In many fields, grass weed infestation becomes visible just before harvest — but by then, it's too late! The seeds are already mature, and even mowing only prevents further spreading within the field.

By conducting a targeted mapping of the field in autumn or shortly before harvest, it’s possible to record the locations of weed patches. This way, after the next sowing or in spring, you can specifically monitor these zones, as the likelihood of early weed emergence is highest there.

Under good conditions, weed mapping is also very effective in spring. We inspect the fields beforehand, if needed, to determine whether a mapping mission makes sense.

The mapped zones can then be treated differently using an application map — for example, applying a split treatment in hot spots while using a single pass on the rest of the field.

In a practical brome mapping trial, we used historical and current orthophotos to reduce herbicide use by 70% on approx. 550 hectares of wheat. At a product price of €52/ha, this resulted in total savings of over €20,000 (385 ha × €52/ha).

Weeds and grass weeds that can currently be mapped from the air include:

• Brome (Bromus)
• Ryegrass
• Geranium
• Thistle
• Chamomile
• Chervil
• and many more