Soil & Food Security
Soil & Food Security theme looks in detail at soil processes within the root zone supporting food and fibre provision. We examine wider benefits/dis-benefits of intensive agriculture, agri-environment schemes and agro-forestry on climate regulation, water quality, pollination and biodiversity.
ACADEMIC STAFF
RESEARCH STAFF
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- Mr Robin Dean ()
RESEARCH STUDENTS
- Maria Ashby
- Naser Almarri
- C
- Grace Davies
- Sam Leigh
- Stephen Lowe
- Rachel MacDonald
- Megan McKerchar
- Jessica Princivalle
- Nasren Rekany
- Harriet Robson
- Louise Sutherland
- Koki Takaki
- Paul Tyson
- Sean Webber
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- Yoshie Yageta
- Mark Zhang
Current PhD Projects
- The impact and attenuation of flavonoids in the rhizosphere ()
- Enhancing the benefits to biodiversity and ecosystem service delivery from uncropped areas in farms (Maria Ashby)
- Seed physiology of rangeland species and implications for genetic resources conservation (Naser Almarri)
- Yield stability and climate change: the role of pollinators ()
- The coherence and ecological sufficiency of European protected area networks (joint with University of Kent) ()
- The microbiology of lean and obese soil ()
- Adequacy and effectiveness of the Natura 2000 network in Cyprus (C)
- Deep rooting in a doubled haploid wheat population with introgression from wild emmer ()
- The efficacy of using bio-chars as additives in the composting process ()
- Responding to environmental change: soil system resilience (Oliver Crowley)
- Matrix permeability; the key to effective habitat restoration in lowland agricultural landscapes (Grace Davies)
- Novel crop rotations to enhance multiple ecosystem services underpinning production of winter wheat and oilseed rape (Erika Degani)
- The fate of carbon from soil amendments in horticultural systems ()
- High biomass rotation: Evaluating it's impact on soil health, weed burden and crop quality
- The effectiveness of agri-environmental management for biodiversity and ecosystem services in the wider countryside ()
- Harnessing multiple benefits from novel crop rotations: increased yield, pest regulation, soil fertility and environmental quality (Sam Leigh)
- Developing a sustainable method for the determination of bioaccessibility of organic contaminants from polluted sites (Stephen Lowe)
- Enhancement of natural pest control in orchards (Rachel MacDonald)
- Enhancing pollination and pest regulation services by supplementing floral resources (joint with University of Worcester) (Megan McKerchar)
- Soil Characterization using Visible Near Infrared Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (VNIR DRS) ()
- How important is soil microbial diversity for pesticide biodegradation function and robust biodegradation kinetics? (Jessica Princivalle)
- Do competitive plant x plant interactions impact rhizosphere microbial community structure and function? (Harriet Robson)
- Spatial Distribution and Function of Soil Fauna in Organic Agroforestry (Nasren Rekany)
- Fate and transport of fertiliser nitrogen under spring barley cultivation on contrasting soils ()
- Developing novel Systematic Conservation Planning tools (joint with Open University of Cyprus) (Louise Sutherland)
- Assessment of human exposure to a range of pollutants through computer modelling (Koki Takaki)
- Ecosystem services in sustainable agriculture: maximising productivity and environmental benefits (Paul Tyson)
- Can agroforestry reconcile conflicting demands for productivity, biodiversity conservation and delivery of ecosystem services? ()
- Managing Ecosystem Services to Promote Economic Benefits and Food Security (Sean Webber)
- Understanding and managing the flow of pollination services between protected areas and agroecosystems ()
- Understanding and managing the flow of pest regulation services between protected areas and agroecosystems ()
- Difference in soil knowledge among farmers and effects on soil management, case study in Kitui, Kenya (Yoshie Yageta)
- Valuing biological pest control services (Mark Zhang)
Current Research Projects
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- : Improving the success of agri-environment initiatives: the role of farmer learning and landscape context ()
- : Conflicting demands of land use, soil biodiversity and the sustainable delivery of ecosystem goods and services in Europe ()
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- : Status and Trends of European Pollinators (EU Framework 7) ()
- : Securing the Conservation of biodiversity across Administrative Levels and spatial, temporal, and Ecological Scales (EU Framework 7) ()
- : Linking Farmland Biodiversity to Ecosystem Services for Effective Ecological Intensification (EU Framework 7) ()
- : Sustainable pollination services for UK crops (LWEC Insect Pollinator Initiative) ()
- : Linking agriculture and land use change to pollinator populations (LWEC Insect Pollinator Initiative) ()
- National Pollinator and Pollination Monitoring Scheme (Defra) ()
- Assessing and mitigating pollination deficit risk in supermarket supply chains (BBSRC Sparking Impact) ()
- Impact Accelerator KE Fellow (NERC, Deepa Senapathi) ()
- Pollinator Conservation Delivery Group (NERC, Knowledge Exchange Programme project) ()
- Sustainable Agriculture Task Force (NERC, Knowledge Exchange Programme project) ()
- : their ecology and conservation (LWEC Insect Pollinator Initiative) ()
- Understanding the economic costs and benefits of beekeeping and pollination service delivery (C.B. Dennis Trust) ()
- Landscape food webs: structure and function (NERC) ()
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