Analysis of band spraying and precision weed management

For preserving sustainability in agriculture we need to reduce the level of industrial inputs as much as possible without substantially lowering the profitability of farming (not talking about organic production in this case). Herbicides are used in the biggest quantity in today’s agriculture. Band spraying and precision weed management are both able to reduce the amount of herbicides applied but are suited for different groups of farmers. Precision weed management can be used on farms over 250 ha of size, disposing with adequate amount of money for investing into sophisticated technology and well trained personnel being able to utilise all aspects of precision technology. Manages patchy weed coverage and enables to save somewhere between 25–75% on herbicide costs, however, its use is irrational where weeds are evenly cover the whole parcel. Band spraying on the other hand may be used on farms of small or medium size. It requires only limited investments and average skills for operation. May be used on heavily infested fields except where perennial weeds are prevailing and can reduce the applied amount and cost of herbicides by 66–70%.