New spot spraying tech for Patriot sprayers

Case IH customers looking to get a new Patriot 50 series sprayer, released last year at the AgQuip 2022 field days, will have the option of having a spot spraying kit incorporated into their machines prior to delivery, thanks to a recent collaboration between Case IH and Australian tech company, Agtecnic.

The technology, named SenseSpray, will officially be launched at the 2023 AgQuip field days happening this week from August 22 to 24.

It is a patent-pending green-on-brown spot spraying technology that employs cameras to detect growing plants on a soil or stubble background. When weeds are detected, the system rapidly triggers individual nozzles to spray weeds with pinpoint accuracy.

“This really is technology that brings a new level of effectiveness and efficiency to a big issue for Australian farmers,” said Case IH AFS and Patriot Product Manager, Sean McColley.

“To be able to offer the SenseSpray system on our Patriot 50 series sprayers is such an enormous opportunity for customers, who will not only find it game-changing for their weed control operations, but also very straight-forward to operate.”

SenseSpray utilises the technology already in the sprayer cab, and it can also be managed by the tablet provided with each kit to set up or run diagnostics from within the cab or while walking around the boom.

According to Case IH, SenseSpray can reduce chemical use by up to 90 per cent by using product only where it’s needed, and eliminates product and water wastage to allow for the spraying of more hectares per tank. Only spraying where required also reduces chemical runoff, which is beneficial for the environment.

As chemical and water costs are significantly reduced with spot spraying, farmers can potentially look at more expensive chemicals for weed control purposes.

Case IH Australia/New Zealand General Manager, Aaron Bett, said the brand was always looking at different ways to bring increased value for customers right across the product range.

“Our Patriot sprayers already offer some of the best features on the market, so when we became aware of this integrated technology developed by Agtecnic, we immediately saw the opportunity to add to the benefits of the Patriot 50 series,” he said.  

“We’ve been working for some time with Agtecnic to fine-tune and test the efficacy of SenseSpray on our Patriot to ensure its performance in a range of conditions, and the promise of increased returns for customers.”

The spot spraying kits will become available in time for the start of the summer spraying season, Case IH said. For more information, visit Case IH’s website.