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. (Principal Investigator), Rayns, F. (Principal Investigator), Burbi, S. (Researcher), Dehnen-Schmutz, K. (Researcher), Schmutz, U. (Researcher) & Van De Wiel, M. (Researcher)
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. (Principal Investigator), Abell, J. (Co-Investigator), Bogush, A. (Co-Investigator), Conroy, J. (Co-Investigator), Hill-Butler, C. (Co-Investigator), Fried, J. (Co-Investigator) & Rosenfeld, A. (Co-Investigator)
1/11/23 → 30/04/24
Project: Research
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Design and Evaluation of Peat-Free Blocking Media
Lennartsson Turner, M. (Principal Investigator), Rayns, F. (Principal Investigator), Schmutz, U. (Principal Investigator), Conroy, J. (Research Assistant), Faedo, L. (Research Assistant) & Foster, G. (Research Assistant)
1/04/23 → 31/03/25
Project: Research
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SOIL NEXUS - Building policy tools for water- and waste- based urban soil remediation
Tornaghi, C. (Principal Investigator), Charlesworth, S. (Co-Investigator), Fried, J. (Co-Investigator) & Rayns, F. (Co-Investigator)
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. (Principal Investigator), Dehnen-Schmutz, K. (Co-Investigator), Eden, J. (Co-Investigator), Rayns, F. (Co-Investigator), Van De Wiel, M. (Co-Investigator), Wright, J. (Co-Investigator), Conroy, J. (Research Assistant), Venn, R. (Research Assistant), Burbi, S. (Researcher) & Touliatos, D. (Researcher)
1/11/20 → 31/10/24
Project: Research
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Can biostimulants and tillage rotations improve dryland crop productivity and soil microbes?
Tshuma, F., Bennett, J., Swanepoel, P. A., Labuschagne, J., van der Westhuizen, S. & Rayns, F., 1 Jan 2025, In: Agronomy Journal. 117, 1, 14 p., e21738.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile14 Downloads (Pure) -
Leveraging Resource Management and Duality Theories to Strengthen Circular Economy Practices in the Waste-to-Energy Industry
Tiara, A., Tjahjono, B., Beltran, M., Rayns, F. & Longhurst, P., 25 Feb 2025, In: Business Strategy and the Environment. 34, 4, p. 4642-4660 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile8 Downloads (Pure) -
SOIL NEXUS: Urban soil care for food production, community greenspace, and environmental resilience.
Dehaene, M., Lopez , D., Fried, J., Tornaghi, C., Rayns, F., Cadieux, V., Byles, H., Khan, S., Graham, K., Walton, M., Piacentini, R., Scarpeci, T., Bracalenti, L., Terrile, R., Paz, N., Martinez, N., Nicklay, J., Winter, K., Alonso, N. & Rice, P. & 3 others, , Dec 2024, 7 p. Coventry : Coventry University.Research output: Other contribution
Open AccessFile64 Downloads (Pure) -
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 AccessFile2 Citations (Scopus)45 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 AccessFile3 Citations (Scopus)74 Downloads (Pure)