AI system
- System
-
John Deere See & Spray (machine-vision targeted sprayer)
- Model
-
Not assessed
- Release
-
Exact release not established.
- Application developer
-
Blue River Technology / John Deere
- Role
-
The system identified weeds and directed herbicide spraying to those locations.
- Configuration
-
The deployment used the 2022 See & Spray system at detection sensitivity level 3 with a small coverage buffer.
- Inputs and outputs
-
Not assessed
- Autonomy
-
Not assessed
- Workflow
-
Herbicide-resistant soybean with a PRE residual, EPOST dicamba and MPOST glufosinate. Four site-years (2021–2022) in a randomized complete block design.
- Human oversight
-
Not assessed
- Relation to AI
-
The machine-vision sprayer decided where to spray. The comparison with broadcast programs is a randomized trial with consistent herbicides and rates. Savings depended on nozzle angle and machine settings. Co-authored by the maker's agronomists with university weed scientists.
- AI contribution
-
The machine-vision sprayer decided where to spray. The comparison with broadcast programs is a randomized trial with consistent herbicides and rates. Savings depended on nozzle angle and machine settings. Co-authored by the maker's agronomists with university weed scientists.
Benefits
- Outcome identifiers
-
Not assessed
- Benefit
-
on average saved 28.4% to 62.4% of postemergence herbicide
- Category
-
Improved Environmental Sustainability
- Status
-
Not assessed
- Beneficiary groups
-
Organizations. Society.
- Beneficiaries
-
Not assessed
- Reach
-
Not assessed
- Distribution and access
-
Not assessed
- Duration
-
Not assessed
- Expected?
-
Yes
- Costs and harms
-
Not assessed
Measurement
- Studies
-
Not assessed
- Study design
-
Not assessed
- Measurement
-
Not assessed
- Setting and sample
-
Not assessed
- Measures
-
on average saved 28.4% to 62.4% of postemergence herbicide
- Comparison
-
traditional broadcast herbicide applications in the same randomized trials
- Results
-
Reference: full broadcast applications of the postemergence herbicides (traditional broadcast program). Result: targeted sprays saving 28.4% to 62.4% of postemergence herbicides, with a ≤1% decrease in efficacy and overall control ≥93%.
- Additional value from AI
-
Not assessed
- Limitations
-
Not assessed
- Denominators
-
Not assessed
- Materials for replication
-
Not assessed
Money
- Kind of value
-
Not assessed
- Amount
-
Not assessed
- Currency and prices
-
Not assessed
- Period and unit
-
Not assessed
- Realization
-
Not assessed
- Recipients and payers
-
Not assessed
- Gross or net
-
Not assessed
- Included costs
-
Not assessed
- Comparison
-
Not assessed
- Method
-
Not assessed
- Return and payback
-
Not assessed
People and places
- Participants
-
Developer: Blue River Technology / John Deere. Operator: University of Arkansas and Stoneville R&D field trials (Keiser, AR and Greenville, MS).
- Jurisdictions
-
Benefit: Keiser (Arkansas) and Greenville (Mississippi),
United States. Developer: United States. Operator: United States. - Ownership and control
-
Not assessed
- Dependencies
-
Not assessed
- Cross-border connections
-
Not assessed
- Geopolitical implications
-
Not assessed
Follow-up
- Conditions for replication
-
The specific machine settings and nozzle angles used. Weed species and pressure comparable to the trial sites.
- Replication attempts
-
Not assessed
- Later findings
-
4 November 2025. John Deere reported that customers ran See & Spray on more than five million acres in the 2025 season, cutting non-residual herbicide use by nearly half.
- Availability
-
Not assessed
- Institutional decision
-
Not assessed
- Grounds
-
Not assessed
- Action and result
-
Not assessed
- Success criterion
-
Not assessed
Evidence
- Source numbers
-
AIBD-0199-source-0001–0002
- Citations
-
Numbered references below.
- Language
-
Not assessed
- Source relationships
-
Operator, Developer
- Original evidence
-
Not assessed
- Access and versions
-
Not assessed
- Supported findings
-
Not assessed
- Evidence links
-
Not assessed
- Evidence strength
-
Not assessed
- Missing evidence
-
Not assessed
Grades
- Assessed benefits
-
Organizations. Society.
- Depth
-
Not assessed
- Reasons
-
Organizations: Savings of 28.4–62.4% on postemergence herbicide were measured in trial plots. No grower's costs or outcomes are documented. Society: Reduced herbicide volume is a trial result. No environmental outcome off-plot is measured.
- Observed or intended
-
Not assessed
- Rubric
-
Not assessed
- Assessor and date
-
Not assessed
- Alternative assessments
-
Not assessed
- Fill
-
The deployer's account
Entry details
- Kind
-
Not assessed
- Related entries
-
Not assessed
- Field
-
Agriculture / crop protection. Soybean weed control.
- Purpose
-
Detect weeds with machine vision and apply herbicide only where weeds are present, reducing herbicide use while maintaining control.
- Dates
-
Date basis unassessed: 2024 (precision unassessed). Updated: 21 October 2026.
- Stage
-
Not assessed
- Version
-
SHA-256: c99ca56d49ec…
References
- Other identifiers
-
Not assessed
- Category mappings
-
Not assessed
- Brief
-
Not assessed
- Revisions
-
4 revisions. Latest: 21 October 2026.
Sources
-
Peer-reviewed study Deployer
Avent TH, Norsworthy JK, Patzoldt WL, Schwartz-Lazaro LM, Houston MM, Butts TR, Vazquez AR. Comparing herbicide application methods with See & Spray technology in soybean. Weed Technology 38:e74 (2024). doi:10.1017/wet.2024.70
On average, targeted sprays saved a range of 28.4% to 62.4% on postemergence herbicides.
-
Press release Developer
Deere & Co. John Deere Customers Use See & Spray Technology Across Five Million Acres in 2025. Company release as published by Global Ag Tech Initiative, 4 November 2025.