Precision Offset Spray System for Roadway Shoulder Weed Control
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 125, Issue 4
Abstract
A precision offset spray system was developed for use by highway maintenance departments for the control of unwanted vegetation in the graded shoulder area adjacent to roadways. The offset sprayer consisted of two fundamental elements: (1) A machine vision system; and (2) a rapid response intermittent spray system. This study showed that it is feasible to use machine vision on a moving vehicle to automatically detect the presence of green plant material and to apply herbicides exclusively to plants and not to nonplant materials (e.g., bare soil). The system substantially reduced the amount of herbicide applied to nonplant material. In system tests, there was up to a 97% reduction in applied spray mix over conventional continuous spray applications with a plant deposition rate of 57% of continuous spray systems. Implementation of this technology would allow highway maintenance departments to reduce the cost of weed control and the amount of chemical herbicides released into the environment, while maintaining current levels of weed control efficacy.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
“Caltrans' use of pesticides for controlling vegetation on California's roadsides.” (1987). Caltrans Graphic Services, Division of Highway Maintenance, California Department of Transportation, Calif.
2.
Giles, D. K., and Slaughter, D. C. (1997). “Precision band spraying with machine-vision guidance and adjustable yaw nozzles.” Trans. ASAE, 40(1), 29–36.
3.
Haggar, R. L., Stent, C. J., and Isaac, S. (1983). “A prototype hand-held patch sprayer for killing weeds, activated by spectral differences in crop/weed canopies.” J. Agric. Engrg. Res., 28(4), 349–358.
4.
Hollaender, A. (1956). Radiation biology. Vol. III, McGraw-Hill, New York.
5.
Hooper, A. W., Harries, G. O., and Ambler, B. (1976). “A photoelectric sensor for distinguishing between plant material and soil.” J. Agric. Engrg. Res., 21(2), 145–155.
6.
Ladd, T. L., and Reichard, D. L. (1980). “Photoelectrically-operated intermittent sprayers for insecticidal control of horticultural pests.” J. Econ. Entomology, 73, 525–528.
7.
Ladd, T. L., Reichard, D. L., Collins, D. L., and Buriff, C. R. (1978). “An automatic intermittent sprayer: A new approach to the insecticidal control of horticultural pests.” J. Econ. Entomology, 71, 789–792.
8.
Merritt, S. J., Meyer, G. E., Von Bargen, K., and Mortensen, D. A. (1994). “Reflectance sensor and control system for spot spraying.” ASAE Paper No. 94-1057, American Society of Agricultural Engineers, St. Joseph, Mich.
9.
Reichard, D. L., and Ladd, T. L. (1981). “An automatic intermittent sprayer.” Trans. ASAE, 24(4), 893–896.
10.
Slaughter, D. C., and Harrell, R. C. (1989). “Discriminating fruit for robotic harvest using color in natural outdoor scenes.” Trans. ASAE, 32(2), 757–763.
11.
Slaughter, D. C., Chen, P., and Curley, R. G. (1997). “Computer vision guidance system for precision cultivation.” ASAE Paper No. 97-1079, American Society of Agricultural Engineers, St. Joseph, Mich.
12.
Tauzer, C. J. ( 1995). “Development of a target activated offset sprayer using machine vision for plant detection,” MS thesis, University of California, Davis, Calif.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
History
Received: Apr 27, 1998
Published online: Jul 1, 1999
Published in print: Jul 1999
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.