Dryland and irrigated crop management under limited water availability and drought- OAP with kansas state university phase 4 -- this agreement supports the ogallala aquifer program, an ARS led…

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service awarded a $290,744 cooperative agreement to Kansas State University on August 1, 2026, to support dryland and irrigated crop management research under the Agricultural Research Basic and Applied Research program (CFDA 10.001), with performance through December 31, 2028.

The award funds Phase 4 of the Ogallala Aquifer Program, an ARS-led research-education consortium addressing water availability decline from the Ogallala Aquifer on the central and southern High Plains. Kansas State University will develop tools for evapotranspiration and crop water productivity determinations in irrigated, dryland, and mixed precipitation-dependent/irrigated cropping systems; sensors, technologies, and models for site-specific irrigation management; and water management decision support tools and databases to facilitate water allocation and irrigation scheduling decisions under limited irrigation. Work is performed in Manhattan, Kansas.

Dryland and irrigated crop management under limited water availability and drought- OAP with kansas state university phase 4 -- this agreement supports the ogallala aquifer program, an ARS led research-education consortium addressing problems arising from declining water availability from the ogallala aquifer on the central and southern high plains. The current objectives of the related in-house project and this agreement are: 1) develop tools for evapotranspiration (ET) yield and crop water productivity determinations, and management in irrigated, dryland and mixed precipitation dependent/irrigated cropping systems. 2) develop sensors, technologies, and models that facilitate site-specific irrigation management. 3) develop water management decision support tools and databases to facilitate better water allocation and irrigation scheduling decisions under limited irrigation.