Targeting Weeds in a Blink of an Eye

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The first thing you notice while watching John Deere’s new See & Spray Ultimate technology in action is the hiss. It’s a relatively quiet sound that spells a quick demise to weeds unfortunate enough to be targeted by the system.

There’s one. Then another. And another. Etcetera.

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John Deere’s See & Spray Ultimate allows growers to broadcast one product while also targeting individual weeds with a non-residual spot treatment. (Photo: John Deere)

 

John Deere is introducing its See & Spray Ultimate, a factory-installed system available for model year 2023 John Deere 410R, 412R, and 612R Sprayers that enables targeted spraying of non-residual herbicide on weeds among cotton, corn, and soybean plants.

“This is a technology and product that we’ve been working on ever since the 2017 acquisition of Blue River Technology,” explains Franklin Peitz, John Deere’s Marketing Manager, Sprayers. “Blue River focuses on machine learning and camera visualization technology along with artificial intelligence to help distinguish between crop and weed. We then bolt that on to our sprayers and integrate the whole system to work as one. There are no hiccups because something is Blue River and something is John Deere. As the machine moves through the field, all of the data is flowing.”

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And flowing quickly. The sprayer features a 120-foot carbon fiber boom containing 36 cameras constantly scanning about 2,100 square feet at all times.

Thirty-six of these cameras constantly scan the crop rows searching for weeds. (Photo: John Deere)

 

“The cameras that are the eyes of the system,” says Peitz, “and computer processors attached to the boom are the brains. The cameras are constantly scanning, and the processors are identifying the images of what’s a weed and what’s a crop and sending a signal to the nozzle where the weed is to only spray the weed (hence the hiss). The process of scanning, identification, and spraying is about 0.2 seconds, or the blink of an eye. And that’s operating at speeds up to 12 mph in the field.”

The carbon fiber truss style boom differs from other carbon fiber units used by Deere on other sprayers. It’s lighter, stronger, and more durable than steel, which allows the high level of precision needed for the See & Spray technology to work effectively.

“Think about driving through a field at 12 mph and trying to take a picture on your camera,” says Peitz. “Image quality is probably not going to be sharp. The ultra-stable boom allows the cameras to see precisely what they need to see and allows the boom to be at the optimal height for the target spray to be enabled. We had to make sure the See & Spray technology would give us the same accuracy rate that a grower would experience with a broadcast application.”

Peitz also points out that the See & Spray Ultimate’s targeted spray technology can help farmers reduce non-residual herbicide use by more than two thirds at a hit rate comparable to traditional spraying. This decreased herbicide use can significantly lower herbicide costs, reduce tendering stops, and allow growers to cover more acres per day.

The unit is a dual product system featuring two independent tanks, giving growers the flexibility to broadcast one product while simultaneously using See & Spray with a non-residual herbicide out of the appropriate nozzle. Two tank options – 1,200 and 1,000 gallons – are available. 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 features a 350-gallon tank for targeted spraying and a 650-gallon tank for broadcast spraying.

“Growers can do two passes in one,” says Peitz. “And customers are telling us that now that they’re not spraying as much using See & Spray, they are using the maximum rates to make sure they kill that target weed. And later in the season, we know some people are looking to spray Pix broadcast while doing a clean-up pass with See & Spray. It gives our customers more flexibility.”

How Well Does It Work?

Sam Sparks grows cotton, corn, sorghum, sesame, and other crops near Mercedes, TX. He had the opportunity to assess the See & Spray Ultimate in his fields this spring.

He’s impressed.

“We have about 4,200 acres of cotton, and some is already in the true 3-4 leaf stage,” says Sparks. “Right now, we’re seeing some pockets of grass in the field along with some sunflowers and false ragweed that’s resistant to glyphosate. With this technology, we’re able to go into the field now and target those areas to try to eliminate them from spreading throughout the field. At first bloom, we’ll be applying a foliar application and target some other specific weeds that are in the field before irrigation.”

Sparks likes to learn about new technologies to see they’ll be helpful to their farming operation. If there’s a fit, he’ll make the investment.

“We firmly believe that technology is the key to making the improvements we need to be the most productive farm we can be,” he adds. “When I was presented the opportunity to try See & Spray, I was a little leery about how those camera could pick up on weeds in the field while there’s a crop. But in a millisecond, the camera is communicating with the sprayer, telling it to open just that one nozzle.

“It’s amazing to see. I think it’s a game changer for all cotton growers.”

Plans for 2022

More in-field research, collaborations, and demonstrations are already set for 2022.

“We’re partnering with chemical companies to try to figure out what our optimal chemical mix is in order to ensure that our weed control with See & Spray is going above and beyond what we’re used to,” says Peitz. “And we’re advising customers to work with their chemical reps to really think through and evaluate the ways this technology could impact their operations.

“We have some customers with units this spring season, and we also have demonstration units for dealers to utilize this year as well,” he adds. “We want dealers to make sure they’re comfortable with supporting the technology. The foundation of See & Spray is ExactApply, our individual nozzle control technology, and dealers have been supporting that for 3 to 4 years.

“It’s so much new at once,” notes Peitz. “Customers have been asking for this for years. And now that they see it and have in their hands, it’s creating more light bulb moments of ‘I could use it this way, and I never considered that before.” It takes a while to just digest everything that the See & Spray system could unlock for every operation.”

Initial orders for a limited, double-digit production of See & Spray Ultimate for 2023 will open this summer, which is also when pricing will be available. Initial orders will be focused only in the geographic areas of Texas, the Mississippi Delta, and the Midwest. Orders for the entire U.S. will open for model year 2024.

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