Deere takes Aussie tech global

A collaboration between John Deere and University of Southern Queensland has led to the development of vision-based precision spray technology that has since been adopted on the ag giant’s new range of self-propelled sprayers to be sold worldwide.

The aptly named See & Spray Select uses integrated camera technology to detect green plants within fallow ground which then triggers an application of herbicide. It will come factory-installed on John Deere’s new 400 and 600 Series Sprayers.

Operators can turn the technology on and off as they see fit from within the cab, so the sprayer can switch from spot spraying to broadcast spraying quickly and easily when required.

The University of Southern Queensland provided the experimental technology underlying See & Spray Select three years ago, which John Deere further developed and tested across farms in the United States, Canada, and Australia before releasing it globally last week.

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According to John Deere, a spraying operation using See & Spray Select will cut herbicide use by about 77 per cent compared to one without.

“We are delighted to have collaborated with the University of Southern Queensland to develop industry-leading innovation here in Australia that has potential to deliver positive and impactful changes for farmers globally,” said John Deere Australia and New Zealand Managing Director, Luke Chandler.

“The path to greater efficiency, profitability and sustainability begins in the paddock. It is through these types of collaborations that we can create practical, simple-to-use tools and technologies that save time and input costs, and reduce impact on the natural environment, for a higher performing farm sector.”

The initial experimental work to develop the vision-based plant detection technology in See & Spray Select was funded through a combination of industry research projects from Sugar Research Australia, Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Hort Innovation, and the University of Southern Queensland.

University of Southern Queensland Centre for Agricultural Engineering Director, Professor Craig Baillie, said the technology is an excellent example of Australian research and innovation having global application, and will enable Australian farmers to be at the forefront of transformative AgTech.

“The University of Southern Queensland has a long history of focusing research on local farming issues that have relevance to Australian farmers and connecting this with large overseas markets,” Professor Baillie said.

“We work with industry and focus on solving problems through engineering solutions that will change farming practices. Our research is outcome-driven. This is the heart of what our team does.

“Industry collaborations such as this assist to sustain the development of future technologies and products which will transform agricultural industries over the years to come.”

See & Spray Select is available to purchase from mid 2021.