Special Episode: Science Week 2020

Smart phones and apps are becoming more a part of the lives of farmer’s lives in Ireland, and around the world.  This episode features Dr Ursula Kenny based at the Agrifood Business and Spatial Analysis Department of Teagasc who has  investigated the use of apps by some farmers in Ireland and the resistance to them from others.

Soils, Insects, Seaweed Aoife Duff describes her research into keep Irish soils in balance, and reducing the reliance on fertilisers to grow crops.  Carlos Alvarez talks about the growing market for insects as food, for human and animal consumption, and how Ireland can benefit from it.  Maria Hayes discuss the potential of seaweeds to reduce methane emissions from cattle, sheep and dairy cows.

A recent Teagasc Map of the Month research project, looked at how Irish place names can provide clues to Ireland’s agricultural past.  This podcast features Jesko Zimmermann, a Data Technologist based in the Agrifood Business and Spatial Analysis Department describing the project, and what it revealed about how agricultural was done in times past, around Ireland.

The UN General Assembly has declared 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health in order to raise global awareness about how protecting plant health is vital to ending hunger, protecting the environment and boost our economies.  Helen Grogan is a Horticulture Research Officer with Teagasc. Here she outlines the various threats to plant health in Ireland, the efforts underway in Ireland and at EU level to combat these threats, and why the success of such efforts is vital for all Irish people.

Food consumers today want fresher, healthier and additive-free foods that also last longer on the shelf. Dr Elena Inguglia is a researcher based at the Teagasc Food Research Centre in Ashtown who is developing new technologies to satisfy consumer demands. Here, Elena describes how some of our foods are currently processed, and how these processes might be improved for the consumer.

Ian Short, forestry research officer, describes plans to increase planting of broadleaf trees in Ireland.  Twenty-nine percent of the forest estate in Ireland is broadleaf (195,000 ha). The main broadleaf species present are birch, ash, alder, oak, beech and sycamore, predominantly planted within the last three decades and as single-species blocks.  Ian talks about the management of the oak stand at Teagasc Head Office, Oak Park and the threats of diseases and pests to tree health. Ian also talks about the Ash restructuring project and the benefits of planting forestry for farmers.

Oliver Sheridan, forestry researcher with Teagasc Ashtown, discusses the commercial development of Birch in Ireland.  Oliver describes the efforts underway at Teagasc to improve birch and incorporate lessons from Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.  He talks about the historical importance of birch, and how it can add diversity to Irish forestry and the landscape.

Maeve Henchion, a researcher at the Teagasc Rural Economy Development Programme and the BioOrbic SFI Research Centre was involved in the identification of Ireland's bio-economy priorities.  She describes how waste products, such as blood, can be converted into valuable pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, and how grass can be developed as a crop for human consumption. 

Genetics can provide Ireland with the means to reduce the emissions from, and increase the productivity of, our national dairy herd.  This will be more important than ever as the dairy industry comes under pressure from the Covid-19 crisis.  Sinead McParland, a quantitative geneticist at Teagasc Moorepark, describes how this can be achieved and incorporated into the Economic Breeding Index.

One way to tackle crop disease is to breed new varieties that have genes that make them resistance to disease. This takes time, and it can take up to three years to breed and grow new disease resistant crops using traditional methods.  Dheeraj Rathore - a researcher at the Teagasc Oak Park Crops Research Centre  - describes here how “speed breeding” technology developed at NASA is enabling him to more rapidly grow disease-resistant crop varieties.