A system for the variable rate application of pesticides is provides, comprising a) a vehicle capable of traversing an agricultural production area; b) at least one sensor for attachment to said vehicle for direct sensing plant and/or condition data on said agricultural production area, said sensor being capable of transmitting said directly sensed data to computing means; c) computing means for processing the data output of said sensor; d) at least one tank mounted on or attached to said vehicle carrying pesticidal formulations; e) pesticide delivery means mounted on or attached to said vehicle capable of receiving delivery instructions from said computing means and of delivering pesticides from said tank in compliance with said instructions; characterized in that f) said computing means is capable of reading and processing data from a computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of data, said plurality of data including data relating to the functional relationship between the amounts of individual pesticides and the biological effects achievable with said amounts on the plants or their environment, optionally under consideration of the soil conditions and climatic conditions.

The present invention is a control system for a vehicle that utilizes a powered attachment such as a material spreader. Such a device requires the use of a high current drawing motor, which in turn requires the ability to control the flow of high amperage current. The high current switching circuitry is mounted on or near the electric motor to prevent the heat generated by the circuitry from posing any type of hazard. A low current control is placed within the cab of the vehicle and serves to remotely control the switching circuitry.