Crops · Maize and arable crops
AI weeding in the maize row and other arable crops
AROW is trained on maize and 20 more arable crops, from sunflower and soybean to potato and rapeseed. Machines with AROW inside hoe the soil between the maize plants from the two-leaf stage and work between the rows in the same pass, by day and by night.
As of: season 2026Last reviewed
Can an AI weeder hoe maize in the row?
Yes. The AROW box above each row finds the root point of every maize plant and opens and closes the blades around it, about three times per second. The soil between the plants is worked and the maize plant stays untouched. Because the camera steers by the root point, wind and leaves reaching into the row do not disturb detection.
| Figure | Value in maize |
|---|---|
| In-row weeding from | Two-leaf stage |
| Detection | Root point of every plant, about 15 milliseconds per decision |
| Row spacing | From 23 cm (standard maize rows of 70 or 75 cm are no problem) |
| Working width | AROW supports 1 to 16 rows |
| Between the rows | In the same pass, with the manufacturer's hoeing tools |
| Light | Built-in flash lighting, day and night |
| Herbicide in the row | None needed |
When should you hoe maize?
The smaller the weeds, the better each pass works. With a camera, in-row hoeing starts as early as the two-leaf stage of the maize, when weeds in the row compete hardest and hand weeding is most expensive.
- Before emergence
Blind harrowing or shallow hoeing takes out the first flush of weeds while the maize is not yet visible. No camera is needed for this.
- From the two-leaf stage
From here a machine with AROW also hoes inside the row between the maize plants. The manufacturer's tools work between the rows in the same pass.
- Until the canopy closes
Further passes depending on weed pressure and weather. Hoeing works best on dry topsoil and small weeds.
Organic or conventional maize: what changes?
In organic maize, in-row hoeing replaces hand weeding between the plants. Conventional farms cut herbicide passes in the row or replace them completely. How much one pass removes depends on weed stage and weed pressure; most farms combine in-row hoeing with inter-row hoeing.
| Organic maize | Conventional maize | |
|---|---|---|
| Weeds in the row | Hoeing with AROW instead of hand weeding | Hoeing with AROW instead of, or as well as, herbicide |
| Weeds between the rows | Manufacturer's hoeing tools, same pass | Manufacturer's hoeing tools, same pass |
| In-row work from | two-leaf stage | two-leaf stage |
| Working hours | day and night | day and night |
What hoeing maize costs depends on the machine, working width and number of passes; machine prices come from the manufacturers. Across all crops, the AROW fleet saved between 78 and 97 % of hand-weeding hours in 2026. Field data 2026 in detail
Sunflower, soybean, potato: more arable crops
Detection works the same way in every arable crop: the camera looks for the root point of the crop plant and tells it apart from the weeds around it. AROW is trained on 21 arable crops. If yours is missing, we train it from field images in a few hours.
- Chia
- Chickpea
- Cotton
- Hemp
- Maize
- Mustard
- Pea
- Peanut
- Potato
- Proso millet
- Quinoa
- Rapeseed
- Red clover
- Rice
- Sorghum
- Soybean
- Sugar beet
- Sunflower
- Tobacco
- Wheat
- White bean
Arable crops AROW is trained on (2026 season).
Which weeders are available for maize?
Ullmanna does not sell machines itself. Nine manufacturers build the AROW box into their hoes, from two-row units to twelve-row frames. Tell us your crop, hectares and region, and we put you in touch with the right manufacturer or dealer.
Manufacturers building AROW in: SAMO, K.U.L.T., Oliver Agro, Spapperi, Cavalleretti, Einböck, EZOX, Feldklasse, NIVA-TOP.
Maize and arable crops: questions from farmers
01Can maize be weeded in the row with AI?
Yes. AROW is trained on maize and finds the root point of every maize plant. The blades open around the plant and hoe the soil in between.
02From which stage can I hoe maize with an AI weeder?
In the row from the two-leaf stage. The manufacturer's tools hoe between the rows in the same pass.
03What row spacing is needed in maize?
From 23 cm. Standard maize rows of 70 or 75 cm are no problem.
04Does it work in organic maize without herbicides?
Yes. Organic farms use it to replace hand weeding in the row; conventional farms reduce or replace herbicide passes in the row.
05Can I hoe at night?
Yes. Every AROW box has four flash LEDs, so the image is the same by day and by night.
06Which other arable crops does the system recognise?
Among others sunflower, soybean, potato, rapeseed, sorghum, pea, hemp, wheat and sugar beet: 21 arable crops in total. We train new crops in a few hours.
07Where can I get a camera-guided weeder for maize?
From the manufacturers that build AROW in, for example SAMO and Feldklasse. Ullmanna puts you in touch with the manufacturer or dealer in your region.