Crops · Vegetables
In-row weeding for vegetables with AI
Pumpkin and lettuce are the crops with the most AROW field hours in 2026, ahead of sugar beet. Machines with AROW inside hoe between transplanted and direct-sown vegetables, from the two-leaf stage, by day and by night.
As of: season 2026Last reviewed
Which vegetables can be weeded in the row with AI?
All common row vegetables. By field hours in the first five months of 2026: pumpkin (2,974 h), lettuce (2,171 h), tomato, celery, cabbage, broccoli, onion, watermelon and fennel, plus leek, kohlrabi, cauliflower, garlic, herbs and many more.
| Crop | Field hours 2026 | Hand weeding per ha | Machine time per ha |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pumpkin | 2,974 h | 40 h | about 0.5 h |
| Lettuce | 2,171 h | 200 h | about 1.3 h |
| Tomato | 643 h | – | about 1 h |
| Celery | 540 h | 230 h | about 1 h |
| Cabbage | 434 h | – | about 1 h |
| Broccoli | 282 h | – | – |
| Onion | 275 h | – | about 1.3 h |
| Watermelon | 240 h | – | – |
| Fennel | 218 h | – | – |
Season 2026 · fleet data from machines at work on farms. All 2026 figures cover only the first five months of the year; the season is still running. All 194 plants by group
Transplanted or direct-sown: when can I start?
From the two-leaf stage. Transplants such as lettuce, cabbage and celery are found from the first pass after planting; direct-sown crops such as onion are recognised at an early stage, even in low light.
How fast does it work in vegetables?
Up to 8 km/h in wide-row crops such as pumpkin and up to 5 km/h in narrower rows. Row spacing starts at 23 cm, so bed systems with several close rows work as well.
What does it save in vegetables?
Hand weeding in vegetables takes 40 to 230 hours per hectare: pumpkin about 40 h, lettuce about 200 h, celery about 230 h. Across the fleet, machines with AROW removed 78–97 % of those hours in 2026, depending on the crop.
Herbs and medicinal plants
Small, sensitive and expensive to weed by hand: AROW is trained on more than 50 herbs, spice and medicinal plants, from arnica and chamomile to lemon balm, peppermint and valerian.
- Agrimony
- Aloe vera
- Angelica
- Anise
- Arnica
- Artemisia
- Basil
- Bee balm
- Borage
- Calendula
- Caraway
- Chamomile
- Chervil
- Chives
- Coriander
- Cowslip
- Cress
- Curry plant
- Dandelion
- Dill
- European goldenrod
- Evening primrose
- Flat-leaf parsley
- Greater burdock
Machines with AROW inside
Manufacturers build AROW into vegetable hoes from two rows upwards. Ullmanna does not sell machines itself; we put you in touch with the manufacturer and dealer for your region.
Vegetables: questions growers ask
01Which vegetables can an AI in-row weeder handle?
Pumpkin, lettuce, tomato, celery, cabbage, broccoli, onion, watermelon, fennel and more than 100 other vegetables, herbs and specialty crops. In total, AROW is trained on 194 plants.
02Does it work in transplanted lettuce and cabbage?
Yes. Transplants are among the easiest crops for root-point detection because the plants stand at a regular distance from the first pass.
03Can it hoe under large leaves, as in pumpkin?
Yes. AROW finds the centre of the pumpkin plant even when leaves overlap, so the blades can work under the leaves.
04How close to the plant does it hoe?
The blades open around each plant and close between plants, about three times per second per row, with around 15 ms from decision to blade.
05What if my crop is not on the list?
It is trained from field images of your crop within hours.