See and Spray: Technology targets weeds only

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — A new application technology that enables targeted spraying of non-residual herbicide on weeds will have a limited model year 2023 rollout in targeted geographies, including central Illinois.

The John Deere See and Spray Ultimate, a factory-installed application system, was featured at the Midwest Ag Industries Exposition.

“See and Spray Ultimate combines computer vision, machine learning technology, with a new boom and a dual product solution system to be able to provide our customers with a really effective in-season targeted spray application,” said Franklin Peitz, John Deere sprayer marketing manager.

See and Spray Ultimate’s targeted spray technology was designed by Blue River Technology, a wholly owned subsidiary of John Deere.

Eyeing Weeds

Cameras and processors mounted on John Deere’s new carbon-fiber truss-style boom utilize the combined power of computer vision and machine learning to detect weeds from crop plants.

There is one camera mounted every one meter across the width of the boom, which equates to 36 cameras scanning more than 2,100 square feet at once.

The accuracy of the target spray is enhanced by BoomTrac Ultimate, the new boom height control system from John Deere.

“Those cameras are the eyes of this system. The processors are the brains. The eyes are looking down to determine what’s a weed, what’s a crop, and the processors are then sending a signal down to the nozzle to turn on the nozzle just where the weeds are,” Peitz said.

“The process from scanning to identification to spraying is about 0.2 seconds or the blink of an eye and that’s traveling up to 12 miles and hour. This system can work in corn, soybeans and cotton.

“If you’re in a soybean field, you just let the system know you’re going into soybeans. It will identify every single soybean plant and spray anything that isn’t a soybean. That could be a grass or broadleaf or volunteer corn.

“See and Spray Ultimate’s targeted spray technology can help farmers reduce their non-residual herbicide use by more than two-thirds and maintain a hit rate comparable to traditional spraying. For farmers, this decreased herbicide use can significantly lower herbicide costs, reduce tendering stops and help them cover more acres per day.”

Dual System

Another key component of See and Spray Ultimate is the split tank with dual-product capability, which helps farmers better control weeds and battle herbicide resistance.

“With this dual product solution system you basically have two sprayers in one. We have independent plumbing going down to our nozzle body in two different ports so there would be no contamination. If you want to broadcast a fungicide while also see and spraying a non-residual herbicide just to cleanup any weeds that remain in the field, you can do that as well,” Peitz said.

“We’re basically getting two passes in one, reducing compaction and covering more acres efficiently.”

Tanks

Two tank options are available, 1,200 and 1,000 gallons. The 1,200-gallon option is split into a 450-gallon tank for targeted spraying and a 750-gallon tank for broadcast spraying.

The 1,000-gallon option is split into a 350-gallon tank for targeted spraying and a 650-gallon tank broadcast spraying.

John Deere model year 2023 sprayers are factory equipped with JDLink connectivity, plus a new integrated StarFire 7000 GPS receiver and Generation 4 CommandCenter display.

The StarFire 7000 receiver builds upon the success of its predecessors and brings to market a new type of RTK signal, SF-RTK. SF-RTK is the easiest RTK solution to use relying solely on satellite communication.

These technologies combined enable the operator to reduce overlap and maximize inputs, all with less stress.

As See and Spray Ultimate travels across the field, the Generation 4 Display allows a farmer to analyze savings by seeing how much ground was covered compared to how much was sprayed.

After a pass is made, a map showing weed pressure within each field is available in John Deere Operations Center. This enables a farmer to compare the weed map to their yield map and make decisions about their weed-control program.

Peitz said these analytical tools provide insights to make more-informed field management decisions year after year.

“From a sustainability standpoint See and Spray Ultimate can help farmers use less herbicide and decreases opportunities for drift, and that’s better for everyone,” Peitz said.