Smart sprayers powered by artificial intelligence could help Midwest corn and soybean producers reduce foliar herbicide use and reduce input costs without sacrificing weed control, according to new research published in 2006. weed scienceJournal of the Weed Science Society of America.
The study evaluated field trials conducted in 2022 and 2023 near Manhattan, Kansas, and in 2023 near Seymour, Illinois. The researchers compared a targeted “spot spray” application using AI-enabled technology to traditional broadcast spraying.
“This study demonstrates that herbicide usage can be significantly reduced using smart sprayers compared to broadcast applications,” said Anita Dill, professor of agriculture at Kansas State University and corresponding author of the study. He added that this technology is most effective when combined with a strong integrated weed management plan that includes crop rotation, residual herbicides, multiple effective points of action on key weeds, and a two-pass program.
For this work, the team used the ONE SMART SPRAY system, which was built for small-batch research but designed with the same external hardware as commercial units. The sprayer was mounted on a tractor with two booms. The front boom was configured for spot spray nozzles and the rear boom was used for broadcast applications. Cameras across the boom used imaging technology to distinguish between crop rows and weeds, activating one or more nozzles depending on the green vegetation detected.
“The ONE SMART SPRAY sprayer has demonstrated the potential to reduce herbicide input costs without compromising weed control,” said Dille, noting that targeted applications can generally reduce herbicide costs compared to broadcast applications.
The AI system handled seasonal weed detection between and within rows. For burndown and pre-emergence applications, the system did not rely on AI, but instead used infrared and near-infrared sensors designed to identify green vegetation.
Despite the promise of smart sprayers, Dill stressed that growers should not view the technology as a standalone solution.
“Bulk applications of residual herbicides and multiple applications of targeted foliar herbicides remain important when using this technology,” she said. Dill also pointed to the potential value of emerging two-boom, two-tank sprayers that can apply residue and targeted foliar products in the same path as these systems become commercially available.
Dill also said some of the same concepts still apply for producers who don’t yet have access to AI-powered sprayers. This includes a two-pass approach of applying the residue to the soil at planting, followed by a targeted foliar application after emergence.
