Projects per year
Personal profile
Research Interests
Sustainable management of soil fertility, particularly concerning the use of green manure crops and the utilisation of waste materials in the form of soil amendments such as compost, anaerobic digestate and biochar for field applications and in growing media. I am also interested in intercropping, the use of heritage vegetable varieties (particularly legumes) alternatives to the use of plastics in agriculture and citizen science as a method for improving agricultural practice.
Education/Academic qualification
Biotechnology, Doctorate, De Montfort University
Applied Biology (BSc), Degree, University College of North Wales
External positions
Honorary Associate, Garden Organic
Keywords
- SB Plant culture
- Organic agriculture
- Soil fertility
- Crop varieties
- Utilisation of wastes
- Citizen science
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Organic-PLUS: Pathways to phase-out contentious inputs from organic agriculture in Europe
Schmutz, U., Burbi, S., Conroy, J., Evans, A. & Rayns, F.
1/05/18 → 30/04/22
Project: Research
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WASTE FEW ULL: Waste Food-Energy-Water Urban Living Lab - Mapping and Reducing Waste in the Food-Energy-Water Nexus
Charlesworth, S., Schmutz, U., Fried, J., Rayns, F. & Van De Wiel, M.
1/06/18 → 31/05/21
Project: Research
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Research output
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Effects of long-term (42 years) tillage sequence on soil chemical characteristics in a dryland farming system
Tshuma, F., Rayns, F., Labuschagne, J., Bennett, J. & Swanepoel, P. A., Aug 2021, In: Soil and Tillage Research. 212, 9 p., 105064.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
3 Citations (Scopus) -
Evaluating the potential of biodegradable films as alternatives to fossil fuel-derived plastic mulches for weed control in an organic field vegetable system
Rayns, F., Conroy, J., Goncalves Geiger, A., Schmutz, U. & Touliatos, D. D., Sep 2021.Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › peer-review
Open AccessFile4 Downloads (Pure) -
Extrusion of Different Plants into Fibre for Peat Replacement in Growing Media: Adjustment of Parameters to Achieve Satisfactory Physical Fibre-Properties
Dittrich, C., Pecenka, R., Løes, A-K., Cáceres, R., Conroy, J., Rayns, F., Schmutz, U., Kir, A. & Kruggel-Emden, H., 10 Jun 2021, In: Agronomy. 11, 6, p. 1185 21 p., 1185.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile11 Downloads (Pure) -
Historical changes in the mineral content of fruit and vegetables in the UK from 1940 to 2019: a concern for human nutrition and agriculture
Mayer, A-M., Trenchard, L. & Rayns, F., 15 Oct 2021, (E-pub ahead of print) In: International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. (In Press), p. (In Press) 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
New plastics in agriculture: Output of the EIP-AGRI Focus Group 'Reducing the plastic footprint of agriculture' Minipaper C
Rayns, F., Carranca, C., Miličić, V., Fonteyne, K., Peñalva, C., Hernandez, A., Pereira, R., Accinelli, C. & Zlatar, K., 2021, 16 p. EIP-AGRI Focus Group - European Commission.Research output: Other contribution