UC Davis researchers will receive $2.8 million in new grants to study the use and impacts of nitrogen, a hero of the agricultural revolution that is increasingly viewed as a worrisome source of water and air pollution and potent greenhouse gases.
"This is one of the most important and least publicized environmental issues we face: Escaped nitrogen from agricultural production affects the quality of our air, water, and soil and has huge potential to contribute to climate change," said Tom Tomich, director of the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UC Davis.
"Many members of the public and politicians are unaware of the scope of this challenge. And many farmers are unaware that nitrogen management can save them money."
Nitrogen is a chemical element that occurs naturally in Earth's air, water and soil. It is essential to life, and cycles through all plants, animals and people. Nitrogen-based fertilizers help California farmers produce more than 400 agricultural commodities -- vegetables, fruits, meats and dairy products worth $36 billion a year.
But excess nitrogen is emitted from soils, seeps into groundwater and runs off into surface waters. Wastes from cattle, chickens and other livestock include nitrogen. Farm machines burning oil, gasoline and diesel release nitrogen to the air.
The resulting environmental impacts include:
Those environmental impacts are not fully documented, Tomich said.
"With this new funding, we can start to fill in those blanks, and improve management of nitrogen, carbon and water to help move agriculture toward sustainability in significant ways," he said.
Data on agricultural nitrogen pollution are limited, and some nitrogen pollution forms are difficult to monitor. Measurements can be labor-intensive and expensive and are influenced by variables such as weather conditions, irrigation timing and method, and crop-specific fertilization practices.
The new studies should improve data-collection methods, said Agricultural Sustainability Institute researcher Johan Six, a professor in the Department of Plant Sciences.
"It's urgent that we know how much nitrous oxide and other greenhouse gases are released during irrigation and fertilization of farm lands in California," Six said. "The good news is we know that it is economically feasible to reduce these emissions. The first step is quantifying the necessary reductions."
The new Agricultural Sustainability Institute grants and objectives include:
About the Agricultural Sustainability Institute
Established in 2006 by the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the Agricultural Sustainability Institute includes the University of California's statewide Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP), the Student Farm at UC Davis, and the Russell Ranch Sustainable Agriculture Facility at UC Davis, as well as programs at other campuses across California. More information: http://asi.ucdavis.edu .
About UC Davis
For 100 years, UC Davis has engaged in teaching, research and public service that matter to California and transform the world. Located close to the state capital, UC Davis has 31,000 students, an annual research budget that exceeds $500 million, a comprehensive health system and 13 specialized research centers. The university offers interdisciplinary graduate study and more than 100 undergraduate majors in four colleges -- Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science -- and advanced degrees from six professional schools -- Education, Law, Management, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. More information: http://www.ucdavis.edu .
Media contact(s):
Tom Tomich, Agricultural Sustainability Institute, (530) 574-2503, tptomich@ucdavis.edu
Will Horwath, Land, Air and Water Resources, (530) 754-6029, wrhorwath@ucdavis.edu
Lyra Halprin, Agricultural Sustainability Institute public information officer, (530) 752-8664, lhalprin@ucdavis.edu
Sylvia Wright, UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-7704, swright@ucdavis.edu