Targeted Watering of Plants
“Water monitor” for agriculture resilient to weather and climate
Jülich, 28 February 2022 – Around 600 times 600 metres: this is the size of the grid cells in the water monitor developed by Jülich’s Agrosphere subinstitute, which shows the water currently available to plants on a scale that goes from a regional right down to a local level within Germany. This additional information is useful when it comes to adapting to extreme weather conditions, which can occur often due to climate change. “The water monitor is a free service that can be used to obtain information on soil moisture in a particular area, for example during periods of drought,” says Dr. Klaus Görgen, who is a member of the water monitor project team. Since November 2021, the online tool has provided forecasts for up to nine days using the results of scientific simulation models that are updated daily.