Targeted weed control with John Deere

Wanicki is a company dedicated to helping farmers maximize productivity and sustainability through agricultural machinery and advanced technology solutions. Their wide range of equipment includes tractors, harvesters, and precision farming technologies.

Their Precision Agriculture Technology department focuses on delivering high-quality services that combine hardware and digital solutions, from crop data analysis to drone-based field monitoring and soil scanning. With training and consultation provided by TPI they are now able to integrate advanced technology into their precision agriculture workflows.

John Deere tractor on an onion field

Detecting and treating weeds in one day

Concerned about a weed infestation in their onion field, the owner approached the Wanicki Group to help accurately detect the weeds and address the issue. Wanicki Group’s team handled this challenge exceptionally well using PIX4Dfields, providing precise weed detection and mapping. As a service provider, they provided a complete solution, from drone flights to data analysis and the creation of a targeted spraying map.

The project involved a drone flight over a 10-hectare onion field in southern Poland. The flight was conducted at an altitude of 50 meters using a DJI Matrice 350 RTK drone equipped with DJI Zenmuse P1 and Micasense Altum PT cameras.

The Magic Tool in PIX4Dfields, used for automatic identification of weeds in an onion field

Based on the acquired RGB and multispectral images, an orthomosaic was created to identify areas where weeds were present. PIX4Dfields’ Magic Tool, a machine learning algorithm developed by Pix4D that works offline and in the field, helped the automatic identification of weeds in the onion field.

PIX4Dfields’ Magic Tool spotting all weeds in the field

This allowed the team to directly generate a precise, targeted spraying map based on the Magic Tool’s input. This map could then be directly uploaded to their John Deere Operations Center account.

PIX4Dfields’ Targeted Operations herbicide prescription map creation in PIX4Dfields based on the Magic Tool's input

The project resulted in highly precise maps for targeted herbicide spraying. The map was delivered to a sprayer equipped with nozzles spaced every 50 cm, enabling accurate application of the herbicide only in areas where weeds were present. This precision led to significant savings in herbicide use, optimizing resource management and reducing costs while minimizing environmental impact.

PIX4Dfields’ prescription map indicating the exact areas to be sprayed with herbicide on the field. The map can be uploaded directly to John Deere Operations Center for the targeted weed spraying.

“One of the key advantages of PIX4Dfields is the Magic Tool, which excels at detecting weeds in the field. It allowed us to quickly and accurately identify the areas infested with weeds, making it an invaluable tool for creating precise, targeted spraying maps. This functionality not only improved the efficiency of weed control but also contributed to significant cost savings and reduced environmental impact.” Tomasz Szołdrowski, Digital Agriculture Specialist, responsible for drone flight and data acquisition, Wanicki Group

Project details

PIX4Dfields prescription map and field boundary uploaded to John Deere Operations Center

Achieving a 75% reduction in herbicide usage

Wanicki Group managed to detect and spot-spray weeds on an onion field while saving 75% on herbicide in one day. PIX4Dfields significantly enhanced their project by creating highly precise maps. Its advanced processing capabilities allowed the team to analyze the imagery efficiently, enabling accurate identification of weed-infested areas.

“We chose Pix4D for its speed and reliability. The software's advanced AI algorithms for weed detection are of very high quality, allowing for accurate mapping in a fraction of the time compared to other solutions. This efficiency and precision made it the ideal choice for our project, ensuring that we could deliver timely and effective results for targeted herbicide application.” Bogdan Kazimierczak, Director of the Precision Agriculture Department, providing expert oversight for the project, Wanicki Group

PIX4Dfields is compatible with various agricultural machinery brands, including John Deere, enabling users to effortlessly create spot spraying and variable rate maps for seamless precision agriculture applications with their equipment.