Freshwater streams and rivers naturally clean up some forms of pollution originating from urban and agricultural areas, but increased storm intensity reduces this ability, which underscores the need to improve the management of nonpoint sources of pollution and storm water management.

Why did you decide to become a university researcher?

I have always had an interest in biological questions and mechanisms, but initially thought that I would go into industry. When I was a technician at MSU. I interacted with the graduate students and postdocs and thought that I could do this type of work, research. Since my PhD days, I have found that I had a flair for the experimental and like to tackle challenges.

What are your current areas of research?

Are rivers the livers of watersheds? Should farmers plant cider apples to thwart pests in orchards? Come find out from scientists with the NH Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of New Hampshire, who will present their latest research at the 2020 New Hampshire Farm, Forest, and Garden Expo.

Researchers with the NH Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of New Hampshire have launched a multi-year research project to investigate how droughts may impact Northern forests, which play a critical role in protecting and regulating water resources.

A pathologist with New Hampshire Diagnostic Veterinary Lab at the University of New Hampshire recently diagnosed the fungal disease Valley Fever in a rescue dog from Arizona. It is the first time the lab has diagnosed this disease in a dog in the state. The disease, which is treatable, is endemic in the Southwest and rarely seen in native New England dogs.

In the first study of its kind, new research from the University of New Hampshire shows that crop rotations, in isolation from other management factors, can increase the functions performed by soil microbial communities that benefit plant growth. The study was conducted by researchers with the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station.

NH Agricultural Experiment Station researcher Rick Cote at the University of New Hampshire has received a USDA grant to expand his research on parasitic nematodes, or roundworms, which cause approximately $100 billion in annual global crop damage. Researchers are hopeful that one day their work will lead to the development of next generation nematicides, or chemical pesticides that will provide farmers with a new way to safely manage these agricultural pests.

Our researchers and graduate students are working on more than 50 research projects to serve the Granite State. Here are a few highlights from 2019.