Chris Cobos, a Texas A&M doctoral student and AgriLife Research senior research associate, is advancing sustainable cotton farming in the South Plains by using drones and AI to study soil water conservation and crop rotation systems. His research focuses on optimizing water use in dryland and deficit-irrigated conditions, aiming to enhance agricultural resilience and profitability through regenerative practices like cover crops and strategic fallow periods.
Emerging soil scientist cultivates future in cotton sustainability
Chris Cobos is researching the resiliency of cropping systems from a 200-foot view, literally. Whether using drones and artificial intelligence to gather data or taking measurements in the field, the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences doctoral student is advancing research to help farmers conserve water across cotton fields of the South Plains.Cobos, a student within the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, didn’t plan a career in the soil sciences. In fact, his higher education journey began in wildlife biology and human biomedical research before he discovered his passion and future, which were deeply rooted in dryland and deficit-irrigated production systems.In 2021, he started his doctorate at Texas A&M University under Katie Lewis, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research soil scientist and professor in the Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences and at Texas Tech University, Lubbock.
He is now an AgriLife Research senior research associate in Lewis’ program at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Lubbock and will graduate in December.
Recognized as a young leader in his field, Cobos frequently presents at field days and professional meetings, helped plan and host the Texas A&M AgriLife Water Symposium, and in November, he will receive a Crop Science Graduate Student Scholarship at the Science Societies meeting in Salt Lake City.
Below, Cobos discusses his research and what drives his passion for sustainable agriculture.
What is the primary focus of your research?
My research centers on optimizing soil water conservation and soil health in semi-arid regenerative cotton cropping systems. Specifically, I study soil water dynamics in dryland and deficit-irrigated systems across the High Plains of Texas. The goal is to understand water availability over time under different conservation practices and evaluate their sustainability.
Why is this research important?
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With increasingly limited water resources, the long-term success of agriculture in this region will depend on regenerative systems to conserve more water. This will include the use of cover crops and rotations such as cotton-wheat-fallow. Extended ground cover and strategic fallow periods improve resiliency, allowing these systems to yield more and be more profitable than conventional systems.
Are these systems viable in true dryland conditions?
While many systems currently operate under deficit irrigation, we’re exploring their effectiveness in true dryland environments. The challenge is to ensure these systems remain productive without supplemental water. Some areas may need to transition toward perennial grass systems with cattle production to adapt to drier conditions, but cotton will always remain central to the Southern High Plains – it is ingrained in our culture, and it is here to stay. To maintain production in an increasingly drier or arid environment, farmers will have to make changes. I want to identify conservation management practices that allow them to remain sustainable.
How is technology being used in your research?
One of my research projects aims to optimize cover crop termination timing in dryland or deficit-moisture systems. I’m collaborating with Gurjinder Baath, Ph.D., AgriLife Research digital agriculture specialist and assistant professor, Texas A&M AgriLife Blackland Research and Extension Center at Temple, to use drones and AI to develop a decision support tool for producers. This tool will help forecast optimal cover crop termination timing by analyzing cover crop growth, biomass production and other plant, soil and meteorological data to determine which factors most influence cotton lint yield.
What drives your passion for this field?
I like the challenge and the potential for large-scale solutions to problems. The problems producers face in the semi-arid South Plains offer the opportunity to make a difference with my research. I want to contribute to the sustainability of agriculture and work directly with farmers to help them maintain their livelihoods.
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