Evaluation of Precision Herbicide Application Systems

This service supports agri-tech developers, sprayer manufacturers, and AI solution providers in optimising intelligent spraying systems, leading to more efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective weed management. • Before the service, clients may have an application system that works in controlled environments but lacks real-field testing under varying weed densities, lighting conditions, crop types and/or needs to quantify herbicide savings, treatment precision, and environmental impact. • After the service, they will receive quantitative performance metrics and data-driven insights into how effectively their system applies treatments, potential drift effects, and overall impact on weed control efficiency and crop productivity. This allows precision agriculture companies to optimise herbicide application strategies while reducing costs and environmental footprint.

The service will take place at controlled experimental farms and later at commercial farms, depending on the testing phase or the company’s needs. Trials can be repeated across different crop types and growth stages to ensure diverse field conditions. This process can take up to 6-8 months, depending on the crop and system evaluation, and includes setup, treatment application, and post-treatment evaluation. Testing can involve: • Water-sensitive paper tests to measure spray accuracy. • Environmental condition monitoring (wind speed, humidity) to assess drift risks. • Real-farm validation to compare spot spraying vs. broadcast spraying in terms of weed control rates, herbicide use efficiency, and crop yields. • Real-time and post-processing performance assessment, including hit rates. Deliverables may include a detailed performance and evaluation report comparing spot spraying vs. conventional methods, herbicide savings analysis (L/ha) and its economic impact, and weed control efficiency metrics and crop yield impact, with recommendations for. Customers must provide their herbicide application system and specify treatment parameters.

The service can be customised to test specific field conditions, crop types, weed species, specific herbicides, sprayer types or application strategies.Seasonal availability is limited to active crop growth periods, aligned with weed emergence periods (spring and summer).Customers should discuss customisation needs during the planning phase to ensure feasibility. If required, additional data processing or AI model evaluation services can be included.