N-Durance + Peloton | 48.62 |
Align-N gave no benefit in this trial, which is a reminder that product choice matters as much as the method of application.
Does it pay?
Hutchinsons agronomist Greg Hopkinson put the drone application at £35/ha, bringing the total with product to £115/ha. At a fresh weight value of £40/t, a 10t/ha lift is worth about £400/ha, so the return comfortably covers the cost.
Sowing into standing maize
The same site is also testing drone seeding into a standing maize crop. Maize is harvested late, so it’s often hard to establish a cover crop afterwards. Sowing into the standing crop means the cover is well on its way by harvest, which helps protect against autumn soil erosion. It can also provide some grazing and attract environmental payment income.
The figures quoted were £129/ha for the SFI cover crop option against £45/ha for seed and £30/ha for drone sowing. Livestock farms could also sow grass seed this way for late-season forage.
What this looks like for our drones
We applied the products using a DJI T50. In spray mode it carries a 40-litre tank. In spreader mode it carries up to 50kg of seed, which at a typical 5kg/ha covers 10ha per load. The rotor downdraught helps seed reach the ground even through a standing crop.
Demand for drone-applied foliar nitrogen is growing across the UK, particularly in maize and seed stewardship crops. We’re also trialling a product that goes on at just 30 litres/ha, which would help cover more ground per load.
Thinking about drone application for your maize?
Get in touch with the SAS Agri Drones team to talk through timing, products and costs for next season.
Source: Farmers Weekly, “Trial shows maize yield lift with drone-applied foliar N”, Richard Allison, 28 September 2026.