With new four-wheel-drive tractor and self-propelled combine sales both down over 40% from 2024 sales levels, one can reason new sprayer sales would be down as well.
If farmers aren’t interested in buying new sprayers right now, then naturally the interest in adding technology to the machines already on the farm starts ticking upward.
Here are 10 technology kits you can add onto a sprayer to improve its performance and apply crop inputs more accurately.
AGCO Fendt OptiPulse Nozzle by Nozzle Control
This pressure-based nozzle control system deploys a pulsing valve at each nozzle assembly to control the rate of flow for changing sprayer speeds and turn compensation. It claims to allow for spraying at “higher speeds” while still maintaining spray efficacy and reducing spray drift. It’s a standard feature on Fendt Rogator 900 series sprayers and is also available in a retrofit kit for 90’ to 132’ booms. Pricing is dependent on boom length and nozzle spacing.
Ag Leader Right Spot Nozzle Control
Right Spot offers nozzle by nozzle sprayer control (via pulse width modulation) and can be installed on virtually any sprayer that has Ag Leader’s InCommand Go 16 display in the cab. It also offers individual nozzle monitoring and applicators can change pressure settings on the fly. The retrofit kit consists of individual valve control modules installed along the spray boom that control each nozzle assembly independently. It has curve compensation that Ag Leader says ensures a consistent spray coverage swath (rate, pressure, and droplet size) across irregular shaped fields. Applicators have reported good results spraying at 12-15 mph with the system. Request a quote from Ag Leader for pricing information.
Case-IH and New Holland IntelliSense Sprayer Automation
This new technology kit offers green-on-brown (pre-emergence) selective spraying and a handful of VRA modes like nitrogen and fungicide (based off real-time plant biomass readings) with a single, self-contained camera vision and GPU processing unit. The cab-mounted system can see, target, and spray tiny weeds at speeds up to 19 mph. CNH says the farmer will never owe per-acre or yearly subscription fees. Later this year dealers will have kits available for select 2023 and up Patriot and Guardian machines. CNH has not published a price for the system.
Greeneye Technology Selective Spraying System
This technology is available pre-installed on a new aluminum spray boom with integrated LED lighting for night use and can be added onto ISOBUS-enabled sprayers as old as 15 years old, regardless of brand or model. Greeneye founder Nadav Bocher says it can reduce overall herbicide use by up to 90%. It offers both green-on-brown and green-on-green (post-emergence) applications with a two-tank setup, allowing the user to put down residual chemistries alongside contact herbicides in a single pass. Greeneye does not charge annual subscription fees or per-acre fees. The technology is available for up to 120’ spray booms and works in corn, soybean, and cotton crops. Greeneye plans on adding longer boom lengths soon, Bocher says. A Greeneye precision spraying system for a 120-foot boom, which includes a new boom, sprayer retrofit, installation, and warranty, costs around $239,000.
John Deere See & Spray Premium
The kit retails for $25,000 and Deere says it can save farmers an average of 59% off their yearly herbicide spend vs. a broadcast program. See & Spray Premium is a single tank system and is available on select John Deere sprayer model years 2018 and up and some newer R-Series and 400/600 series sprayers. New for 2025 are variable rate fungicide and nitrogen modes, as well as expanded availability to Hagie STS20 sprayers and compatibility with 90’, 100’, and 120’ steel booms. Per-acre pricing is $5 per acre for green-on-green in corn, soybeans, and cotton, and $1 per acre for green-on-brown applications in fallow ground.
John Deere ExactApply Precision Upgrade
ExactApply uses nozzle pulse modulation to keep droplet size and composition, as well as application rates, consistent as sprayer speeds vary during an application job. It’s often cited as a “must-have” among applicators and farmers who have grown accustomed to having the option on their application rig of choice. Depending on sprayer model and boom size, the retrofit kit is available on some sprayers back to model year 2014. Deere says the system compensates for spraying at lower speeds, such as when the sprayer needs to execute a turn at the end of a row, and most farmers will see between a 2 and 5% reduction in overall chemical applied. Check with your local John Deere dealer for current pricing info.
PTx Trimble Weed Seeker 2 Automatic Spot Spray Technology
This system utilizes at-nozzle sensors and processing units across the boom to sense and spray weeds at up to 25 mph. PTx Trimble says it can reduce a farmer’s overall herbicide spend by up to 90% and is compatible with any in-cab display with ISOBUS. It can be added to any boom length with 20” nozzle spacing and will automatically compensate for spraying at lower speeds (turn rows) and turn off nozzle sections (section control) that pass over areas already sprayed. The system does not charge a per-acre fee, and its up-front cost varies depending on boom length. A total system retrofit can cost anywhere from $180,000 to $270,000.
Raven Hawkeye 2 Nozzle Control System
This system features individual on/off nozzle control valves across the boom and it can self-adjust to maintain consistent spray deposition across turns, contours, and headlands to avoid over- and under-application. Raven claims it results in 250% more accurate droplet coverage out of the tip than comparable systems. It can control up to 192 nozzle sections and can be used for variable rate liquid fertilizer applications. Other benefits include reduced drift and blockage detection, and Raven says applicators can spray at up to 15 mph. The system is compatible with a wide range of sprayer brands and models and it costs $25,000 to $35,000 depending on boom length.
WEED-IT QUADRO
This system was developed at Wageningen University over in The Netherlands, and it is sprayer model and brand agnostic. It combines chlorophyll fluorescence sensors and Pulse Width Modulation solenoids to achieve 95% reduction of crop protection products in fallow ground spraying. It is available in single or two tank setups adn capable of green on brown and green on green applications, and it can even be installed on a pull behind sprayer. The system does not limit the sprayer to lower speeds and the company does not charge per-acre or subscription fees. WEED-IT has a base price of $165,000.
360 Yield Center 360 Y-Drop
Y-Drops are a tool for putting on nitrogen right at the base of the corn plant late in the growing season, when the crop needs a boost to push yield. The application tech is available retrofitted to a wide range of front-mounted and rear-mounted boom sprayers from John Deere, Hagie, Case-IH, Miller, Fendt (Rogator), and Apache. The kits include variable rate nozzles for accurate rate control and fit row spacings from 15" to 36". And 360 Undercover is an add-on option for Y-Drops that bolts on an additional spray module containing four multi-directional nozzles on each unit for customized spray patterns and 150-degree horizontal spray application that can apply fungicides, insecticides, and liquid plant health products inside the crop canopy. Y-drop systems can cost anywhere from around $16,000 to $23,000 depending on configuration.
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