US firm Greeneye Technology is pioneering AI-enabled precision spraying in the US and through a venture with Croplands is about to introduce the benefits here
Greeneye Technology is a US based pioneer of AI-enabled precision spraying technology that is claimed to reduce non-residual herbicide use in farming by an average of 87%.
The company has announced its first trials outside of the US by partnering with Croplands, Nufarm’s equipment and emerging spray solutions platform in Australia.
The joint trial venture aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Greeneye precision spraying technology in post-emergence applications on our local soil.
Greeneye has already begun an extensive data collection program in Australia to customise its AI-enabled precision spraying technology to local paddock conditions and crops including canola and cereals. The paddock trials will begin in 2025.
Headquartered in Adelaide South Australia, Croplands has regional locations and a firmly established footprint throughout Australia. It is a pioneer and leading distributor of infrared-based precision spraying systems for pre-emergence applications, providing sales, service and support across the country.
Commenting on the paddock trials, Steve Norton, Portfolio Manager at Croplands, had this to say, “Croplands’ mission is to provide our customers with access to cutting-edge technologies that drive ROI potential and productivity.
“Through existing partnerships, we have already helped close to a thousand farmers to significantly reduce chemical use in pre-emergence applications. We are now looking to the next generation of precision spraying technology to unlock its full potential by offering solutions that can be utilised during both pre- and post-emergence treatment.”
Croplands selected the Greeneye system for trial following an extensive evaluation of promising precision spraying technologies.
“When assessing which technologies to include in these trials, there were several features that stood out about the Greeneye system,” explains Steve Norton. “First, it is a proven technology, having already firmly established itself in the US market. Second, it is entirely machine agnostic, meaning it can be retrofitted onto farmers’ existing sprayers, overcoming a major cost-of-entry barrier.
“And third, it features a dual tank/line configuration that allows farmers to simultaneously broadcast residual herbicides while precisely spraying non-residual herbicides only on the weeds. We believe this will be a game changer in terms of improving sprayer operator efficiency.”
“However, perhaps most compelling of all,” Steve Norton continues, “is that Greeneye is already working with farmers in the US to extend the usage of its system to other inputs such as anti-fungals and micronutrients. This approach isn’t even on the radar in Australia, yet we believe it will significantly increase the value of precision spraying for our customers.”
The trials, which are supported by funding from the Grains Research and Development Corporation, an initiative designed to increase the profitability of the grains industry in Australia, marks another major milestone in Greeneye’s mission to unlock the cost and environmental benefits of precision spraying for farmers worldwide.
In 2022, Greeneye became the first company to launch precision spraying commercially in the US, today, it is working with dozens of corn, soybean and cotton farmers in the Midwest to transform their weed management programs.
The technology harnesses cutting-edge hardware in combination with proprietary AI technology to identify and spray weeds during both pre- and post-emergence treatment with unrivalled accuracy.
Cameras mounted on the sprayer boom capture high-resolution images of the ground at a rate of 40 frames per second, enabling the rapid detection and precise classification of weeds down to the species level.
This information is fed back to the system’s graphics processing units that calculate the exact amount of herbicide required and signal to the appropriate nozzles to open, spraying only the weeds.
This entire process takes just milliseconds to execute and can be carried out at commercial travel speeds of 24kph, meaning no loss in productivity compared to broadcast application.
Nadav Bocher, CEO of Greeneye Technology outlines the local trials, “We are delighted to announce our collaboration with Croplands, a true visionary in the ag space that shares our mission to leverage innovative technology to enhance farming outcomes and protect the environment.
“Croplands has established itself as a leader in driving mainstream adoption of precision spraying technology, and it has an expansive network in place to facilitate a rapid roll-out. We could not have asked for a better partner to bring our technology to Australian growers,” Nadav Bocher concluded.
