DACWEED: Detection and ACtuation system for WEED management

Site Specific Weed Management (SSWM) can be achieved by applying a treatment only on the weed patches. Agricultural sprayers are already separating the boom into sections, and the angle or the depth of a mechanical implement can be regulated, adjusting, for example, the howing intensity. Current tractors with the aid of ISOBUS can already achieve a certain level of site specificity. In the current project, we will implement together and combine novel components that already exist on the market. In cereals like wheat, and row crops like maize we would site-specifically regulate mechanical weed control and perform site-specific herbicide applications. Sensor data deriving from cameras will provide the input to a Neural Network in order to:

1. to separate the viewed plant material to crop plants and weeds and
2. based on that information make decisions that could be
3. actuated into actions through the ISOBUS to the relevant implements or tractor movements.

The integration of perception systems for the detection and control of action devices will allow a more exhaustive, and therefore effective, herbicide treatment. The herbicide input will be reduced, leading to safer agricultural products for the consumer and the environment, and ensure a more sustainable agriculture.