Soil health, sustainable soil management, microbial ecology
Northwestern Washington Research & Extension Center
16650 State Route 536
Mount Vernon, WA
Email: d.griffin@wsu.edu
Phone: (360) 848-6127
Twitter: @deirdregriff
Education
- Ph.D., Soils and Biogeochemistry, University of California, Davis, 2018
- M.S., Soils and Biogeochemistry, University of California, Davis, 2015
- B.S., Environmental Science and Policy, University of Maryland, College Park, 2012
Research Interests
My research focuses on the impacts of agricultural practices (e.g. cover cropping, tillage, amendments, rotations) on soil health and the soil organisms that facilitate many of the functions we look for in a healthy soil, including strong aggregate structure, efficient cycling of nutrients and carbon, and disease suppression. I take a systems approach to understand processes occurring at the micro-scale, such as microbial community shifts, nutrient dynamics, or changes in carbon pools, and to link them to outcomes at the field-scale to develop soil management strategies that will improve the productivity, profitability, and long-term resilience of our cropping systems. I am also working to identify regionally-relevant benchmark values of soil health indicators to track progress towards improved soil sustainability.
Publications
*Extension
Griffin-LaHue, D., S. Ghimire, Y. Yu, E.J. Scheenstra, C.A. Miles, and M. Flury. 2022. In-field degradation of soil-biodegradable plastic mulch films in a Mediterranean climate. Sci. Total Environ. 806, 150238.
Yu, Y., D. Griffin-LaHue, C.A. Miles, D.G. Hayes, and M. Flury. 2021. Are micro- and nanoplastics from soil-biodegradable plastic mulches an environmental concern ? J. Hazard. Mater. Adv. 4, 100024.
Zhang, H., C. Miles, B. Gerdeman, D.G. LaHue, and L.W. DeVetter. 2021. Plastic mulch use in perennial fruit cropping systems – A review. Scientia Horticulturae. 281:109975.
*Sullivan, D.M., D. Griffin-LaHue, B. Dari, A.I. Bary, C.G. Cogger. 2021. PNW 511: Worksheet for calculating biosolids application rates in agriculture. Pacific Northwest Extension.
Li, M., J.E. Schmidt., D.G. LaHue, P.A. Lazicki, A. Kent, M.B. Machmuller, K.M. Scow, A.C. Gaudin. 2020. Impact of irrigation strategies on tomato root distribution and rhizosphere processes in an organic system. Frontiers in Plant Science. 11:360.
Shackelford, G.E., Kelsey, T.R., Sutherland, W.J., Kennedy, C.M., Wood, S.A., Gennet, S., Karp, D.S., Kremen, C., Seavy, N.E., Jedlicka, J.A., Graveur, K., Kross, S.M., Bossio, D.A., Muñoz-Sáez, A., LaHue, D.G., Garbach, K., Ford, L.D., Felice, M., Reynolds, M.D., Rao, D.R., Boomer, K., LeBruhn, G., Dicks, L.V. 2019. Evidence synthesis as the basis for decision analysis: A method of selecting the best agricultural practices for multiple ecosystem services. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. 3:83.
Margenot, A.J., Griffin, D.E., Alves, B.S.Q., Rippner, D.A., Li, C., Parikh, S.J. 2018. Substitution of peat moss with softwood biochar for soil-free marigold growth. Industrial Crops and Products. 112: 160-169.
Griffin, D.E., Wang, D., Parikh, S.J., Scow, K.M. 2017. Short-lived effects of walnut shell biochar on soils and crop yields in a long-term field experiment. Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Environment. 236: 21-29.
Wang, D., Griffin, D.E., Parikh, S.J., Scow, K.M. 2016. Impact of biochar amendment on soil water soluble carbon in the context of extreme hydrological events. Chemosphere. 160: 287-292.
Griffin, D.E. 2012. Managing Abiotic Factors of Compost to Increase Soilborne Disease Suppression. Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education. 41: 31-34.
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