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

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service awarded West Texas A & M University a $102,222 Cooperative Agreement on August 1, 2026, to support dryland and irrigated crop management research under the Ogallala Aquifer Program (CFDA 10.001, Agricultural Research Basic and Applied Research).

The agreement funds research to develop tools for evapotranspiration yield and crop water productivity determinations in irrigated, dryland, and mixed precipitation-dependent/irrigated cropping systems; sensors, technologies, and models that facilitate site-specific irrigation management; and water management decision support tools and databases to enable better water allocation and irrigation scheduling decisions under limited irrigation. Work is conducted in Canyon, Texas, and coordinated with the Agricultural Research Service's in-house research programs addressing problems from declining water availability from the Ogallala Aquifer on the central and southern High Plains.

The period of performance extends from August 1, 2026, through December 31, 2028. West Texas A & M University, a child entity within The Texas A&M University System and a Hispanic-Serving Institution, operates as the prime recipient. The award represents Phase 4 of an ongoing research-education consortium led by the Agricultural Research Service.

Dryland and irrigated crop management under limited water availability and drought- OAP with west texas a & m 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.