John Deere has released new improvements for the variable rate See & Spray™ Select, AutoTrac™ automation and ExactApply™, developed to help farmers decrease weed competition in paddocks and ultimately lead to greater yield potential.
Australian farmers have played a crucial role in testing improvements to John Deere’s See & Spray™ Select, which now has in-season variable rate capabilities via AutoTrac™ automation and ExactApply™ technologies.
John Deere Australia and New Zealand production and precision ag marketing manager Royce Bell said the updates, which were announced recently at Commodity Classic in Denver, Colorado, would provide farmers with more options to improve application consistency and accuracy across the whole crop and growing cycle.
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“Application equipment makes an average of three passes over the same paddock during a growing season, so it’s vital to maximise the effectiveness of each application,” Royce said.
“These updates will help farmers manage input costs and crop damage – two highly impactful things that help improve a farmer’s bottom line.”
ATTA technology is now available on John Deere and Hagie sprayers.
Photo by
Mel Koltai
See & Spray Select variable rate updates
The See & Spray technology updates have been shown to improve chemistry application in testing and validation in Australian farming conditions.
“See & Spray Select has historically been used to control weeds in fallow paddocks, but the new variable rate capabilities unlock the opportunity for precise application and product savings through in-season fungicide, desiccant, pre-harvest passes and more,” Royce said.
“Local farmers have been instrumental in the development of these latest updates, with testing undertaken in uniquely Australian conditions at locations in Western Australia, NSW and Victoria and across multiple crop types.”
Farmers can now see the percentage of green biomass each spray camera detects across the boom, with the ability to vary the volume of product applied from each nozzle. These variable rate capabilities require a G5 or G5 Plus CommandCenter™ display.
“The new variable rate option with See & Spray technology gives small grain farmers the versatility to leverage the chemical label limits and vary the volume applied, based on the in-field biomass variations,” Royce said.
“Every field has variations of crop growth and biomass that has traditionally been treated at a blanket rate. This additional See & Spray Select feature allows the farmer to apply the product at a rate relative to the crop density – this can either reduce total volume applied, or apply the same volume but with a higher quality result, or a combination of both.”
See & Spray Select will be available from the factory on model year 2026 John Deere 400 and 600 series sprayers with 27.4m (90 ft), 30.5m (100 ft) or 36.6 m (120 ft) steel booms.
For older machines, See & Spray Select will also be available as a precision upgrade kit and the ExactApply upgrade kit will allow for even more older machines to utlise the latest technologies. Depending on the model year, the upgrade paths and technology features may differ.
ExactApply updates increase spray range
John Deere has also introduced ExactApply variable rate capabilities, including multi-rate across the boom with auto-select pulsing (A+B pulse width modulation nozzle switching).
“With auto-select pulsing enabled, sprayer operators can now vary multiple application rates across the entire boom — up to 11 unique sections — leading to more precise product placement,” Royce said.
“Operators will also have increased rate range for variable rate prescriptions and curve compensation.”
This technology is available as a software update for model year 2023-2025 sprayers, and model year 2026 will come factory installed with updated software features and functionalities.
Local farmers have been instrumental in the development of the latest updates.
Photo by
Mel Koltai
Preventing crop damage with updated AutoTrac
John Deere application equipment now has two new options available to reduce operator stress, prevent crop damage and ensure a more seamless application experience, with AutoTrac Turn Automation (ATTA) and AutoTrac Vision 2.0 helping to provide consistent passes across the field with each application.
“ATTA technology is now available on John Deere and Hagie sprayers, helping ensure consistent and accurate turns at the end of each pass,” Royce said.
“It accurately steers the sprayer along a guidance line at the end of a paddock pass, smoothly guiding the machine into the next section of the paddock.
“This technology allows the sprayer operator to focus on managing the sprayer booms, adjusting their height and position in relation to obstacles in and around the paddock, while also controlling the machine’s speed.
“ATTA also allows the operator to plan the shape of their turns while helping reduce crop damage and reducing negative impact to overall yield.”
ATTA is compatible with John Deere 400 and 600 series self-propelled sprayers and Hagie STS12, STS16 and STS20 sprayers, model year 2022 and newer. This new feature is included with Automation 4.0 on Gen4 displays and the G5 Advanced licence for machines that have a G5 display.
The AutoTrac Vision 2.0 is a system that uses cameras mounted on the roof and front of the machine to identify rows while driving and steers the tyres down the centre of the rows.
“This feature is suited to contractors who spray row crops that have non-uniform passes or complex fields that require the machine to follow the rows instead of AutoTrac lines, thereby significantly minimising crop damage and enhancing yields,” Royce said.
“This innovative system enables sprayers to operate at faster spraying speeds while maintaining precise control, allowing for swift operations during tight application windows.
“As a result, operators can maximise their efficiency by concentrating less on steering and more on the essential tasks at hand.”
For information on what John Deere spray technology is best for your farm, contact your local John Deere dealer or visit deere.com.au
