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ARS Home Research Annual Report on Science Accomplishments FY 2021





- Advancing Human Nutrition Research
- Advancing Sustainable Aquaculture Production
- Advancing Sustainable Livestock Production
- Combating AMR
- Combating Citrus Greening
- Controlling Insect Pests
- Developing New Crop Varieties
- Expanding Public Access to Agricultural Information
- Improving Pasture and Rangeland Management
- Improving Rural Economies
- Monitoring and Mitigating Plant Disease
- Optimizing Agricultural Management to Mitigate Climate
- Optimizing Water Use Management
- Protecting Animal Health Disease Detection
- Protecting Human and Animal Health
- Protecting Pollinator Health
- Reducing Labor and Advancing Precision Agriculture
- Safeguarding the Food Supply

**Optimizing Agricultural Water Use and Management** DOWNLOAD TWO-PAGER PDF  **Public awareness of water shortages is increasing as the pressures of growing populations increase the demand for water. Rural areas are experiencing mounting pressure to provide more water for expanding urban areas at the expense of water supplies needed to support rural and agricultural communities.** The ARS Watershed and Water Availability research program develops solutions thatimprove water management for efficient agricultural production. The following accomplishments in 2021highlight ARS advancements in irrigation technology and decision support systems for addressing thechallenges associated with agricultural water use. **A novel, water-conserving microgreen growing system.**Feeding the increasing world’s population withshrinking arable land and water resources requires novel alternatives to soil-based cultivation systemsand creative solutions to minimize water usage.ARS scientists in Beltsville, Maryland, developed abiodegradable, hydrogel-based "artificial soil" thatminimizes water use and labor. By improving waterretention/delivery and root zone aeration, this newtechnology supports a full 14-day growth cycle formicrogreens, which equals conventional productionyields without the daily watering requirements. Thiscurrent technology supports facilitating live plantshipping and user-friendly vegetable growth kits forhealth-conscious consumers and novice urban farmers.Early and enthusiastic feedback and adoption fromurban farmers indicates potential widespread adoptionby the urban farming industry. In addition, NASAscientists are investigating using this technology forproducing food during space travel. **New satellite algorithm provides improved evapotranspiration measurements for crop water use and irrigation management.**Recent droughtsin the western United States have put tremendousstrain on water resources, and there is increased pressure on the agricultural community to improveirrigation efficiency. However, established satellite evapotranspiration (ET) algorithms, particularly thermalalgorithms that work well in the western United States, have limited utility for managing irrigation inspecialty vegetable crops. ARS researchers in Riverside, California, and Maricopa, Arizona, evaluated anew thermal satellite ET algorithm based on the ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment(ECOSTRESS) on the International Space Station that flies over the Earth’s surface once every four daysand found that ECOSTRESS works very well for measuring crop water use in the western United States.This discovery provides another tool that could be adapted to help farmers improve irrigation scheduling. **Sctillometery for assessing temperature and vapor flux over vineyards.**A laser-based method calledsctillometery has been developed by ARS researchers in Corvallis, Oregon, for assessing temperature andmoisture changes over large heterogeneous vineyards. These techniques allow for long term measurementof fine scale changes in vineyards without interfering with vineyard operations. This approach will aid thedevelopment of improved predictive models for pest and pathogen spread and disease development.Additionally, this approach will lead to improved assessment of water use and the development ofpredictive models for plant growth that will aid vineyard managers’ decision making. **A new and rugged ground-based method estimates crop water use.** Farmers in the drought-strickenwestern United States require better tools to improve precision irrigation management. Reliable ground-based sensors can complement efforts to quantify crop water use and measure crop stress remotelywith satellites and drones. ARS researchers in Davis, California, along with University of California-Daviscollaborators, found a way to utilize rugged infrared temperature sensors to measure crop water use andstress down to the single plant level. This new method determines crop water use by measuring changesin crop temperatures every second. The effectiveness of this new method was shown in vineyards and treecrop orchards by comparing measurements against gold standard methods. This breakthrough enablesthe use of these durable, readily available sensors to improve precision irrigation management andenvironmental stewardship. Cheung, Lance. Kitayama Brothers, Inc. (KBI) hydroponic greenhouses with micro irrigation have been in use for years in their 40 acres of green houses on Thursday, August 27, 2015, in Watsonville, CA. https://flic.kr/p/BwvBDn


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