IRRIGATION PLAYS A LARGE AND GROWING ROLE IN GLOBAL AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION. HOWEVER THE EXPANDING WATER-USE FOOTPRINT FOR IRRIGATION AGRICULTURE IS INCREASINGLY COMING INTO CONFLICT WITH COMPETING USERS. SUCH CONFLICT HAS ALREADY BECOME PRONOUNCED FOR WATER RESOURCE ALLOCATION IN CALIFORNIA. TO REDUCE THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF RECENT DROUGHT (AND RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH RELIANCE ON SURFACE WATER RESOURCES) CALIFORNIAN PRODUCERS OF HIGH-VALUED PERENNIAL CROPS INCREASINGLY RELY ON GROUNDWATER EXTRACTION. HOWEVER AT CURRENT LEVELS OF PUMPING THERE ARE GRAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THE LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY OF GROUNDWATER RESOURCES. REFLECTING THIS CONCERN CALIFORNIA ENACTED THE SUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT ACT IN 2014 WHICH MANDATES SUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT PLANS BE DEVELOPED FOR CRITICAL BASINS WITHIN CALIFORNIA. ACHIEVING SUCH LONG-TERM WATER USE SUSTAINABILITY IN AN ECONOMICALLY VIABLE WAY WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY REQUIRE MORE EFFICIENT IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT. WHILE SUCH STRATEGIES ARE TECHNOLOGICALLY POSSIBLE THEY REQUIRE FINE-SCALE INFORMATION REGARDING CROP STATUS AND SOIL WATER AVAILABILITY THAT IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE FOR DECISION SUPPORT. THIS PROPOSAL DESCRIBES THE NOVEL APPLICATION OF A LAND DATA ASSIMILATION SYSTEM TO INTEGRATE SOIL MOISTURE INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM HIGH-RESOLUTION THERMAL INFRARED OPTICAL AND RADAR REMOTE SENSING INTO A 30-M RESOLUTION SOIL WATER BALANCE MODEL. PROFILE SOIL MOISTURE ESTIMATES PROVIDED BY THIS SYSTEM WILL BE APPLIED TO SUPPORT SPECIFIC IRRIGATION SCHEDULING DECISIONS FACED BY OUR END USER (E&J GALLO WINERY). INTERNAL E&J GALLO RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT THEY ARE APPLYING WATER UNNECESSARILY IN THE EARLY SEASON BY INITIATING IRRIGATION TOO EARLY - WHEN SOIL MOISTURE LEVELS ARE ABOVE THE DESIRED THRESHOLD VALUES FOR IRRIGATION INITIATION. IN SOME VINEYARDS THIS EXCESS MAY EXCEED 15% OF TOTAL WATER USE IN MAY AND JUNE. THIS ADDITIONAL WATER INCREASES CANOPY SIZE AND SUBSEQUENT WATER USE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE GROWING SEASON - THUS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASING OVERALL WATER USE EFFICIENCY FOR THE GRAPE CROP. OVER-WATERING IS ALSO HIGHLY DETRIMENTAL TO FRUIT QUALITY DECREASING BERRY COLOR AND MOUTHFEEL COMPOUNDS WHILE INCREASING MANY UNDESIRABLE VEGETATIVE AROMAS (PARTICULARLY FOR RED WINES). HOWEVER ELIMINATING THIS OVERUSE OF WATER (WITHOUT DAMPENING STRUCTURAL VINE GROWTH) REQUIRES TIMELY ACCURATE AND HIGH-RESOLUTION SOIL MOISTURE INFORMATION THAT E&J GALLO CANNOT CURRENTLY OBTAIN USING ITS EXISTING NETWORK OF GROUND-BASED INSTRUMENTATION. THEREFORE BY PROVIDING A NEW (REMOTELY SENSED) SOURCE OF PROFILE SOIL MOISTURE INFORMATION WE SEEK TO IMPROVE THE WATER USE EFFICIENCY QUALITY AND ECONOMIC VALUE OF E&J GALLO GRAPE HARVESTS. SPECIFICALLY DURING THE 2020 AND 2021 GROWING SEASONS WE WILL PROVIDE E&J GALLO WITH DAILY/30-M PROFILE SOIL MOISTURE INFORMATION FOR 7-10 OF THEIR VINEYARDS AND MEASURE THE IMPACT OF UTILIZING THIS INFORMATION FOR IRRIGATION DECISION SUPPORT (ON BOTH GRAPE YIELD AND QUALITY). WHEN COMBINED WITH THEIR INTERNAL VINEYARD HOLDINGS E&J GALLO S EXTERNAL CONTRACT GROWER COMMUNITY PRODUCES APPROXIMATELY ONE-THIRD OF THE WINE GRAPES GROWN IN CALIFORNIA. A SUBSTANTIAL FRACTION OF THESE EXTERNAL GROWERS SUPPLY MULTIPLE WINERIES. THEREFORE BY LEVERAGING E&J GALLO'S EXISTING OUTREACH AND EXTENSION NETWORK WE WILL SEEK TO DISSEMINATE THESE SOIL MOISTURE PRODUCTS (AND/OR TOOLS) WITHIN THE BROADER CALIFORNIAN WINE-GROWING COMMUNITY.