University of Florida researchers have developed a groundbreaking app designed to help farmers precisely manage irrigation for their corn crops, reducing the risks of both over- and under-watering.
Developed by scientists from UF/IFAS, Auburn University, and the University of Georgia, the app is the result of a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Conservation Innovation program.
“The critical part of this app is that farmers can avoid risks or mistakes,” said Ziwen Yu, a UF/IFAS assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering and principal investigator for the project. “A lot of producers overirrigate their farms. With the app, farmers will know better how much water crops will need.”
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The app’s unique feature is its ability to utilize data from soil moisture sensors placed at varying depths: 2 inches, 6 inches, and 10 inches, which corresponds to the average root depth of Florida’s sweet corn. This distinguishes it from other tools that treat the root zone as a uniform layer.
“Most tools—such as smart apps or software—treat the root zone as one uniform layer, but ours recognizes that moisture varies at different depths,” Yu explained.
While researchers are still collecting data to quantify water savings, they estimate that sweet corn typically requires about 1 inch of water per week, or approximately 27,000 gallons per acre.
The app, expected to be available to farmers before the end of the year, provides a five to seven-day soil moisture prediction, allowing growers to plan their irrigation schedules. Users can input current soil moisture readings to tailor the app’s predictions to their specific field conditions.
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Beyond sweet corn, researchers are eager to adapt the app for other crops.
“Farmers will even be able to schedule future irrigation events, and the app will factor in both weather patterns and your planned watering to give precise estimation of root-zone moisture on a farm,” Yu said. “This means less guesswork, more efficient water use and healthier crops. Knowing the forecast of root zone soil moisture (water available to plants) will help vegetable farmers better manage the crop and improve the efficiency of both irrigation and fertilization, saving operation cost.”
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