DAT - Precision Agriculture Sensor for Weed Species Recognition and Targeted Weed Control

Excessive herbicide use in the agricultural industry has detrimental negative environmental effects. The UN, the Environmental Protection Agency (US), and the EU's Farm to Fork initiative have all specified pesticide reduction as a primary objective. Building on the long-time partnership with NIBIO, Dimensions Agri Technologies will effectuate a three-year R&D project to establish the technological basis for DAT GreenPatch: a sensor enabling automated and weed species recognition and control in cereal fields, an unmatched technology in the context of real-time patch spraying by mountable systems. The innovation consists of new machine vision capable of recognizing selected weed species within cereal fields and stubble, as well as decision rules (threshold values) translating the weed species (and their abundance) into sound spray decisions. The research is based on the best-in-class spot sprayer technology that exists in DAT EcoPatch, an existing product offered by DAT. Selective weed recognition and control is key in taking the necessary step away from the current excessive spraying practice in which entire fields are sprayed uncritically. The end user’s main advantages are reduced herbicide expenses and increased yields. DAT GreenPatch offers reduced environmental impact, increased food production, and improved profitability to the individual farmer. Main R&D challenges are the logistic challenges involved executing fields tests in a range of geographical environments across countries and latitudes. DAT is part of a competence cluster which will collaborate in developing DAT GreenPatch, and contribute further to the momentum in making the Norwegian and European agriculture practice more efficient and sustainable.

Excessive herbicide use in the agricultural industry has detrimental negative environmental effects. The UN, the Environmental Protection Agency (US), and the EU's Farm to Fork initiative have all specified pesticide reduction as a primary objective. Building on the long-time partnership with NIBIO, Dimensions Agri Technologies will effectuate a three-year R&D project to establish the technological basis for DAT GreenPatch: a sensor enabling automated and weed species recognition and control in cereal fields, an unmatched technology in the context of real-time patch spraying by mountable systems. The innovation consists of new machine vision capable of recognizing selected weed species within cereal fields and stubble, as well as decision rules (threshold values) translating the weed species (and their abundance) into sound spray decisions. The research is based on the best-in-class spot sprayer technology that exists in DAT EcoPatch, an existing product offered by DAT. Selective weed recognition and control is key in taking the necessary step away from the current excessive spraying practice in which entire fields are sprayed uncritically. The end user’s main advantages are reduced herbicide expenses and increased yields. DAT GreenPatch offers reduced environmental impact, increased food production, and improved profitability to the individual farmer. Main R&D challenges are the logistic challenges involved executing fields tests in a range of geographical environments across countries and latitudes. DAT is part of a competence cluster which will collaborate in developing DAT GreenPatch, and contribute further to the momentum in making the Norwegian and European agriculture practice more efficient and sustainable.