Greeneye Technology, the pioneer of AI-enabled precision spraying technology proven to reduce non-residual herbicide use in farming by an average of 87 per cent has announced its first field trials outside the US.

The company is partnering with Croplands, Nufarm’s equipment and emerging spray solutions platform in Australia, to evaluate the effectiveness of precision spraying in post-emergence applications on Australian soil.

Greeneye has already begun an extensive data collection program in Australia to customise its breakthrough precision spraying technology to local field conditions and crops including canola and cereals.

The field 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 field trials, Croplands portfolio manager Steve Norton said the company’s “mission is to provide our customers with access to cutting-edge technologies which drive return-on-investment potential and productivity”.

“Through existing partnerships, we have already helped close to 1000 farmers to significantly reduce chemical use in pre-emergence applications,” he adds.

“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 which stood out about the Greeneye system,” Steve said.

“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 which 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, Steve says what is perhaps the most compelling factor, 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.

He said 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, mark another major milestone in Greeneye’s mission to unlock the cost and environmental benefits of precision spraying for farmers worldwide.

In 2022 it became the first company to launch precision spraying commercially in the US.

Today, it is working with dozens of corn, soybean and cotton farmers across that country’s midwest to transform its weed management programs.

This 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 field 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 which 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 25km/h, meaning no loss in productivity compared to broadcast application.

Greeneye Technology chief executive Nadav Bocher said the company is delighted to announce a collaboration with Croplands.

“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,” Nadav explains.

“We could not have asked for a better partner to bring our technology to Australian producers.”