2012 Annual Report 1a.Objectives (from AD-416): The objective of this project is to facilitate coordinated research on soil and crop management for efficient water use, through collaborative efforts with Texas Tech University students and faculty. 1b.Approach (from AD-416): Conduct fundamental and applied research on the causes and consequences of wind-induced erosion, and the interactions of plants with the soil and aerial environments; to develop wind erosion mitigation strategies and water management strategies that alleviate, delay, or moderate the impact of drought and thermal stress on crop production; to develop both short- and long-term strategies that conserve irrigation water by increasing the use of rainfall. 3.Progress Report: This agreement provides stipends to support graduate students and summer salaries for selected research faculty, and thereby expands the unit's research capacity. Currently, only a quarter of the time of graduate student is funded under this agreement. The project of this student is to integrate two simulation models and to test the results from the combined model. The two models are Cotton2K, a cotton model that simulates cotton growth and lint yield, and PALMS (Precision Agriculture Landscape Modeling System) a model that simulates the water, energy, and carbon balance of production fields at a landscape scale, i.e., quarter-mile center pivot. The combined model has been used to evaluate the effect of straight and circular rows as a means to harvest rainfall on dryland cotton cropping systems. The model is being tested on commercial cotton fields on a Pullman and a Brownfield soil series. As additional resources become available they will be used to support, as needed, additional projects of scientists within the Water Erosion and Water Conservation Research Unit.