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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) ()