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Abstract. Conventional cultivation works to control weeds between the rows, but it ignores the weeds in crop rows which are most competitive with crops. This article introduces the latest advances in a new systematic method for automatic identification of celery for weed control. The paper describes the development of a novel root treatment developed to create a machine-readable vegetable crop plant and matching fluorescence macroscope that can work together to recognize vegetable crop plants growing in fields with high weed densities and high levels of leaf obscuration. Rhodamine B (Rh–B) is an efficient systemic compound to label crop plants due to its membrane permeability and unique fluorescent properties. Rh–B solution at 60 ppm was applied to the celery roots prior to transplantation to evaluate Rh–B persistence in plants under sunlight. Systemic Rh-B absorbed via the roots moved throughout the plants. After exposed to full sunlight for 4 weeks, the Rh–B was still detectable in stems and leaves of plants. Celery was tolerant to the root treatment. The systemic Rh-B allowed for the rapid identification of plants, thereby facilitating the automatic differentiation of weeds and crops by a robotic fluorescence macroscope.