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, Somatic embryogenesis for plant propagation, 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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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Design and Evaluation of Peat-Free Blocking Media
Lennartsson Turner, M., Rayns, F., Schmutz, U., Conroy, J., Faedo, L. & Foster, G.
1/04/23 → 31/03/25
Project: Research
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UNDERTREES: Creating knowledge for Understanding ecosystem services of agroforestry systems through a holistic methodological framework
Binego, L., Rayns, F., Burbi, S., Dehnen-Schmutz, K., Schmutz, U. & Van De Wiel, M.
1/01/22 → 31/12/25
Project: Research
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REPAS: REPAS: Co-creating citizen science for reducing plastic contamination of soil in community growing spaces
Rayns, F., Abell, J., Bogush, A., Conroy, J., Hill-Butler, C., Fried, J. & Rosenfeld, A.
1/11/23 → 30/04/24
Project: Research
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SOIL NEXUS - Building policy tools for water- and waste- based urban soil remediation
Tornaghi, C., Charlesworth, S., Fried, J. & Rayns, F.
1/12/20 → 31/12/22
Project: Research
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AGROMIX: AGROforestry and MIXed farming systems - Participatory research to drive the transition to a resilient and efficient land use in Europe
Schmutz, U., Dehnen-Schmutz, K., Eden, J., Rayns, F., Van De Wiel, M., Wright, J., Conroy, J., Venn, R., Burbi, S. & Touliatos, D.
1/11/20 → 31/10/24
Project: Research
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The use of mineral dynamised high dilutions for natural plant biostimulation: effects on plant growth, crop production, fruit quality, pest and disease incidence in agroecological strawberry cultivation
Faedo, L., Matias, C., Verdi, R., Wright, J., Rayns, F., Kretzschmar, A. & Boff, P., 20 Sept 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Biological Agriculture and Horticulture. (In-Press), p. (In-Press) 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus)10 Downloads (Pure) -
Tillage rotation and biostimulants can compensate for reduced synthetic agrochemical application in a dryland cropping system
Tshuma, F., Swanepoel, P. A., Labuschagne, J., Bennett, J. & Rayns, F., 2024, In: Cogent Food & Agriculture. 10, 1, 12 p., 2352958.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus)45 Downloads (Pure) -
Urban soil care for food production, community greenspace and environmental resilience.
Tornaghi, C., Dehaene, M., Lopez, D., Fried, J., Cadieux, V., Rayns, F., Nicklay, J., Winter, K., Byles, H. & Piacentini, R., Jun 2024, (In preparation)Research output: Other contribution › peer-review
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The Effect of Different Biochar Characteristics on Soil Nitrogen Transformation Processes: A Review
Davys, D., Rayns, F., Charlesworth, S. & Lillywhite, R., 30 Nov 2023, In: Sustainability. 15, 23, 20 p., 16446.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open AccessFile3 Citations (Scopus)31 Downloads (Pure) -
Agroecological Screening of Copper Alternatives for the Conservation of Soil Health in Organic Olive Production
Kir, A., Cetinel, B., Sevim, D., Gungor, F. O., Rayns, F., Touliatos, D. & Schmutz, U., 20 Jul 2022, In: Agronomy. 12, 7, 13 p., 1712.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile3 Citations (Scopus)148 Downloads (Pure)