Staff and Programs
Dr. Qingwu Xue – Assistant Professor of Crop Stress Physiology
Kirk Jessup -Technician I
Janae Noggler – Student Worker
Goal: To improve crop yield, stress resistance and water use efficiency (WUE) in the Texas High Plains.
Research Focus: Understand physiological mechanisms for improved abiotic stress resistance and increased water use efficiency (WUE). Optimize crop water use and WUE through the identification of new and improved cultivars/species, and best management practices.
Current Ongoing Projects
Physiological and Genetic Basis for Improved Water Use Efficiency in Five Crops of the Ogallala Region – Wheat.
- Evaluate traits and mechanisms conferring drought tolerance in wheat genotypes under field conditions.
Limited Irrigation Corn.
- Develop, implement, and assess an integrated best management irrigation production strategy for high yield while using limited irrigation water.
Grain sorghum response to nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) under various irrigation conditions.
- Investigate the physiological and agronomic responses of grain sorghum to N and P under three irrigation conditions (dryland, deficit irrigation and full irrigation).
IRT protocol for detection of water deficit and stress mechanisms – Wheat.
- Develop rapid and accurate protocols for detecting differences in water use and drought tolerance in wheat genotypes.


