Vasudha Sharma

Vasudha Sharma
Assistant Professor & Extension Irrigation Specialist
Associate Director of the Precision Agriculture Center
[email protected]
612-626-4986
S227 Soil Science Building
Vasudha's Google Scholar profile
Education
  • BTech, Punjab Agricultural University, India, 2012
  • MS, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2014
  • PhD, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2018

Areas of Interest

  • Irrigation water management
  • Soil water monitoring technologies
  • Precision Irrigation Management and Technology
  • Crop water and nitrogen uptake dynamics
  • Crop Evapotranspiration Measurement and Modeling
  • Water Quality

Research

My research interests are in the areas of irrigation water management, water and nitrogen fertilizer interactions, crop evapotranspiration, soil-water dynamics, variable-rate irrigation and cover-crop water management. My focus is to develop irrigation water management research and extension education programs to address the issues of water shortages and water quality. The main objectives of my program are to (i) collaborate with crop irrigators and water managers to assess educational and research needs, (ii) conduct applied research on irrigation to evaluate and identify the best irrigation management practices that would enhance crop water productivity and reduce environmental impacts, and (iii) deliver scientific knowledge to the irrigators through demonstration research throughout the state.

Select Publications

  • Subedi, S., Kechchour, A., Kantar, M., Sharma, V., & Runck, B. C. (2025). Can gridded real-time weather data match direct ground observations for irrigation decision-support? Agrosystems Geosciences and Environment, 8(2).  doi: 10.1002/agg2.70100 Read article
  • Garg, A., Kwakye, S., Cates, A., Peterson, H., LaBine, K., Olson, G., & Sharma, V. (2025). Field-saturated and near-saturated soil hydraulic conductivity as influenced by conventional and soil health management systems. Soil and Tillage Research, 248.  doi: 10.1016/j.still.2025.106467 Read article
  • Souza, E. F.C., Fernández, F. G., Fabrizzi, K. P., Coulter, J. A., Venterea, R. T., Kaiser, D. E., . . . Sharma, V. (2025). Precipitation influences pre-sidedress soil nitrate thresholds for corn production. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 89(3).  doi: 10.1002/saj2.70085 Read article
  • Garg, A., Kwakye, S., Cates, A., Peterson, H., LaBine, K., Olson, G., & Sharma, V. (2025). Integrated soil health management influences soil properties: Insights from a US Midwest study. Geoderma, 455, 117214.  doi: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117214
  • Runck, B.,... Sharma, V. Real-time Geoinformation Systems to Improve the Quality, Scalability, and Cost of Internet of Things for Agri-environment Research. PLOS ONE(https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2403.19477). [ Advance Online Publication] 
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  • Jungers, J., Runck, B., Ewing, P. M., Maaz, T., Carlson, C., Neyhart, J., Sharma, V., . . . Kantar, M. B. (2023). Adapting perennial grain and oilseed crops for climate resiliency. Crop Science, 63(4), 1701-1721. https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/csc2.20972 Read article
  • Singh, G., Sharma, V., Mulla, D., & Fernandez, F. Effect of irrigation scheduling methods on maize grain yield and nitrate leaching in Central Minnesota. Journal of Natural Resources and Agricultural Ecosystems, 1(1), 13-31. https://elibrary.asabe.org/pdfviewer.asp?param1=s:/8y9u8/q8qu/tq9q/5tv/J/z3IGIJ/H/H/dhUiHLKNM.5tv&param2=HG/HJ/IGIJ&param3=MO.KM.O.HOG&param4=54353 Read article
  • Davenport, M. A., Kreiter, A., Braumna, K. A., Keeler, B., Arbuckle, J., Sharma, V., . . . Noe, R. (2022). An experiential model of drought risk and future irrigation behaviors among central Minnesota farmers. Climate Change. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-022-03320-3 Read article
  • Sharma, V., & Irmak, S. (2021). Comparative Analyses of Variable and Fixed Rate Irrigation and Nitrogen Management for Maize in Different Soil Types: Part II. Growth, Grain Yield, Evapotranspiration, Production Functions and Water Productivity  . Agricultural Water Management, 246.  doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106653 Read article
  • Sharma, V., & Irmak, S. (2021). Comparative analyses of variable and fixed rate irrigation and nitrogen management for maize in different soil types: Part I. Impact on soil-water dynamics and crop evapotranspiration. Agricultural Water Management, 245.  doi: 10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106644
  • Irmak, S., Sharma, V., Haghverdi, A., Jhala, A., Payero, J., & Drudik, M. (2021). Maize crop coefficients under variable and fixed (uniform) rate irrigation and conventional and variable rate fertilizer management in three soil types. Agricultural Water Management, 243.  doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106489 Read article
  • Sharma, V., & Irmak, S. (2020). Economic comparisons of variable rate irrigation and fertigation with fixed (uniform) rate irrigation and fertigation and pre-plant fertilizer management for maize in three soil types. Agricultural Water Management, 240, 106307. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377420303607?casa_token=QOJWlKlxDFkAAAAA:CAkXkq45U0_B2yqu8kwDhJ_nFQ5KlqQwjr9zish_WTM7yEjc58c8ZP8n5PgM_Vi-sDr2ME9Kvw
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  • Sharma, V., Irmak, S., & Padhi, J. (2018). Effects of cover crops on soil quality: Part I. Soil chemical properties—organic carbon, total nitrogen, pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter content, nitrate-nitrogen, and phosphorus. Soil and Water Conservation Society. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 73(6), 637-651. http://www.jswconline.org/content/73/6/637.full.pdf+html Read article
  • Irmak, S., Sharma, V., Mohammed, A. T., & Djaman, K. (2018). Impacts of cover crops on soil physical properties: Field capacity, permanent wilting point, soil-water holding capacity, bulk density, hydraulic conductivity, and infiltration. Transactions of the ASABE, 61(4), 1307-1321. https://elibrary.asabe.org/abstract.asp?aid=49569&t=3&dabs=Y&redir=&redirType= Read article
  • Sharma, V., & Irmak, S. (2018). Spatio-temporal Magnitudes and Trends of Cover-Crop Evapotranspiration in Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas. Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, 145(2), 04018040. https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/%28ASCE%29IR.1943-4774.0001367 Read article
  • Sharma, V., Irmak, S., & Padhi, J. (2018). Effects of cover crops on soil quality: Part II. Soil exchangeable bases (K, Mg, Na, Ca), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and soil micronutrients (Zn, Mn, Fe, Cu, B). Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 73(6), 652-668.  doi: https://doi.org/10.2489/jswc.73.6.652 Read article
  • Sharma, V., Irmak, S., Sharma, V., Djaman, K., & Odhiambo, L. (2017). Soil-water dynamics, evapotranspiration and crop coefficients of cover crop mixtures in seed maize-cover crop rotation fields: Part I. Soil-water dynamics and evapotranspiration. Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, 143(9). http://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/%28ASCE%29IR.1943-4774.0001214 Read article
  • Sharma, V., & Irmak, S. (2017). Soil water dynamics and evapotranspiration of cover crop mixtures in seed maize-cover crop rotation fields Part II. Grass and alfalfa-reference normal and basal crop coefficients for cover crop mixtures. Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, 143(9).  doi: https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)IR.1943-4774.0001215 Read article