Wonder if they could do this with corn...

Scientists have developed flood-tolerant rice. I always assumed rice was flood tolerant, but I guess you can overdo anything.

While rice thrives in standing water, like all crops it will die if completely submerged for more than a few days. The development and cultivation of the new varieties is expected to increase food security for 70 million of the world's poorest people, and may reduce yield losses from weeds in areas like the United States where rice is seeded in flooded fields. Results of this study will appear in the Aug. 10 issue of the journal Nature. [More]

Think about if you could buy a few bags of "flood corn" to plant in those waterholes you can't afford to get drained. Or aren't allowed to (wetland). Or don't have any place to drain to.