Irrigator Pro is an expert system designed to provide irrigation scheduling recommendations based on scientific data resulting in conservation minded irrigation management. The success of Irrigator Pro for Peanuts created interest in other groups. A collaborative effort between the NPRL, Cotton Commission, University of Georgia, and the Peanut Foundation was established to create comparable models for cotton and corn.
Irrigator Pro is an irrigation scheduling tool for peanuts, corn, and cotton developed by the USDA Agricultural Research Service National Peanut Research Lab. Irrigator Pro is an expert system designed to provide recommendations based on scientific data resulting in conservation-minded irrigation management while maintaining high yields.
The Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District, with funding from USDA NRCS, partnered with the Peanut Lab and University of Georgia to develop a smartphone app and cloud-based platform for Irrigator Pro. The new version has been in beta testing for the last two crop seasons with a full launch planned for 2019.
Irrigator Pro is a trusted tool by farmers, crop consultants, Extension agents, and researchers across the Southeast. The original version is a desktop software that requires manual reading of soil moisture sensors in the field and manual data entry. The new smartphone app and cloud platform have automated the data collection process, integrating remote upload of soil moisture and temperature data with the Irrigator Pro model through the app and cloud platform.
The mobile version of the app can be downloaded at https://irrigatorpro.org