Problem statement:
Agricultural irrigation consumes 42% of all freshwater withdrawals in the US. In parts of the US mid-west Corn Belt, where potential evapotranspiration significantly exceeds rainfall, crops are primarily irrigated. However, the thickness of the aquifers from which this water is pumped has been declining, raising concerns about future crop production in this region. To achieve stable water levels and extend the usable life of the aquifer, it is essential to reduce water pumping. This can be done by either decreasing the irrigated area or by reducing the amount of water applied to the existing irrigated area.
Open
Submission deadline:
Submissions must be received by October, 1st 2025.
Additionally, crop production is threatened by rising temperatures and heat stress, which are exacerbated by limited water availability. There is an urgent need to develop alternative strategies to address the challenge of increasing crop production while conserving fresh water.
Crop and irrigation management can significantly improve water use efficiency and optimize overall irrigation. Strategies could include (i) implementing deficit irrigation management (when and how much to stress the crop based on a specific water allocation), (ii) develop data-driven decisions based on new technologies to monitor crop water use and soil moisture, (iii) combine genotypes with alternative management strategies that are more efficient under water stress, or (iv) incorporating crop sequences and cropping systems solutions.
Questions to be answered:
- Novel approaches to manage limited water availability, from novel irrigation technologies to crop management options at the cropping systems level.
- How should farmers manage limited water quantities?
- Results need to be oriented towards solutions that can be rapidly adopted by farmers in the western Corn Belt states (Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma).
- What are we seeking?
- Who should apply?
- What can you expect?
- How can we help?
What are we seeking?
We are seeking proposals that address the questions described above. We are seeking short (maximum 4 pages long), non-confidential proposals describing a plan to answer these questions.
Must have: Novelty in the approach and/or in the questions to be answered around crop management in water limited cropping systems in the area of interest.
Proposals should include a description of objectives and hypotheses, a description of any needed experiments to answer these objectives/hypotheses, a research plan and timeline, and resources from the institution(s) that will be used in the project.
Who should apply?
- Scientists with expertise in agronomy, plant breeding, ecology, crop physiology, plant biology, climate change, molecular biology, food science, or any related discipline.
- Public, non-profit institutions, and/or private institutions with related experience and interest.
What can you expect?
- Submissions must be received by October, 1st 2025
- A group of Corteva scientists will evaluate your submission and notify of proposal status by November 1st, 2025
- An Open Innovation representative will contact selected finalists to arrange a virtual discussion with Corteva scientists under confidentiality and to provide additional details on the selection process.
- A collaborative project plan between Corteva scientists and the project winners will be developed.
How Can We Help?
- Funding (up to $ 100,000, inclusive of all indirect costs limited to up to 10%*).
- Seed from Pioneer/Corteva commercial products will be available for the proposal winners pursuant to an agreement that will permit research experiments to be conducted (if needed).
- Corteva in-kind resources as applicable and necessary for project success.
- Opportunities for extended collaboration and additional funding if successful.
* Indirect costs available to academic and nonprofit research institutes only. Final agreement terms and funding amount to be determined after selection. This challenge is cross-listed on the Halo and Leading Edge Only Open Innovation platforms.