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

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service awarded a $102,222 Cooperative Agreement to Texas Tech University on August 1, 2026, for dryland and irrigated crop management research under the Agricultural Research Basic and Applied Research program (CFDA 10.001).

The award funds Phase 4 of the Ogallala Aquifer Program, an ARS-led research-education consortium addressing water scarcity on the central and southern High Plains. Work focuses on three objectives: developing tools for evapotranspiration, yield, and crop water productivity determination in irrigated, dryland, and mixed precipitation-dependent cropping systems; developing sensors, technologies, and models for site-specific irrigation management; and creating water management decision support tools and databases to improve water allocation and irrigation scheduling decisions under limited irrigation.

Performance occurs in Lubbock, Texas, through December 31, 2028. The agreement correlates with ARS in-house research programs as required under the cooperative agreement authority, and obligates funds to be reimbursed by August 30, 2033, consistent with the five-year statutory limit on period of performance under 7 U.S.C. 3319a.

Dryland and irrigated crop management under limited water availability and drought- OAP with texas tech 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.