John Deere’s new See & Spray Select technology will give farmers the ability to identify weeds, spot spray herbicide, and reduce non-residual, pre-emergent herbicide use by 77 per cent, the company says.
Deere officially launched the commercial sale of the technology today during the annual Commodity Classic. It will be available on the company’s 400 and 600 Series sprayers for model year 2022.
Currently, the technology will be targeted to weed control in fallow ground, but Joel Basinger, marketing manager for John Deere, says See & Spray Select builds upon the company’s ExactApply technology, and it will eventually be applied to pre- and post-emergent weed control for crops like corn, soybeans and cotton.
Basinger notes that the weed control technology will provide immediate benefits to farmers, allowing them to use more expensive and complex tank mixes. With this targeted approach, farmers can use these mixes more efficiently than what they can broadcast today, reducing their costs, while improving their ability to manage herbicide-resistant weeds, he adds.
In this interview with RealAgriculture’s Bernard Tobin, Basinger describes how 36 cameras placed on Deere’s largest boom model, 120 feet, travelling at 12 mph can analyze 2,112 square feet per second. “It sees that weed, the processor identifies it, activates the ExactApply nozzle body just over the weed and sprays the weed as it goes by.” It all happens in the blink of an eye, adds Basinger. (Story continues after the interview.)
Beginning June 2, 2021, farmers can order Deere 400 or 600 Series sprayers factory-equipped with See & Spray Select for fall delivery. These sprayers offer an integrated package allowing them to operate as spot-sprayers or broadcast machines.
“This helps farmers cover more acres per day because they’re not stopping as often to refill,” says Basinger. He notes that See & Spray Select can be equipped on new model year 2022 and newer John Deere 400 and 600 Series sprayers, which include the 408R, 410R, 412R, 612R, and 616R.
“Fallow ground spot-spraying is only the beginning of the John Deere See & Spray journey as we help farmers transition from field, to zone, to row, and now to individual plant spraying,” adds Basinger.
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