Factory fitted weed sensing technology

The latest weed sensing technology system will soon be a factory-fitted option on the Goldacres range of sprayers. French company Bilberry will supply the weed-sensing camera system, and Goldacres will work with them to develop the architecture needed to integrate it with the sprayer rate controller.

Bilberry has set up an office in Australia, so it made sense to work with a team that is close to our Australian engineering department.

Bilberry’s artificial intelligence (AI) camera platform is fundamentally different to other sensors on the market. It uses high-speed, high-definition cameras and deep learning AI logic to determine what is a weed and what is not.

Initially the system will be limited to green-on-brown situations but local testing will soon see the system capable of delivering green-on-green in-crop weed recognition.

With this technology the possibilities are endless. Basically, if you can see the weed in the crop, for example, ryegrass in canola, then the camera can detect it.

The new technology will be available on booms up to 48m wide.

This new technology is a win for all. With chemical savings of up to 80 percent, it obviously leaves more dollars in the farmer’s pocket and there is also the reduced risk of crop yield losses due to blanket spraying, which are not always identified or measured.

The ability to use a more powerful mix to target those difficult weeds that have over time built a resistance to certain chemicals is a reality. It is also possible to also blanket spray a normal mix rate with sprayers equipped with the Bilberry system.

Another big winner out of this is the environment. When we can use less chemical and less water but achieve better results in weed control, it is beneficial to everyone.

As the need to equip sprayers with advanced technology increases, Goldacres has responded by investing in its engineering team. The number of staff focused on new technology and electronic development has tripled over the last 12 months.

The team at Goldacres is focused on providing solutions to a range of applications, not just a sprayer to fit a specific operation.

Goldacres – built just down the road.