Research & Outreach Overview:
Our research group focuses on developing and disseminating scientific knowledge, practical recommendations, and tools for sustainable urban and agricultural water resources management. Our approaches include field research trials, laboratory analyses, and computer modeling, with the goal of identifying opportunities for synergy between research and outreach activities. Our current research themes include water conservation, autonomous landscape irrigation management, soil hydrology, and precision farming. We also work on applications of advanced data acquisition and mining techniques, including remote sensing, GIS and machine learning.
On-going Projects:
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Establishing real-world water use and irrigation cooling benefits baselines for 18 landscape species in inland southern California (2023-2024)
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PI: Amir Haghverdi
Sustainable urban landscape irrigation under a changing climate in semi-arid inland southern California requires identifying drought/heat tolerant plant species and irrigation management scenarios that maximize water saving while minimizing the urban heat island effect. This project will address these major knowledge gaps for moving toward sustainable landscape irrigation management in the region. This project also creates a pathway toward autonomous efficient irrigation management in our smart cities in the future, where smart controllers will apply the right amount of water to each plant species.
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Development of a Novel Photochemical Water Reuse Technology for Urban Agriculture Irrigation and Food Production (2022-2023) |
PI: Haizhou Liu | Co-PI: Amir Haghverdi
This project aims to improve agriculture sustainability by developing an innovative photochemical treatment for recycled wastewater irrigation and evaluating downstream risk using a field irrigation research trial.
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Developing evapotranspiration based irrigation and water conservation recommendations for multiple groundcover species in inland southern California (2021-2024) |
PI : Amir Haghverdi | co-PI: Don Merhaut
This project will promote the adoption of science-based plant factor information to develop irrigation best management practices to sustain the desired landscape quality using minimal water.
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Improving Water Quantity and Quality: Develop Novel and Sustainable Treatment of Recycled Wastewater for Irrigation (2020-2023) |
PI: Haizhou Liu | Co-PI: Amir Haghverdi
This project aims to improve agriculture sustainability and agro-urban ecosystem health by developing an innovative photochemical treatment for recycled wastewater irrigation and evaluating downstream risk using a greenhouse turfgrass irrigation research trial.
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Enhancing Irrigation Management in Southern California Desert Agriculture to Increase Water Use Efficiency and Environmental Sustainability (2019-2023) |
PI: Amir Haghverdi |Co-PI: Aliasghar Montazar
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.
Previous Projects:
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Combined field irrigation trials and economic analysis to investigate water conservation determinants, water saving potential, and the return on investment of multiple water management technologies and strategies (2020-2022) |
PIs : Amir Haghverdi and Mehdi Nemati
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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
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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 provided by NWRI and SCSC will be graduate student fellowship to PhD student Amninder Singh)
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Accounting for salinity leaching in the application of recycled water for landscape irrigation (2017-2018) |
PI: Amir Haghverdi | Co-PIs & Collaborators: Laosheng Wu
