Second generation weed technology

New-generation weed identification technology has just been regenerated, giving operators even more functionality in summer and fallow spraying.

The latest WEEDit-2 selective spray system has undergone trials in Esperance and Geraldton and is now available for commercial release.

WEEDit-2 brings another host of features to the already successful WEEDit system, released into WA in 2009.

While still sampling the ground at 40,000 times per second, the new system has 150 per cent brighter LED lights and uses pulse width modulation to control the rate of chemical that is applied by each nozzle spaced at 20cm along the entire boom.

Operators now have the ability to apply a light blanket spray across the entire paddock but also ramp up chemical to full rate where a plant is detected.

"Throughout Australia there are examples where operators of spot-spray systems have been using two tanks, two pumps and two spray lines to be able to put a lighter rate of chemical across the whole paddock and use the second tank as a hot mix targeting only weeds," WEEDit distributor and Total Precision director Adam Hutton said.

"Now WEEDit-2 can do both with one tank."

Trials, particularly in the southern area, have been operating where low rates are being applied to light grass-covered areas with full 100 per cent doses where larger weeds such as melons, fleabane, couch grass are detected.

In normal operation it is expected that the WEEDit will be used as a spot-spray-only system, particularly for second and third spray passes.

Where high levels of weeds are present at the beginning of the season, operators can now target all weeds and grasses in the first pass and then set the WEEDit-2 system to "spot spray only" for the larger weeds in subsequent passes, generally in the mid to late summer months.