Enhancing the irrigation management in vegetable farms in sotheast US by developing root zone, soil moisture maps in both high spatial and high temporal resolutions

The University of Florida was awarded a $1,615,906 Project Grant from the US Department of Agriculture National Resources Conservation Service under the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (CFDA 10.913). The grant will fund efforts to enhance irrigation management in vegetable farms in the Southeast US through February 2025. Specifically, the University of Florida will develop high spatial and temporal resolution root zone and soil moisture maps to support irrigation management and water savings. Auburn University and the University of Georgia will assist in collecting field data on root zone soil moisture and weather conditions. Auburn University will also conduct outreach to educate extension agents and farmers on using soil moisture data for irrigation management. The University of Georgia will develop a smartphone application for vegetable irrigation.