THE PROPOSED INTEGRATED RESEARCH AND EXTENSION PROJECT IS A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY (AGRONOMY, SOIL SCIENCE, PLANT PHYSIOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND ECONOMICS), MULTI-INSTITUTIONAL (TAMU AND NMSU) AND MULTI-LOCATION (TX AND NM) STUDY TO EVALUATE POTENTIAL FOR INCREASING CANOLA ACREAGE USING MARGINAL WATERS IN THE SOUTHERN GREAT PLAINS. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY ARE TO EVALUATE (I) CANOLA PERFORMANCE UNDER MARGINAL WATER IRRIGATION, (II) CHANGES TO ROOT ZONE SOIL PROPERTIES INCLUDING SALINITY, (III) IRRIGATION USE EFFICIENCY AND (IV) CANOLA CROP ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY. SEVERAL CULTIVARS OF CANOLA WILL BE EVALUATED FOR SALINITY TOLERANCE BY MEASURING GERMINATION, SEEDLING MORTALITY, EMERGENCE PERCENTAGE (EP) AND EMERGENCE INDEX, BIOMASS, AND SALT ACCUMULATION. SELECT SALT TOLERANT CULTIVARS PERFORMANCE WILL BE EVALUATED IN THE FIELD PLOTS AT TWO LOCATIONS, EL PASO, TX AND ARTESIA, NM. PLANT PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS SUCH AS NUMBER OF BRANCHES, SHOOT HEIGHT, PODS PER PLANT AND NUMBER OF SEEDS PER POD WILL BE MONITORED. PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS SUCH AS GAS EXCHANGE AND CHLOROPHYLL FLUORESCENCE, RELATIVE CHLOROPHYLL CONTENT WILL BE MEASURED. AT MATURITY PLANTS WILL BE HARVESTED AND BIOMASS, OIL SEED YIELD, OIL AND ASH CONTENT WILL BE DETERMINED. UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES (UAVS) EQUIPPED WITH HYPERSPECTRAL, MULTISPECTRAL BANDS, AND THERMAL SENSORS WILL BE USED TO DEVELOP EARLY DETECTION OF PLANT STRESSES TO TAKE CORRECTIVE ACTIONS TO REDUCE YIELD LOSSES. CHANGES TO ROOT ZONE SOIL PROPERTIES INCLUDING SALINITY WILL BE USED DEVELOP APPROPRIATE WATER AND SOIL SALINITY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES. ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF CANOLA PRODUCTION WILL BE EVALUATED BY CAREFULLY ASSESSING THE ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATING COSTS, AS WELL AS POTENTIAL REVENUES.