Evaluating ONE SMART SPRAY for weed control in midwestern U.S. corn and soybean crops

Abstract

Targeted sprayers use artificial intelligence to enable on-the-go weed detection and herbicide application, reducing the need to spray entire fields with foliar herbicides. A targeted sprayer was evaluated for treating weeds in corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cropping systems in the midwestern United States. Using a ONE SMART SPRAY sprayer, our objectives were to (1) evaluate the efficacy of different herbicide application programs: two-passes, spot-spray (SS) only, or simultaneous broadcast residual and SS foliar herbicides; (2) determine whether weed detection thresholds influence weed control; and (3) determine the cost for each herbicide program compared with a traditional broadcast application. Field experiments were conducted in 2022 and 2023 near Manhattan, KS, and in 2023 in Seymour, IL. Both green-on-brown (GOB; burndown applications) and green-on-green (GOG; in-crop applications) were applied. Main plot treatments consisted of four herbicide programs, and the split-plot consisted of four weed detection thresholds: herbicide Efficacy, Balanced, Savings, and a Broadcast application. The percentage of area infested with weeds within each plot was estimated visually 42 d after the GOG application. An “as-applied map” was constructed using raw sprayer data to show when nozzles were turned on or off within a subplot and used to determine herbicide program costs based on the percentage of each plot area sprayed. Results indicated that herbicide programs with simultaneous broadcast and SS components in many cases resulted in a similar area infested with weeds compared with broadcast applications with the same herbicide products. As expected, herbicide costs were lower in SS applications than in broadcast applications. The ONE SMART SPRAY sprayer demonstrated potential to reduce herbicide input costs without compromising weed control.