Chris Cobos expands soil, water conservation science in Rolling Plains
New AgriLife Research scientist to concentrate on sustainable, regenerative conservation practices
Chris Cobos, Ph.D., wasted no time after graduating from Texas A&M University in December, starting as the Texas A&M AgriLife Research environmental soil scientist at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Vernon and assistant professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences on Feb. 2.
Cobos was able to hit the ground running because he had been building relationships with people and collaborating on programs since starting at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Lubbock as a doctoral student in 2021, finishing as an AgriLife Research senior research associate before his move.
“My time with AgriLife Research at Lubbock gave me so much experience both scientifically and professionally,” he said. “My previous research in soil health, soil water conservation, cover crops and regenerative agriculture are all key priority areas that will be the foundation of my research moving forward in Vernon and the Rolling Plains.”
Identifying issues; meeting producer needs
In the Rolling Plains, Cobos said optimizing dryland production systems is and will continue to be a primary focus moving forward, just as it was in Lubbock. While the Rolling Plains gets slightly more annual precipitation, helping producers maintain production in an arid environment will require identifying sustainable conservation management practices.
“I want to help with optimization both economically and agronomically as producers are faced with increased heat and drought stress along with reduced irrigation resources,” he said.
An important aspect of his new program will be to build upon and increase collaborations with Texas A&M AgriLife digital agriculture experts to incorporate drone aerial imagery, artificial intelligence, AI, and machine learning models into agronomic field research trials.
He is carrying forward a collaboration with Gurjinder Baath, Ph.D., AgriLife Research digital agriculture specialist and assistant professor, Texas A&M AgriLife Blackland Research and Extension Center at Temple, to use drones and AI to develop a decision support tool for producers.
This tool will help forecast optimal cover crop termination timing by analyzing cover crop growth, biomass production and other plant, soil and meteorological data to determine which factors most influence cotton lint yield.
In addition, Cobos wants to expand the collaboration, offering his experience and field space to other researchers who are in more restrictive areas.
Cobos said he will continue to research regenerative agricultural practices that can sequester carbon, conserve soil water, improve soil health, and help producers remain profitable in semi-arid regions and environments.
Already an award winner
Cobos was most recently recognized with the AgriLife Research Director’s Collaboration Award, part of a team of scientists with the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Lubbock and the Texas Water Resources Institute Partnership.
Additionally, he earned the Crop Science Society of America Graduate Student Scholarship and was a recipient of the society’s Gary “Pete” Peterson Dryland Soil Management Scholarship.
