The analytics will help farmers measure the water stress of their crops in real time.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Queensland-based agtech company Goanna Ag have announced a partnership that will see sensors and analytics be used to help growers better understand how to maximise the use of irrigation water to grow crops.
Under the partnership, Goanna Ag will incorporate WaterWise, a CSIRO-developed technology, into its existing GoField irrigation management system.
The WaterWise system features in-field sensors that measure the canopy temperature of crops every 15 minutes. The data collected from the sensors are then combined with weather forecasts before machine learning is applied to help predict the crop’s water requirements for the next seven days.
“Being able to predict when to irrigate will allow our clients — farmers — to plan based on what the plant needs,” Goanna Ag CEO Alicia Garden said.
