Computer Vision Weed Detection: See-and-Spray Technology Explained

Herbicides are typically the second or third largest input cost on a corn or soybean operation, and weed resistance is making them less effective every year. The Weed Science Society of America reports that 271 unique herbicide-resistant weed biotypes have been confirmed in the U.S. — a number that grows every season as broadcast applications continue to select for resistance. The economic and agronomic case for doing something different has never been stronger.

See-and-spray technology — precision spraying systems that use computer vision to identify and target individual weeds in real time — represents the most significant advance in weed management since the introduction of glyphosate-tolerant crops. As we detail in our comprehensive guide to AI and machine learning in agriculture, computer vision is one of the core technologies driving the next generation of intelligent farming systems. Here's how see-and-spray works, what the leading systems cost, and how to evaluate whether the ROI makes sense for your operation.

How Computer Vision Weed Detection Works

The technology stack behind a see-and-spray system has three components: imaging, inference, and actuation — and all three must happen fast enough to keep up with a sprayer moving at 12-15 mph.

Imaging: High-resolution cameras mounted every 12-20 inches across the sprayer boom capture continuous video of the ground below. On a 120-foot boom, that's 72-120 cameras generating enormous amounts of image data simultaneously. The cameras must handle variable lighting conditions — bright sun, cloud shadows, early morning low-angle light — without losing detection accuracy.

Inference: Each camera's feed is processed by an onboard AI model running on dedicated inference hardware (typically NVIDIA Jetson or similar edge AI chips). The model has been trained on millions of labeled images of crops and weeds at various growth stages, lighting conditions, and soil backgrounds. It classifies each pixel of the image as crop, weed, or soil and identifies the location of weed patches with centimeter-level precision. This entire process happens in under 100 milliseconds — fast enough to make a spray decision before the nozzle passes over the detected weed.

Actuation: Individual nozzle solenoids — one per nozzle, spaced every 5-15 inches across the boom — open and close based on the AI's detection output. When a weed is detected, only the nozzles directly above it activate. Crop rows pass through unsprayed. The result is spot application that covers only the weed-infested areas rather than the entire field.

The practical outcome is dramatic: in a field with 20% weed coverage (typical for a well-managed soybean field at post-emergence timing), only 20% of the field receives herbicide. In a field with 5% weed coverage, only 5% does. John Deere's published field data from See & Spray Ultimate trials shows average herbicide savings of 50-77% in commercial corn and soybean fields.

The Leading See-and-Spray Systems in 2026

John Deere See & Spray Ultimate

John Deere's See & Spray Ultimate is the most commercially accessible see-and-spray system for row crop farmers. It's available as a retrofit kit for John Deere R-Series sprayers equipped with ExactApply individual nozzle control and as factory-installed equipment on new machines.

The system uses 36 cameras on a 120-foot boom, with AI inference running on onboard compute hardware. It distinguishes between crops and weeds in corn and soybeans and supports post-emergence applications of contact herbicides targeted at weeds in the inter-row space.

Cost: The See & Spray Ultimate retrofit kit is priced at approximately $35,000-50,000 depending on boom width and configuration. New sprayers with the system factory-installed add approximately $40,000-60,000 to the base machine price.

Herbicide savings: John Deere's internal data from commercial field trials shows 50-77% reduction in herbicide volume. At $15-25 per acre for post-emergence herbicide applications, a 60% reduction on 2,000 acres saves $18,000-30,000 per season — a 1-2 year payback on the system cost.

Limitations: Currently optimized for corn and soybeans. Weed detection accuracy varies by species — waterhemp and Palmer amaranth detection is improving but less reliable than larger broadleaf weeds. Works best at post-emergence timings when weeds are visible above the soil surface.

Blue River Technology (John Deere) See & Spray Select

The entry-level version of John Deere's see-and-spray lineup, See & Spray Select uses a simpler camera array and AI model to detect green vegetation against bare soil — effective for burndown applications before crop emergence and for fallow field weed control.

Cost: Approximately $15,000-25,000 retrofit. Lower accuracy than Ultimate for in-crop applications but highly effective for pre-plant and fallow scenarios where any green vegetation is a target.

Best use case: Burndown applications in no-till fields where any green material is a weed. In this scenario, the system achieves near-100% detection accuracy because there's no crop to distinguish from weeds.

Carbon Robotics LaserWeeder

Carbon Robotics takes a fundamentally different approach — instead of herbicides, it uses high-powered CO2 lasers to thermally destroy weed tissue. The LaserWeeder is a tractor-pulled implement with 30 laser modules that identify and destroy weeds at up to 5,000 weeds per minute.

Cost: $1.2-1.5 million for a commercial unit. This price point puts it out of reach for most individual farm operations, but custom application services and leasing models are emerging.

Best use case: Organic operations and specialty vegetable growers where herbicide elimination has premium value. The operating cost is primarily electricity (tractor PTO power) rather than chemical inputs, making it attractive for operations with high herbicide costs or organic premiums.

Row crop applicability: Currently most effective in transplanted vegetables and direct-seeded crops with clear row spacing. Adaptation for corn and soybeans at commercial scale is ongoing.

Raven Hawkeye

CNH's Raven division offers the Hawkeye precision spraying system, which uses machine vision for weed detection and integrates with Raven's existing precision ag ecosystem. Compatible with Case IH and New Holland sprayers.

