Dr. Srinivasulu Ale, Associate Professor and Project Leader
Texas AgriLife Research & Extension Center, Vernon, TX 76385

Research Goal and Objectives:

The overall goal of Dr. Ale’s research program is to develop strategies that conserve water, promote water-use efficiency, and protect water quality in diverse agro-ecosystems. His research program focuses on the following objectives:

1. Develop strategies for sustainable management of water resources on crop, pasture and grazing lands.
2. Assess the hydrologic and environmental impacts of climate and land use change.
3. Identify sources of surface and groundwater quality impairments and suggest best management practices.

Research Interests

Our research revolves around modeling water quantity and quality over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales in order to understand response patterns of various hydrologic systems to changes in biotic and abiotic environmental factors. We study the complex interrelationships between climate, water resources, geology, topography, cropping systems, soils and management practices through field experimentation, observed data analysis and simulation modeling using computer models such as Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender (APEX), Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT), DRAINMOD and ADAPT. We are currently conducting research in four major areas:

1. Assessment of the impacts of land use change, climate change, and rangeland management on hydrology and environment.
2. Development and evaluation of efficient irrigation and crop management strategies under current and future climate change scenarios.
3. Characterization of groundwater quantity and quality.
4. Evaluation of the best management practices for protecting soil and water quality.

“We do not inherit this earth from our ancestors; we merely borrow it from our children”

(Native American Proverb)