Impact of New Gene Technology Displayed by Teagasc
30 June 2004
New state of the art disease diagnostic tests, which are now being used at the Teagasc tillage research centre at Oak Park, Carlow has put Ireland at the forefront of tillage technology.
The new gene technology was outlined to tillage growers attending the national open day at Oak Park Research Centre. The technology played a crucial role in diagnosing resistance of the major cereal disease, Septoria Tritici, to the newer fungicides. Teagasc scientific expertise was vital in devising the most effective strategies to counteract this potentially serious threat to cereal growing in Ireland.
The new expertise in gene technology is also being used by Teagasc to enhance the grass, clover and potato breeding programmes at Oak Park Research Centre.
The open day visitors were told that Rooster, one of the leading Teagasc- bred potato varieties now accounts for over one-third of Irish potato acreage. It has also succeeded in replacing over 3,000 tonnes of imported potatoes for frozen chip production.
The impact of the radical changes in EU tillage policy, which come into effect in January 2005, were outlined by Teagasc specialists. Dr. Jimmy Burke, Head of Oak Park Research Centre, said the recently announced concession that farmers could plant up to 50% of their tillage acreage with trees and still avail of the full EU tillage payment could result in a substantial amount of land being taken out of tillage. However, in spite of this, he predicted that national output of grain and sugar beet is unlikely to change significantly over the coming years.
New research by Teagasc at Oak Park on the potential of lupins as a home produced protein crop for animal feed was also outlined. The results show that blue lupins are easy to grow and yield well under Irish conditions. They could replace costly imported soya bean as a protein feed for dairy and beef farmers.