Cost: $25,000-40,000 retrofit. Comparable performance to John Deere's See & Spray Ultimate in independent evaluations, with the advantage of native integration with CNH equipment and Raven's field data platform.

ROI Analysis: Does See-and-Spray Pencil Out?

The ROI calculation depends on four variables: herbicide cost per acre, weed pressure (which determines percentage savings), acres sprayed per season, and system cost.

Scenario 1: 2,000-acre corn/soybean operation, moderate weed pressure

Post-emergence herbicide cost: $18/acre × 2,000 acres = $36,000/season
See-and-spray savings (60% reduction): $21,600/season
System cost (John Deere See & Spray Ultimate): $45,000
Simple payback: 2.1 seasons

Scenario 2: 5,000-acre operation, high weed pressure

Post-emergence herbicide cost: $22/acre × 5,000 acres = $110,000/season
See-and-spray savings (65% reduction): $71,500/season
System cost: $50,000
Simple payback: 0.7 seasons

Scenario 3: 800-acre operation, low weed pressure

Post-emergence herbicide cost: $15/acre × 800 acres = $12,000/season
See-and-spray savings (55% reduction): $6,600/season
System cost: $35,000
Simple payback: 5.3 seasons

The break-even analysis shows that see-and-spray ROI is most compelling for larger operations with moderate to high weed pressure. For operations under 1,000 acres with clean fields, the payback period may exceed the practical planning horizon — though custom application services (where you hire a see-and-spray equipped applicator rather than owning the equipment) can make the economics work at any scale.

Beyond direct herbicide savings, see-and-spray delivers two additional economic benefits that are harder to quantify but real: reduced resistance development (lower selection pressure extends the effective life of your herbicide modes of action) and reduced crop injury risk from broadcast post-emergence applications.

Resistance Management: The Strategic Case Beyond ROI

Even if the direct herbicide savings don't pencil out for your operation size, see-and-spray has a strategic value in resistance management that deserves serious consideration.

Herbicide-resistant waterhemp, Palmer amaranth, and giant ragweed are already present in most Corn Belt counties. The standard management response — rotating modes of action, using pre-emergence residuals, applying multiple post-emergence passes — is effective but expensive. The underlying problem is that broadcast applications apply selection pressure across the entire field, including areas with no weeds, accelerating resistance development in the weed seed bank.

See-and-spray changes this dynamic by applying herbicide only where weeds are present. Lower total herbicide volume means lower total selection pressure, which slows resistance development. It also enables economically viable use of multiple modes of action on the same pass — applying a tank mix of two or three herbicides only to detected weeds costs far less than broadcasting that same tank mix across the entire field.

University of Illinois weed scientist Aaron Hager has noted that see-and-spray technology could extend the effective life of existing herbicide modes of action by decades if adopted at scale — a benefit that's difficult to put a dollar figure on but represents enormous long-term value for the industry.

Key Takeaways

See-and-spray systems use onboard cameras and AI inference to detect individual weeds in real time, activating only the nozzles directly above detected weeds. The entire detect-decide-spray cycle happens in under 100 milliseconds.
John Deere See & Spray Ultimate is the most accessible commercial system for row crops, with herbicide savings of 50-77% and a 1-3 year payback period for operations over 1,500 acres.
ROI is strongest for large operations with moderate to high weed pressure. Custom application services make the economics work for smaller operations without the capital investment.
Beyond direct savings, see-and-spray reduces herbicide selection pressure and slows resistance development — a strategic benefit that extends the effective life of your existing herbicide modes of action.
Current systems work best in corn and soybeans at post-emergence timings. Detection accuracy for camouflage weeds like waterhemp in soybeans is improving rapidly but still less reliable than high-contrast scenarios.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does computer vision weed detection work on a sprayer?

High-resolution cameras mounted across the sprayer boom capture images at 30-60 frames per second. An onboard AI model identifies weed species and locations in real time, and individual nozzle solenoids activate only when a weed is detected. The entire detect-decide-spray cycle happens in under 100 milliseconds — fast enough to keep up with a sprayer moving at 12-15 mph.

How much herbicide can see-and-spray systems save?

In row crops with typical weed pressure, see-and-spray systems reduce herbicide use by 50-77% compared to broadcast spraying, according to John Deere's published field data. In low-weed-pressure fields, savings can exceed 90%. The exact reduction depends on weed density — the cleaner your fields, the greater the percentage savings on a per-acre basis.

What does a see-and-spray system cost?

John Deere's See & Spray Ultimate retrofit kit costs approximately $35,000-50,000. The Carbon Robotics LaserWeeder costs $1.2-1.5 million for a full commercial unit. For most row crop operations, the John Deere system offers the most accessible entry point with a 1-3 year payback period on herbicide savings for operations over 1,500 acres.

What crops and weeds work best with see-and-spray?

Current systems work best in row crops with clear inter-row spacing — corn, soybeans, cotton, and vegetables. Detection accuracy is highest for broadleaf weeds in grass crops and grass weeds in broadleaf crops, where visual contrast is greatest. Detection of weeds that closely mimic the crop, such as waterhemp in soybeans, is improving but still less reliable than high-contrast scenarios.

Can see-and-spray systems detect herbicide-resistant weeds?

Current commercial systems detect weeds by visual appearance, not by herbicide resistance status. However, by enabling post-emergence spot spraying with multiple modes of action rather than broadcast applications, see-and-spray supports resistance management by reducing overall selection pressure — slowing the development of resistance in the weed seed bank over time.