John Deere’s See & Spray is now available for the first time on its European sprayers built at Horst in The Netherlands as the company takes the next step towards precise crop protection.
The See & Spray system uses camera technology to detect colour differences in the field. The cameras and associated hardware components are integrated directly into the boom or chassis of the machine. One camera is mounted for each metre of working width, which captures green plants at lightning speed.
Processors handle the images and the nozzles are triggered individually for spot treatment. The green detection on the field soil enables a targeted application of pre-emergence herbicides. All weeds that are also visible to the naked eye are detected by the cameras.
See & Spray is not only suitable for pre-emergence treatment – it can also be used in row crops after emergence. The crop rows can be extracted by the sprayer and thus the weeds between the rows can be targeted and treated. This application is possible at all stages and for all row crops before the canopy closes, allowing the customer an additional treatment for See & Spray in the growing crop.
See & Spray has already been tested on about 120,000ha worldwide. The efficacy of application is comparable to broadcast spray, but with a saving of up to two thirds of active ingredient. The first tests in Europe have already shown the same results.
The system can document the application of herbicides using the in-cab Gen 4 display. In this context the display creates a coverage map with information on where the herbicide was applied. The documentation can be transferred via JDLink to the online John Deere Operations Center. Among other things, this would allow sub-areas with increased weed pressure to be identified and future measures to be optimised.
See & Spray Select is already sold with Deere’s self-propelled sprayers in the United States. These machines will be the first on the market in Central Europe this year.
From spring 2023 See & Spray will also be available on a limited basis for the European R900i series trailed sprayers with 36m and 39m booms, and will then be offered as an option for various John Deere sprayers from Horst in the future.
