Weed detection showcase – Griffith March 22

Recently Goldacres showcased the latest Spot Spraying technology offerings from Goldacres at the Ag Grow Agronomy & Research Day in Griffith NSW.

Precision Ag specialist Dave Tuppen demonstrated the Weedetect singleshot Drone-based weed detection system along with the Weedetect Billbery camera detection system mounted on the latest Goldacres G6 Series 2 self-propelled sprayer.

Weedetect Single shot is a drone-based detection system using RGB twin cameras with shape recognition.

Using pre-flight and data this system effectively maps the paddock for weeds which can be kept as records and used for multiple spray passes.

The system requires minimal changes to an existing sprayer and can be used with either self-propelled, trailing or linkage mounted sprayers, the operator just needs to ensure the sprayer has a compatible section controller such as the Raven Viper 4 and IsoBus.

The sensor mounted on the drone currently detects green on brown and can work with as few as 7 boom sections, however, a higher number of sections provides better resolution.

The Weedetect Single shot system maps the paddock at around 43k/hr at 75 meters off the ground, Dave commented “it’s really quite incredible to see the drone in action, it’s proving to create quite a lot of attention in the industry, the accuracy is very impressive”.

Weedetect Billbery is a boom-mounted green on green or green on brown weed detection system using RGB cameras for visual recognition and AI intelligence that learns the profile of the weeds.

this system is fully integrated into the sprayer rate controller, using existing sprayer nozzles and plumbing, and is available with 16 section or individual nozzle control with Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) 250mm or 500mm nozzle spacing.

The green-on-green nozzle detection technology is quite possibly the biggest news there’s been in the industry for many years and has the potential to save the operator tens of thousands of dollars in chemical costs.

Whether the spot spraying system for you is drone-based or sprayer-based, Goldacres can now offer operators a range of solutions best suited to their sprayer or farming enterprise.