Department of Biology and Chemistry
Haffa Lab Projects
I am interested in how best management farming practices (BMPs) impact economic and environmental sustainability. This includes work on the nitrogen cycle as well as pesticides. I am also interested in finding ways to mitigate point source nitrogen and pesticide contamination of surface waters using bioreactors. In addition to BMPs, I study how microbes in wood-chip bioreactors can be optimized to help remediate impacts from nitrogen and pesticides in surface waters.
The primary objective of this project is to quantify nitrous oxide emissions rates from Central CA's commodity crops and examine the key biophysical drivers to ammonia oxidation as percent oxygen is reduced. These data will be used in conjunction with data obtained from other projects that are evaluating alternative management practices. Those projects are aiming to reduce total applied irrigation and nitrate leaching to improve N-cycle models that can be integrated into low cost management tool applications.
USDA