Leeb sprayers with AutoSelect, the proven automatic nozzle control system, can now ‘spot spray’ with data fed from a drone sweep of the field, Horsch has announced.
Horsch says this removes the need to have an expensive camera system mounted to the sprayer or tractor.
“AutoSelect has been available to customers since we started selling sprayers, so the vast majority of our customers can take advantage of our proven selective spraying technology.
"Working with application maps, it offers a significant reduction in chemical use without incurring further prohibitive costs,” says Stephen Burcham, general manager at Horsch UK.
Horsch says that using drones to map the weed population ahead of spraying ensures the operator can mix the correct amount of chemical in the sprayer’s tank for the chosen application.
Real-time analysis
It notes that this is a major advantage over real-time analysis for spot and patch spraying, which could leave significant levels of chemical in the sprayer at the end of the application.
Precision mapping with drones
Horsch says it has been working with Agrovista as a supplier of drone mapping and precision services. Richard Dulake, precision services technical manager at Agrovista explained the process.
Horsch says that using drones to map the weed population ahead of spraying ensures the operator can mix the correct amount of chemical in the sprayer’s tank for the chosen application.
“During the summer months, our soil sampling team can turn their hands to drone operation. We have 10 sophisticated drones that can map our customers’ fields and create Green-on-Green data maps highlighting areas of weed growth.”
“Some manual input is required in identifying the weed areas but once two or three areas have been highlighted, our AI software takes over and identifies all areas with either multiple or single plants. The spraying area is reduced to the smallest possible, but we usually use a minimum of 1m grids.”
“Application maps instruct sprayers with nozzle and section control to apply chemical only where necessary. Two types of applications maps are available: point and radius, and polygon. The more sophisticated ‘point and radius’ marks the centre of a weed population and draws a small circle to create a map of overlapping circular spray areas.
"These maps supply far more data points, and the radius can be edited to allow for weed growth, for example, if there’s been a few days of rain since the field scan. The polygon data map creates a more rigid set of shapes that highlight weed growth areas. These have less data points but are more compatible with older control terminals,” added Mr Dulake.
“Application maps instruct sprayers with nozzle and section control to apply chemical only where necessary".
Patch and spot spraying
Horsch says that it recognises that there is an intensive focus on selective spraying to make plant protection even more efficient. It notes that true spot spraying means that the individual plant is assessed and treated allowing sprays to be used in an even more effective way.
It says that the objective is to develop the new technology to meet the different environmental conditions and requirements of the farmers around the world.
Green-on-Brown (GOB) plays a major role in dry regions, such as Australia, to remove individual weeds from the stubbles. Green-on-Green (GOG) is far more difficult to implement due to the small differentiation between weeds and emergent crops and is proving a challenge for experts across the agricultural industry.
GOG is important in northern Europe, for example, for the application of herbicides or fungicides. Spot spraying GOG relies on sophisticated camera systems processing data in real time and is currently expensive and inconsistent.
Horsch adds that patch spraying brings much of the benefits at far lower price point that is easier to implement. It concludes that saying that’s its AutoSelect system enables a single boom section to be activated, just one or two metres rather than the entire boom, to ensure chemicals are only applied to that patch.
Horsch says that patch spraying brings much of the benefits of spot spraying, at far lower price point that is easier to implement.
Horsch has announced that any of its Leeb sprayers with AutoSelect can now ‘spot spray’ with data fed from a drone sweep of the field.
"The spraying area is reduced to the smallest possible, but we usually use a minimum of 1m grids.”
Leeb sprayers with AutoSelect, the proven automatic nozzle control system, can now ‘spot spray’ with data fed from a drone sweep of the field, Horsch has announced.
Horsch says this removes the need to have an expensive camera system mounted to the sprayer or tractor.
“AutoSelect has been available to customers since we started selling sprayers, so the vast majority of our customers can take advantage of our proven selective spraying technology.
"Working with application maps, it offers a significant reduction in chemical use without incurring further prohibitive costs,” says Stephen Burcham, general manager at Horsch UK.
Horsch says that using drones to map the weed population ahead of spraying ensures the operator can mix the correct amount of chemical in the sprayer’s tank for the chosen application.
Real-time analysis
It notes that this is a major advantage over real-time analysis for spot and patch spraying, which could leave significant levels of chemical in the sprayer at the end of the application.
Precision mapping with drones
Horsch says it has been working with Agrovista as a supplier of drone mapping and precision services. Richard Dulake, precision services technical manager at Agrovista explained the process.
Horsch says that using drones to map the weed population ahead of spraying ensures the operator can mix the correct amount of chemical in the sprayer’s tank for the chosen application.
“During the summer months, our soil sampling team can turn their hands to drone operation. We have 10 sophisticated drones that can map our customers’ fields and create Green-on-Green data maps highlighting areas of weed growth.”
“Some manual input is required in identifying the weed areas but once two or three areas have been highlighted, our AI software takes over and identifies all areas with either multiple or single plants. The spraying area is reduced to the smallest possible, but we usually use a minimum of 1m grids.”
“Application maps instruct sprayers with nozzle and section control to apply chemical only where necessary. Two types of applications maps are available: point and radius, and polygon. The more sophisticated ‘point and radius’ marks the centre of a weed population and draws a small circle to create a map of overlapping circular spray areas.
"These maps supply far more data points, and the radius can be edited to allow for weed growth, for example, if there’s been a few days of rain since the field scan. The polygon data map creates a more rigid set of shapes that highlight weed growth areas. These have less data points but are more compatible with older control terminals,” added Mr Dulake.
“Application maps instruct sprayers with nozzle and section control to apply chemical only where necessary".
Patch and spot spraying
Horsch says that it recognises that there is an intensive focus on selective spraying to make plant protection even more efficient. It notes that true spot spraying means that the individual plant is assessed and treated allowing sprays to be used in an even more effective way.
It says that the objective is to develop the new technology to meet the different environmental conditions and requirements of the farmers around the world.
Green-on-Brown (GOB) plays a major role in dry regions, such as Australia, to remove individual weeds from the stubbles. Green-on-Green (GOG) is far more difficult to implement due to the small differentiation between weeds and emergent crops and is proving a challenge for experts across the agricultural industry.
GOG is important in northern Europe, for example, for the application of herbicides or fungicides. Spot spraying GOG relies on sophisticated camera systems processing data in real time and is currently expensive and inconsistent.
Horsch adds that patch spraying brings much of the benefits at far lower price point that is easier to implement. It concludes that saying that’s its AutoSelect system enables a single boom section to be activated, just one or two metres rather than the entire boom, to ensure chemicals are only applied to that patch.
Horsch says that patch spraying brings much of the benefits of spot spraying, at far lower price point that is easier to implement.
Horsch has announced that any of its Leeb sprayers with AutoSelect can now ‘spot spray’ with data fed from a drone sweep of the field.
"The spraying area is reduced to the smallest possible, but we usually use a minimum of 1m grids.”
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