Research & Extension Overview:

Our research group works on a variety of projects related to irrigation and water management using different approaches, including, but not limited to, advanced data acquisition & mining, machine learning, remote sensing, and GIS & GPS technologies.

Current Projects:

Enhancing Irrigation Management in Southern California Desert Agriculture to Increase Water Use Efficiency and Environmental Sustainability (2019-2022)

PI: Amir Haghverdi
Co-PIs & Collaborators: Aliasghar Montazar

Support:
This project will enhance agricultural water management in southern California deserts by improving current uniformly applied irrigation by mainstream growers and creating a pathway toward adoption of emerging site-specific variable rate irrigation (VRI) technologies in the future. 

Determining the Effect of Pricing Structure on Urban Water Demand: A Long-Term Analysis of Major Water Utilities in California (2019-2020)

PI: Mehdi Nemati
Co-PIs & Collaborators: Amir Haghverdi, Etaferahu Takele, Janet Hartin

Support:
Utilities use a variety of tools to meet water conservation goals including price adjustments, water use restrictions, dissemination of information geared at reducing residential water waste, and rebate programs such as ‘cash for grass’ and efficient appliances. The implementation of new pricing structure aims to guide residents towards water savings and efficient water use, but there are questions over the effectiveness of these strategies to achieve conservation goals. Therefore, this project will determine the effectiveness of changes in the pricing structure from 1996-2017 in major California water utilities’ at reducing residential water demand. 

Using Smart Irrigation Technologies to Advance Urban Landscape Irrigation in Inland Southern California (2018-2019)

PI: Amir Haghverdi
Co-PIs & Collaborators: Donald Merhaut, Janet Hartin, Laurent Ahiablame

Support:
Water conservation in urban landscapes in California is important due to a limited water supply, cyclical droughts, population increases, and a water distribution problem requiring transporting large volumes of water from Northern to Southern California. Since inland landscapes tend to be larger and ET rates higher than in coastal areas, more water is required for landscape irrigation. Climate change poses additional challenges to urban landscapes as rising temperatures coupled with limited water increase the need to diversify the palette of trees and other ornamentals adaptable to harsh urban conditions. 

Using Smart Irrigation Technologies to Optimize Recycled Water Application for Turfgrass Irrigation to Conserve Water, Maintain Turf Quality, and Sustain Soil Health (2018-2020)

PI: Amir Haghverdi
Co-PIs & Collaborators: Darren Haver, Laosheng Wu
​(support provided by NWRI and SCSC will be graduate student fellowship to PhD student Amninder Singh)

Support:
Recycled water is a great potential option for non-potable uses such as irrigation of urban landscapes because it is produced near urban regions. However, using recycled water for landscape irrigation can present its own challenges mainly because recycled water usually contains higher amounts of salt as compared to freshwater. Excessive salt in the root zone causes increased osmotic stress (i.e. water is less readily available to plants), specific ion toxicity and reduced soil permeability. The main hypothesis of this study is that smart irrigation technologies can help develop sustainable irrigation practices using recycled water to conserve water while maintaining turf quality and sustaining soil health. 

Optical and thermal remote sensing of turfgrass response to different deficit irrigation strategies in central and southern CA (2017-2019)

PI: Amir Haghverdi
Co-PIs & Collaborators: Maggie Reiter, Alireza Pourreza, Janet Hartin

Support:
There are promising reports in the literature regarding the use of remote sensing techniques to monitor crop stress and enhance irrigation management.  Recent advancements in thermal imaging using smartphone-attached cameras and affordable handheld devices as well as multispectral and hyperspectral UAS based imaging systems may provide an opportunity for widespread adoption of remote sensing based techniques for urban water conservation and landscape irrigation management. This project  aims at exploring the potential applications of novel remote sensing techniques in urban irrigation and water management.

Advancing urban irrigation management to enhance water use efficiency, drought mitigation, and environmental protection (2018-2021)

PI: Amir Haghverdi
Co-PIs & Collaborators: Darren Haver, Laosheng Wu, Maggie Reiter, Janet Hartin, Alireza Pourreza

Support:
This project will develop and disseminate scientific knowledge, practical recommendations and tools for sustainable urban irrigation management through field research trials, laboratory analyses, and computer modeling. Multiple research and extension activities will be synergized, conducted and managed by a team of faculty, extension specialists and farm advisors.
​

Enhancing site-specific turf irrigation management and developing turf deficit irrigation strategies using soil moisture sensors, smart ET-based irrigation controllers, and remote sensing (2018-2020)

PI: Amir Haghverdi
Co-PIs & Collaborators: Laosheng Wu, Janet Hartin

Support:
​Much of the scientific research on application and reliability of smart irrigation controllers in recent years has been done in humid regions. Therefore, there remains an urgent demand to evaluate cutting edge commercially available smart controllers to determine their ease of use, reliability, and ability to help conserve water and enhance water use efficiency, the main objective of this project. In addition, soil water dynamics and turf spectral responses to multiple levels of water stress will be studied using soil moisture sensors and UAS based remote sensing.

Previous Projects:

Accounting for salinity leaching in the application of recycled water for landscape irrigation (2017-2018)

PI: Amir Haghverdi
Co-PIs & Collaborators: Laosheng Wu

Support:
Recycled water is increasingly being recognized as an important source of water supply and is used by some municipalities as a resource for landscape irrigation, decorative fountains and crop irrigation.  The objective of this project is to  review the recycled water irrigation principles and propose a simple model to account for salinity leaching in the current irrigation application regulations articulated in The Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO).