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
External collaboration on country/territory level for the past five years. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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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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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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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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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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Organic-PLUS: Pathways to phase-out contentious inputs from organic agriculture in Europe
Schmutz, U., Conroy, J., Evans, A., Rayns, F., Green, S., Burbi, S., Touliatos, D. & van Kesteren, R.
1/05/18 → 30/10/22
Project: Research
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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 AccessFile2 Citations (Scopus)39 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., 3 Apr 2022, In: International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. 73, 3, p. 315-326 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile7 Citations (Scopus)300 Downloads (Pure) -
Do heritage varieties of legumes deliver enhanced human and beneficial insect nutrition?
Smith, B., Rayns, F. & Conroy, J., 30 Nov 2021, TRUE-project Case Studies E-book: Facilitating home-grown legumes as the foundation of sustainable food- and feed-systems. Vougeleka, V., Ntatsi, G., Tran, F., Duffy, C. & Ianetta, P. (eds.). European Commission, p. 14 5 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Open AccessFile27 Downloads (Pure) -
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
Open AccessFile7 Citations (Scopus)4 Downloads (Pure) -
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., Sept 2021.Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › peer-review
Open AccessFile30 Downloads (Pure)