The PHREC (Panhandle Research Extension and Education Center) Irrigation and Digital Agriculture lab has launched its new mobile app PLAN: Mobile Irrigation Management.
Since 2020, the PHREC Irrigation and Digital Agriculture lab has successfully operated a web-based dashboard (https://phrec-irrigation.com/#/) to support the Peer Learning Agricultural Network (PLAN). This platform has enabled growers to access critical data, including real-time soil moisture readings, disease outbreak risks, and weekly crop water use information for the Nebraska Panhandle region. Through collaboration with more than 30 growers and various commercial partners via API (Application Programming Interface) integrations, the lab team has expanded coverage to more than 100 commercial fields spanning approximately 10,000 acres of farmland.
While the web dashboard has proven valuable, field accessibility remained challenging. The release of the new mobile application, PLAN, incorporates most features from the website while introducing significant improvements for in-field usage. The key features for the PLAN mobile app include real-time sensor data visualization, weekly crop water use reports, user-friendly irrigation scheduler, enhanced field monitoring capabilities, and potential for AI integrations.
Screenshots of the PLAN app showcase a home page with field overview and weather information, a sensor page displaying real-time readings, and weekly crop water use information updated throughout the growing season by Gary Stone and Xin Qiao.
The app features a specialized irrigation scheduler designed particularly for users without commercial soil moisture probes. Using a straightforward "checkbook" method with an intuitive interface, users can input irrigation information while the app automatically calculates irrigation needs based on data from nearby weather stations and corresponding weekly crop water use information. The scheduler is currently in final development and will be available in May.
The irrigation scheduler employs a checkbook method to assist users without soil moisture probes and will provide irrigation insights and analysis.
Current status:
- iOS version: Available now through TestFlight (official App Store release coming soon)
- Android version: In development, coming soon
Agriculturalists are encouraged to download the app and provide feedback using the floating comment icon within the application.
