WATER SCARCITY THREATENS AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY IN SEMI-ARID REGIONS WITH DEPLETING IRRIGATION RESOURCES. COTTON AND SORGHUM ARE DROUGHT TOLERANT AND CAN ENHANCE PROFITABILITY AND SOIL HEALTH IN WATER-CONSTRAINED SYSTEMS. HOWEVER, INTEGRATING THESE CROPS INTO A UNIFIED CROPPING SYSTEM, ESPECIALLY REGARDING OPTIMAL IRRIGATION PRACTICES WHEN BOTH CROPS ARE GROWN TOGETHER, DEMANDS FURTHER INVESTIGATION.THIS PROPOSAL AIMS TO ENHANCE AGRICULTURAL RESILIENCE AND WATER USE EFFICIENCY IN THE TEXAS HIGH PLAINS BY OPTIMIZING A COTTON-SORGHUM CROPPING SYSTEM. THE OBJECTIVES ARE TO: 1) DETERMINE OPTIMAL PLANTING DATES AND CROP VARIETIES FOR MAXIMIZING YIELD AND WATER USE EFFICIENCY; 2) EVALUATE IRRIGATION STRATEGIES AND ECONOMIC RETURNS AT VARIOUS SCALES AND SOIL TYPES; 3) USE REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGY TO MONITOR CROP GROWTH AND IMPROVE IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT; AND 4) IMPLEMENT EXTENSION PROGRAMS TO DISSEMINATE FINDINGS AND PROMOTE ADOPTION AMONG FARMERS.THE STUDY WILL INVOLVE SMALL PLOT EXPERIMENTS IN THE TEXAS HIGH PLAINS, USING ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES, INCLUDING SATELLITE AND UAV IMAGERY, FOR REAL-TIME MONITORING. THE DATA WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO THE DSSAT MODELING SYSTEM TO PREDICT OPTIMAL IRRIGATION STRATEGIES AND ECONOMIC OUTCOMES. COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS WITH LOCAL PRODUCERS WILL TEST THESE STRATEGIES IN COMMERCIAL SETTINGS. THIS RESEARCH SEEKS TO PROVIDE ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS FOR IMPROVING WATER MANAGEMENT AND CROP PROFITABILITY, CONTRIBUTING TO THE LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY OF AGRICULTURE IN WATER-SCARCE REGIONS.THIS PROPOSAL ADDRESSES AFRI 2024 - A1811 (TOPIC 18): DEVELOPING IRRIGATION SCHEDULING TECHNOLOGIES TO MAXIMIZE WATER-USE EFFICIENCY WHILE OPTIMIZING PROFITABILITY OF CROPPING SYSTEMS FOR COTTON AND SORGHUM IN THE SAME FIELD.