The demands on effective crop care are intensifying with active agents being withdrawn, costs rising, and resistance becoming an increasingly significant challenge.

SpotSpraying and PatchSpraying are solutions which may offer precise application where it is needed, rather than blanket treatment across entire fields.

This protects crops and reduces yield losses.

A partnership, which began in 2019, is now moving to the next level as Horsch is taking a strategic stake in Sam-Dimension.

Going forward, the focus will be on the joint development of the technology and its deeper integration into Horsch equipment.

Horsch and spot spraying

Horsch has said it sees strong future potential in SpotSpraying.

With the Sam-Dimension offline method, the camera system is not permanently mounted on the boom but instead, the crop is surveyed by drone prior to application.

The data is then analysed offline using edge artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud servers.

This approach reportedly allows large volumes of data to be processed and AI models to be continuously refined.

The company claims that the result is robust, precise SpotSpraying maps - including an overview of all application zones and detailed area specifications for calculating the required spraying mixture.

Farmers can therefore see, before application begins, exactly where the crop will be treated and how much mixture will be required.

Requirements

A prerequisite for SpotSpraying or PatchSpraying is SectionControl, the sprayer's automatic section control system, which enables treatment of both individual spots and larger patches.

The system can be implemented using either a pneumatic nozzle control or PrecisionSpray, and is said to be compatible with all Horsch crop care sprayers.

The two partners have said that they currently see the greatest potential in traditional row crops such as sugar beet, maize and soya.

At the same time, the issue is apparently also becoming increasingly important in cereal crops.

The technical integration is already in place. Application maps from the SAM portal can be transferred directly to the Horsch terminals via myHorsch.

The Horsch EOS terminal is said to be capable of providing the processing power needed to handle large map files.

According to the company, this ensures a seamless workflow from map creation through to field application.

Through this partnership, Horsch and Sam-Dimension will continue to develop the technology and accelerate its practical adoption.

The aim is to make SpotSpraying accessible to agricultural businesses as quickly and simply as possible.

Both companies will remain independent, and machines and application maps will continue to be compatible with all manufacturers.

The partners have said they are working to integrate the technology ever more deeply into Horsch equipment.