Soil Chemistry Chemical reactions occurring in the soil matrix are studied. Emphasis is on understanding the competitive mechanisms that immobilize nutrients and contaminants in soils. Research focuses on the fundamental, basic, and chemical principles that affect soil pollution and remediation strategies. These are studies in the application of soil science to the solving of environmental and land use problems. These include soil-landscape relationships, characterizations of the physical and chemical properties of soils, effects of wetlands and the disposal of wastes on environmental quality, soil evaluation for land appraisal, land use planning, and soil morphology, genesis, and classification.
Emphasis is placed on reducing chemical inputs.
Turf Turfgrass management and its effects on turfgrass communities and environmental quality are researched. Vegetable Crops Areas of study are the relationship of physiological and morphological characteristics to the quality and yield of vegetable crops. Particular emphasis is placed on the effect of environment and genotype on the synthesis and accumulation of toxic compounds and on environmental stress. Water Resources Chemical and physical processes associated with surface and ground water interactions in agricultural and forested environments are currently being studied. In the vegetable area, emphasis is on the physiology of herbicides and the role of environment in herbicide activity.