Hot on the heels of upgrades to the boom height, rinsing and nozzle technologies available for the Fendt Rogator self-propelled sprayer comes news that the machine will be available with targeted spraying technology from 2024.

Fendt parent Agco started trialling individual weed targeted spraying two years ago using Bosch BASF technology and now it has confirmed an agreement to offer the system as an option on both European and North American Rogator sprayers.

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© Dammann

German sprayer manufacturer Dammann has also adopted the system and introduced the option in Germany and Hungary earlier this year, prior to taking it into other markets.

The smart spraying solution combines Bosch camera sensor technology and weed identification software with the agronomic decision-making capabilities of BASF’s Xarvio digital farming platform.

This combination offers real-time automated weed detection and precision spraying in daylight and at night in both pre-emergence (green-on-brown) and post-emergence (green-on-green) situations.

It is said to activate individual spray nozzles with a high degree of accuracy to minimise herbicide use without compromising weed control efficacy.

In addition, growers benefit from actionable insights and digital tools such as customised agronomic recommendations from BASF’s Xarvio Field Manager platform.

Resources also include weed distribution and as-applied maps, automated sensitivity levels and documentation that can be used for reporting purposes.

At present, the system supports weed control in oilseed rape and sugar beet, and a selection of other row crops such as maize and sunflowers, but a solution for small grain crops is understood to be in development.