How a weed map works in practice

A task map still sounds complicated to many farmers and contractors — something reserved for people who enjoy working in software. And to be fair: the technology behind it really is complex. What Croptic does is take that complexity away, so that in practice it works just as simply as a normal spraying job. The contractor or farmer loads the map, drives the field like always, and the machine does the rest. But what sits behind that simplicity is worth understanding properly.

From drone imagery to a ready-to-drive map

The process starts with a drone flight over the field. Flying at a height of 9 to 20 m, the drone captures imagery with a ground resolution of 2 to 5 mm per pixel — sharp enough to distinguish weeds from roughly 3 cm in diameter from the crop. That imagery is then processed by Croptic AI, which marks, plant by plant, whether it's a weed or not. Based on that, a task map is generated in the format that matches your sprayer: no conversions, no file wrangling — just plug in and drive.

On a field of early potatoes we achieved more than 93% savings on crop protection product during a correction treatment against thistles. Weed pressure stayed fully under control.

What the sprayer does while the driver drives

Once the task map is loaded into the terminal — via USB or wirelessly — section control takes over. The machine's GPS position is continuously compared against the zones on the map, and the nozzles/sections are switched accordingly. Each section gets the signal to open or close depending on what the map prescribes for that position. On modern machines this happens dozens of times per second, at a resolution of 25 cm, giving a precise transition between treated and untreated ground.

How much precision you get in practice depends on how finely your sprayer can switch. A machine with 3-metre sections works coarser than a sprayer with individual nozzle shut-off every 25 cm. For patch-forming weeds like thistles and hedge bindweed, that difference matters less in practice — they grow in clear clusters, so even 3-metre sections already deliver 60 to 80% savings. For more finely scattered weeds, individual nozzle shut-off pays off more.

For the driver, almost nothing changes about how the job is done. No extra steps, no complicated settings while driving. The machine follows the map, logs what was treated, and stores the treated zones as documentation. That log data is available afterwards as proof of execution — useful for IPM record-keeping and subsidy reporting. Precision spraying and easier paperwork go hand in hand here.

What it means for tank mix and planning

One detail that both farmers and contractors appreciate in practice: before spraying even starts, you already know how much area will actually be treated. That's a real difference from camera-based spot-spraying systems, where you only find out afterwards what was actually used. If the map shows that 27% of a 10-hectare field contains weeds, you only need to mix tank solution for 2.7 hectares, not 10. You still finish with an empty tank, just like today, without leftover mix that needs to be stored. That saves on product costs and makes planning a spray day easier when several fields follow one after another.

Which machines are compatible?

In principle, any field sprayer with section control, GPS, and an ISOBUS terminal that can read task maps. That covers most modern trailed and self-propelled sprayers from brands like John Deere, Fendt, Agrifac, Kverneland, Amazone, and Horsch. If there's any doubt about compatibility, Croptic is happy to provide a test map to make sure everything runs correctly before your product goes into the tank. No experiment — a controlled first pass.