# US 2025/0156599 A1 · Detection of emerging herbicide resistance in weed populations > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2025/0156599 A1 - Document ID: US20250156599A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/726,074 - Filed: 2022-12-22 - Published: 2025-05-15 - Earliest claimed: 2022-01-05 - Assignees: Geco Strategic Weed Management Inc. - Applicants: Geco Strategic Weed Management Inc. - Inventors: Gregory E. Stewart - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250156599A1 ## CPC - G06F 30/20: Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30) - G06Q 50/02: Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining - A01B 79/005: {Precision agriculture} - A01M 7/0089: {Regulating or controlling systems (the delivery being related to the movement of a vehicle B05B9/06)} - G06T 7/0002: {Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection} - G06T 2207/20081: Training; Learning - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - A01B: SOIL WORKING IN AGRICULTURE OR FORESTRY; PARTS, DETAILS, OR ACCESSORIES OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINES OR IMPLEMENTS, IN GENERAL (making or covering furrows or holes for sowing, planting or manuring A01C5/00; mowers convertible to soil working apparatus or capable of soil working A01D42/04; mowers combined with soil working implements A01D43/12; soil working for engineering purposes E01, E02, E21) - A01M: CATCHING, TRAPPING OR SCARING OF ANIMALS (appliances for catching swarms or drone-catching A01K57/00; fishing A01K69/00 - {A01K99/00}; biocides, pest repellants or attractants A01N); APPARATUS FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF NOXIOUS ANIMALS OR NOXIOUS PLANTS - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract A method includes obtaining, using at least one processing device (202, 314) of an electronic device (102a-102d, 106, 200, 300), spatial information (500, 600, 800, 900, 1100, 1200) associated with weeds in a growing area. The spatial information includes spatial information (500, 800, 1100) associated with a primary weed in the growing area over time. The method also includes identifying, using the at least one processing device, one or more portions of the growing area in which the primary weed has developed or may be developing herbicide resistance using the spatial information. In addition, the method includes outputting, using the at least one processing device, information (700, 1000, 1300) associated with the one or more identified portions of the growing area. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: obtaining, using at least one processing device of an electronic device, spatial information associated with weeds in a growing area, wherein the spatial information includes spatial information associated with a primary weed in the growing area over time; identifying, using the at least one processing device, one or more portions of the growing area in which the primary weed has developed or may be developing herbicide resistance using the spatial information; and outputting, using the at least one processing device, information associated with the one or more identified portions of the growing area. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the one or more portions of the growing area using the spatial information comprises: determining that the primary weed is expanding in the one or more portions of the growing area over time. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein: the spatial information also includes spatial information associated with one or more secondary weeds in the growing area; and the method further comprises identifying one or more additional portions of the growing area in which the primary weed has not developed herbicide resistance using the spatial information. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein identifying the one or more portions of the growing area using the spatial information further comprises: determining that the one or more secondary weeds are not present at a substantially higher rate in the one or more portions of the growing area compared to other portions of the growing area. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein identifying the one or more additional portions of the growing area using the spatial information comprises: determining that the primary weed is expanding in the one or more additional portions of the growing area over time; and determining that the one or more secondary weeds are present at the substantially higher rate in the one or more additional portions of the growing area compared to the other portions of the growing area. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying one or more spatial areas in the growing area, each spatial area associated with a common weed and identified using a clustering algorithm where points in the growing area are included in a common cluster based on their distance. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the information associated with the one or more identified portions of the growing area comprises: generating a graphical user interface that identifies the one or more identified portions of the growing area. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the spatial information comprises at least one of: measurements from a tractor sprayer-based sensor, drone-based observations, and satellite observations of weed locations. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying one or more spatial areas in the growing area, each spatial area associated with a common weed and identified using an anomaly detection algorithm where points in the growing area are identified as an anomaly based on their growth rate. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the one or more portions of the growing area using the spatial information comprises: determining that the primary weed has exhibited a different growth rate than an average growth rate of weeds in the growing area. ### Claim 11 An apparatus comprising: at least one processing device configured to: obtain spatial information associated with weeds in a growing area, wherein the spatial information includes spatial information associated with a primary weed in the growing area over time; identify one or more portions of the growing area in which the primary weed has developed or may be developing herbicide resistance using the spatial information; and output information associated with the one or more identified portions of the growing area. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, to identify the one or more portions of the growing area using the spatial information, the at least one processing device is configured to determine that the primary weed is expanding in the one or more portions of the growing area over time. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein: the spatial information also includes spatial information associated with one or more secondary weeds in the growing area; and the at least one processing device is further configured to identify one or more additional portions of the growing area in which the primary weed has not developed herbicide resistance using the spatial information. