The goal of the present work is to assess the feasibility of SSWM based on weed maps from images acquired from UAVs, encompassing the whole process leading to variable rate herbicide application, in an operational context. The steps were to acquire images from UAVs early in the silage maize crop to detect weed spatial distribution within four fields in Central Italy. The weed maps derived from UAV data were used to evaluate two (2014) or three (2015) post-emergence herbicide application strategies: (i) untreated control, (ii) uniform blanket application, and (iii) patch spraying according to the prescription map. The specific objectives were to assess the capability images from UAVs to detect weed occurrence early in silage maize crop, to quantify the decrease in herbicide applied and to verify if this reduction has significant silage maize yield impacts.