Location: Plant Physiology and Genetics Research
Project Number: 2020-21000-014-017-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2025
End Date: Oct 31, 2026
Objective:
The overall goal of the project is to provide accurate estimations of canopy temperature and vegetation indices in cotton and soybean populations and to determine how these estimates are associated with crop productivity under deficit irrigation.
Approach:
The Cooperator and ARS PI will collaborate on research activities to estimate canopy temperature and vegetation indices in cotton and soybean trials planted in the Maricopa Agricultural Canter (MAC). Deficit irrigation research by applying less water than crop evapotranspiration (ETc) demands, offers a potential strategy for conserving water without significantly compromising yield. An Upland cotton population was developed from heat and drought tolerant parents with population size of 362 lines. In 2025, this population was planted at the MAC under two irrigation treatments: 100% ETc (full irrigation) and 50% ETc (deficit irrigation). Physiological and yield-related traits are being evaluated to characterize how genotypes respond to water stress. In addition, two cotton diversity panels (total of 450 accessions) and 100 soybean genotypes were planted in the MAC to characterize physiological traits associated with heat and drought tolerance. The data to be collected are: 1) canopy temperature via a thermal band that is part of Altum-sensor carried by an Inspire-2 drone; 2) NDVI and leaf area index via a drone carrying Altum multispectral sensor; 3) chlorophyll content using Metos meter; 4) plant height and boll size manually measured; 5) cotton yield at harvest; and 6) Water Productivity (WP) = yield/total water applied. The anticipated outcome includes: 1) quantifying how deficit irrigation affects physiological traits and yield across genotypes; and 2) identifying cotton and soybean accessions that maintain high agronomic performance under deficit irrigation.