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein, to identify the one or more portions of the growing area using the spatial information, the at least one processing device is further configured to determine that the one or more secondary weeds are not present at a substantially higher rate in the one or more portions of the growing area compared to other portions of the growing area. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The apparatus of claim 14, wherein, to identify the one or more additional portions of the growing area using the spatial information, the at least one processing device is configured to: determine that the primary weed is expanding in the one or more additional portions of the growing area over time; and determine that the one or more secondary weeds are present at the substantially higher rate in the one or more additional portions of the growing area compared to the other portions of the growing area. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one processing device is further configured to identify one or more spatial areas in the growing area, each spatial area associated with a common weed and identified using a clustering algorithm where points in the growing area are included in a common cluster based on their distance. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, to output the information associated with the one or more identified portions of the growing area, the at least one processing device is configured to generate a graphical user interface that identifies the one or more identified portions of the growing area. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the spatial information comprises at least one of: measurements from a tractor sprayer-based sensor, drone-based observations, and satellite observations of weed locations. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one processing device is further configured to identify one or more spatial areas in the growing area, each spatial area associated with a common weed and identified using an anomaly detection algorithm where points in the growing area are identified as an anomaly based on their growth rate. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, to identify the one or more portions of the growing area using the spatial information, the at least one processing device is configured to determine that the primary weed has exhibited a different growth rate than an average growth rate of weeds in the growing area. ### Claim 21 A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable program code that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to: obtain spatial information associated with weeds in a growing area, wherein the spatial information includes spatial information associated with a primary weed in the growing area over time; identify one or more portions of the growing area in which the primary weed has developed or may be developing herbicide resistance using the spatial information; and output information associated with the one or more identified portions of the growing area. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the computer readable program code that when executed causes the one or more processors to identify the one or more portions of the growing area using the spatial information comprises: computer readable program code that when executed causes the one or more processors to determine that the primary weed is expanding in the one or more portions of the growing area over time. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein: the spatial information also includes spatial information associated with one or more secondary weeds in the growing area; and the non-transitory computer readable medium also stores computer readable program code that when executed causes the one or more processors to identify one or more additional portions of the growing area in which the primary weed has not developed herbicide resistance using the spatial information. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the computer readable program code that when executed causes the one or more processors to identify the one or more portions of the growing area using the spatial information further comprises: computer readable program code that when executed causes the one or more processors to determine that the one or more secondary weeds are not present at a substantially higher rate in the one or more portions of the growing area compared to other portions of the growing area. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein the computer readable program code that when executed causes the one or more processors to identify the one or more additional portions of the growing area using the spatial information comprises: computer readable program code that when executed causes the one or more processors to determine that the primary weed is expanding in the one or more additional portions of the growing area over time; and computer readable program code that when executed causes the one or more processors to determine that the one or more secondary weeds are present at the substantially higher rate in the one or more additional portions of the growing area compared to the other portions of the growing area. ### Claim 26 (depends on 21) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, further storing computer readable program code that when executed causes the one or more processors to identify one or more spatial areas in the growing area, each spatial area associated with a common weed and identified using a clustering algorithm where points in the growing area are included in a common cluster based on their distance. ### Claim 27 (depends on 21) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the computer readable program code that when executed causes the one or more processors to output the information associated with the one or more identified portions of the growing area comprises: computer readable program code that when executed causes the one or more processors to generate a graphical user interface that identifies the one or more identified portions of the growing area. ### Claim 28 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the spatial information comprises at least one of: measurements from a tractor sprayer-based sensor, drone-based observations, and satellite observations of weed locations. ### Claim 29 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, further storing computer readable program code that when executed causes the one or more processors to identify one or more spatial areas in the growing area, each spatial area associated with a common weed and identified using an anomaly detection algorithm where points in the growing area are identified as an anomaly based on their growth rate. ### Claim 30 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the computer readable program code that when executed causes the one or more processors to identify the one or more portions of the growing area using the spatial information comprises: computer readable program code that when executed causes the one or more processors to determine that the primary weed has exhibited a different growth rate than an average growth rate of weeds in the growing area.