Machine-vision technology shows promise to reduce herbicide use

WESTMINSTER, Colorado – 26 September 2024 – Farmers and land-managers seeking to reduce their herbicide applications now have another promising option via machine-vision technology. That’s the summary from a recently published research article in Weed Technology, a journal of the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA).

“Our research showed that, on average, this technology’s targeted sprays saved a range of 28.4 to 62.4% on postemergence herbicides compared to traditional broadcast applications,” says Tristen Avent, University of Arkansas, Senior Graduate Assistant in the Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences Department, and corresponding author of the study. “In addition to significant opportunities to lower herbicide costs and improve profits, our research also showed that the targeted applications from machine-vision technology can be utilized to provide some soybean health benefits and improve environmental stewardship.”

In this study, researchers used John Deere’s See & Spray™ Technology to compare machine-vision targeted spray technology with traditional broadcast applications. Researchers conducted the experiments for two years in Keiser, AR, and Greenville, MS, to compare residual herbicide timings and targeted spray applications versus traditional broadcast herbicide programs in glyphosate/glufosinate/dicamba-resistant soybean.

More information about machine-vision opportunities to reduce herbicide use can be found in the article, Comparing Herbicide Application Methods with See & Spray™ Technology in Soybean. The research is featured in the Volume 38, 2024, issue of Weed Technology, a Weed Science Society of America journal, published online by Cambridge University Press.

About Weed Technology

Weed Technology is a journal of the Weed Science Society of America, a nonprofit scientific society focused on weeds and their environmental impact. Weed Technology publishes original research and scholarship in the form of peer-reviewed articles focused on understanding how weeds are managed. The journal focuses on applied aspects concerning weed management in agricultural systems, weed/crop management systems, new weed problems, new technologies for weed management, herbicides used to manage undesired vegetation, and special articles emphasizing technology transfer to improve weed control. To learn more, visit www.wssa.net.

Media Contact:                                             

Jason K. Norsworthy, Ph.D.

Editor - Weed Technology

jnorswor@uark.edu, 479-313-1265