ACCELERATING WATER AND NUTRIENT RECYCLING: EVALUATING RISK TRADE-OFFS TO DEVELOP BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR NONTRADITIONAL AGRICULTURAL WASTE STREAM USE

The ultimate goal of this research is to develop risk tradeoff models that help farmers optimize the (re)use of water and nutrients in order to increase agricultural economic efficiency and sustainability.The objectives of this work are to:Conduct factorially-designed pot experiments under ambient, arid desert conditions to understand the impacts of waste streams, soil types, irrigation methods, waste incorporation methods, and waste application timing on soil and leachate quality;Develop predictive risk models of the impact of waste application on water quality parameters of interest for use in tools for farmers to optimize waste stream use;Develop best management practices (BMPs) for reusing water and nutrients.