The Global USDA Plant Hardiness mobile app targets both horticulture researchers and expert gardeners, providing them with an intuitive tool for determining the hardiness of plants.
Plant hardiness refers to the "ability of a plant to survive adverse growing conditions." Determining a plant's hardiness has always been a long and tedious process that required researchers to conduct a thorough multi-variate analysis. Now, with the new USDA app, researchers and gardeners are only have to enter in some basic info – plant species, genus, zip code, and city – and they will be provided a detailed breakdown of the hardiness of their plant about their specific grow zone.
Currently, the app's database consists of over 30,000 species of plants and can provide a relevant analysis for more than 50 countries. Though the Global USDA Plant Hardiness app is significantly less flashy than other popular gardening apps and plant identification tools (ex. Leafsnap, SmartPlant, etc.), its singular purpose and research-oriented design make it an effective tool for expert gardeners.
Mobile Gardening Research Apps
USDA's Plant Hardiness App is Made for Researchers and Gardeners
Trend Themes
1. Mobile Plant Identification Apps - Developing mobile apps that enable gardeners to identify plants and gain useful information.
2. Smart Horticulture Assistance - Developing digital tools using AI and machine learning to assist horticulturists in determining plant hardiness.
3. Enhanced Gardening Technology - Developing technology that is designed to improve the quality of gardening work and results.
Industry Implications
1. Horticultural Industry - Creating new mobile apps to assist horticulturists and gardeners with their work.
2. Agriculture Research Industry - Leveraging AI and mobile app technology to provide more accurate and efficient data analysis for agricultural research.
3. Gardening Tools Industry - Creating and selling technologically advanced gardening tools to improve the experience for gardeners.