The use of drones for spraying pesticides on crops is still off-label and not legal in Canada, but it’s one step closer to becoming reality.

Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has approved its first herbicide for drone application in Canada, although it’s not for agricultural use.

Corteva says it has received approval for adding remotely piloted aircraft systems (or drones) as an application method on the label of Garlon XRT. It’s a Group 4 herbicide, which contains triclopyr, and is used for controlling woody plants and vegetation in non-crop settings, such as around power lines and other utilities.

″We have reached a significant milestone in Corteva’s R&D journey with Garlon XRT herbicide, the first industrial vegetation management product in Canada with drone application registered on the label,″ says Mark Versluys, specialties business leader for Corteva Agriscience, in a statement.

The only other pesticide approved for drone application to date in Canada is for mosquito control.

There are no agricultural pesticides approved for spraying with drones thus far, but crop protection companies, including Corteva, are working with drone companies to collect the data needed to have products approved by the PMRA.

Several companies are actively selling and holding demonstrations of drones for spraying in Western Canada this summer, as a combination of wet conditions and the economics around application costs are driving interest in the technology.