Early Access Program Success Sets Foundation for the Future of Precision Weed Management

September 24, 2024

As harvest season approaches, it is the perfect time to reflect on the growing season and share exciting updates on Sentera’s next-generation Aerial WeedScout solution. Earlier this summer, Sentera launched an Early Access Program in collaboration with agribusinesses and farmers to test and validate the solution in real-world conditions. The results offer a glimpse into the future of precision weed management, with advanced sensing technology and AI-powered insights driving more efficient and cost-effective farming decisions.

Utilizing advanced sensing technology, Aerial WeedScout captures high-resolution data that feeds into AI and deep learning models, generating crucial pre-application insights. Farmers receive precise weed maps and targeted spray prescriptions that empower them to make informed decisions before they spray. This approach significantly enhances weed management effectiveness and has the potential to greatly reduce post-emergence non-residual herbicide costs. Sentera will continue to innovate by advancing its ability to identify weed types, species, and sizes, enabling more precise tank mixes and application rates and supporting annual weed management planning. This will help farmers and spray applicators plan better before entering the field and beyond.

Throughout the summer program, Sentera flew over 13,300 soybean acres across IA, IL, MN, ND and SD to capture fields in early growing stages to provide detailed, plant-level insights via precise weed maps. The program delivered great results and insights on key metrics that are detailed below.

Acres of data collected per hour: 90 acres/hour

A critical success metric for this solution is how quickly data can be captured across acres per hour. Before providing a custom, targeted spray prescription, comprehensive data regarding weeds is essential. Each field was flown using high-speed automated drone flights and collected precise field data with Sentera’s advanced sensors, capturing ultra high-resolution imagery.

Sentera successfully flew an average of 90 acres per hour, demonstrating the scalability of the solution and enabling faster delivery of weed maps and prescriptions to farmers. Next year, the expected capture rate is projected to exceed 110 acres per hour.

Detection of weeds down to 0.25”: 94%

Part of the value of Aerial WeedScout, is its ability to identify and target weeds before a farmer or service provider would usually be able to detect them via manual scouting or satellite imagery. This year, Sentera validated the ability to detect weeds when they are a quarter of an inch with 94% accuracy, allowing farmers to target them just as they have emerged. While this is an impressive start, the detection of weed accuracy will only continue to improve as more data is collected and processed in subsequent seasons.

Prescriptions delivered by next day: 90% of prescriptions delivered by next day at 6 am with an average turnaround time of 10 hours

After flying the field, and preparing precise plant-level weed maps, Aerial WeedScout delivers a targeted spray prescription to farmers to execute on a precision sprayer. This method separates the detection of weeds from the action of spraying, offering an advantage over other precision spray solutions that combine both steps. By decoupling these processes, farmers can better prioritize fields with the most severe weed pressure. Additionally, this approach allows them to determine the appropriate tank mix and chemistry volumes in advance, before entering the field.

Based on feedback from farmers, Sentera aimed to provide the custom prescriptions as soon as possible after the drone flight to allow farmers to act right away.

Throughout the Early Access Program, Sentera was able to provide the Aerial WeedScout prescriptions on average 10 hours after flight takeoff and 90% were delivered by 6 a.m. the day after flight, allowing farmers to review the prescriptions and make their plan for the day before getting into the field.

Projected savings on post-emergence non-residual herbicide: 66% on fields of varying weed pressure

Ultimately, the aim of Aerial WeedScout is to empower farmers to ensure more effective and efficient application of post-emergence non-residual herbicides without a costly upfront investment on their precision spray equipment. This summer, Aerial WeedScout provided a potential savings of 66% across fields of varying weed pressure. This was an exciting development in proving the value of the Aerial WeedScout solution.

What’s next?

Sentera’s Aerial WeedScout has demonstrated tremendous potential for improving weed management through precise, data-driven insights. By delivering targeted weed maps and prescriptions with high accuracy and speed, the solution enables farmers to make more informed decisions while significantly reducing herbicide costs. As the program continues to evolve, the results achieved this year lay a strong foundation for more progress next year and beyond. Next year, Sentera will conduct a limited release in collaboration with select strategic agribusiness partners and farmers.

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