TResearch Articles 2024
The implementation of minimum chlorate technologies across the dairy chain has facilitated the production of milk and dairy products with levels of chlorate residue superior to European Union and customer demands, whilst maintaining microbiological quality.
Uptake of digital tools in the food sector is not yet widespread, but has the potential to transform red meat processing to handle contemporary challenges.
Farming can be a uniquely stressful occupation, with farmers often feeling subjected to changes outside their control. Joint research from Teagasc and Dublin City University seeks to understand these sources of stress.
Pesticide resistance is an increasing challenge in crop production. The Teagasc-led project IPMorama seeks to drive crop resistance to mitigate issues around heavy pesticide use.
A longstanding career in applied science and innovation has made John Colreavy expertly qualified for his current role as Director for Meat Technology Ireland (MTI). He spoke to TResearch about the important relationship between science and industry, and MTI’s unique offering.
Ten years ago, the Irish Soils Information System (SIS) was launched. For this issue’s Back in Time feature, Senior Research Officer Réamonn Fealy reviews its historical context, development and usage – and considers emerging demands for soil data and how these may be met by technology.
Joy Clarke, Teagasc Walsh Scholar, reports on the key results from her work on understanding how biocontrol and integrated pest management (IPM) approaches can support the mushroom sector in controlling disease outbreaks.
DNA information collected at birth can now be used to detect chromosomal abnormalities in livestock, helping avoid the costs and challenges of rearing infertile cattle.
Meat Technology Ireland (MTI) is a national centre for research and innovation in meat processing, based at Teagasc Ashtown. Uniquely positioned, it brings together research organisations and industry partners to develop solutions to some of the biggest contemporary challenges facing the meat sector in Ireland, and the world.
Key challenges and opportunities in Ireland’s plant-based sector were revealed in a recent stakeholder workshop, highlighting the potential for sustainable food production and the need for strategic interventions.
Ireland is renowned for its abundant grass growth. Not only is grass the main source of feed for pasture-based animals, Teagasc scientists have demonstrated its potential for use in a multitude of products from pharmaceuticals to packaging.
Teagasc’s Post-Doctoral Development Programme is helping scientists unlock their career potential. We meet some of the Fellows and find out how they have benefitted from the programme.
Collaboration across the meat processing industries ensures that Ireland maintains a competitive edge in a fast-paced, high-value global market. Words by: Dale Crammond, Director of Meat Industry Ireland.
Engagement opportunity: PMA-MAP-based packaging solution for fresh horticultural produce
Engagement Opportunity: Facilitating predictive screening of food substrates prior to costly animal trials
Through hosting research centres like Meat Technology Ireland (MTI), Teagasc puts Ireland in a unique position to tackle the increasing challenges facing the meat processing sector, explains Director of MTI, John Colreavy.
Teagasc’s researchers attend many events throughout the year, sharing the findings from their research with national and international audiences. Here, we capture the take-home messages – key pieces of information that our researchers want people to remember – from recent events.
The Teagasc-led, EU-funded project MASTER focused on harnessing food chain microbiomes to benefit the global agri-food industry by improving the quantity, quality, safety and sustainability of foods.
Research conducted by Teagasc and the University of Galway has estimated the economic value – or shadow wage – of farm family labour on Irish dairy farms, highlighting the critical role of agricultural education in increasing its value.
Locally led water stewardship is following catchment science principles and focusing on water quality with multiple benefits.
With agriculture putting a strain on water quality, Teagasc researchers are developing farm-scale measures to break pollutant pathways and reduce nutrient and sediment runoff into waterbodies.
Feed-Omics, a collaborative project between Teagasc, University College Dublin and CSIRO in Australia, aims to provide new insights into the molecular regulation of feed efficiency in beef cattle, using state-of-the-art analyses based on systems biology.
Teagasc’s Better Farming for Water campaign aims to support the agri-food sector to improve water quality across Ireland’s catchments. To learn more, TResearch spoke to a researcher on the campaign, Daire Ó hUallacháin.
Research at the Horticulture Development Department in Ashtown has implemented a commercial vertical hydroponic system for growing leafy greens.
Over the past three years Teagasc has made significant strides by partnering with various organisations to nurture entrepreneurial skills for the future leaders of the agri-food sector.
As plant-based diets gain traction, Ireland is shifting its focus to high-quality plant proteins, notably faba beans. With production increasing, these beans promise soil enrichment, sustainable farming and advanced meat alternatives.
Joint research by Teagasc and Queen’s University Belfast suggests that consumers displaying characteristics including a high level of moral responsibility are more likely to buy high-welfare assured pork.
At Teagasc Ashtown’s Food Research Centre, Research Officers Lael Walsh and Shivani Pathania are at the forefront of fighting food waste and future-proofing food packaging with their Leaf No Waste project.
Looking back at two decades of contributions from the Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Programme at Teagasc, driving positive developments across the agri-food industry.
Integrated crop and livestock farming systems have the potential to provide a sustainable alternative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and maintain family farm income.
Research at the Horticulture Development Department in Ashtown is examining the environmental impact of fruit and vegetables grown with biostimulant inputs and packaged with different packaging forms.
Teagasc, through a Science Foundation Ireland (SFI)-funded collaborative project with Technological University Dublin (TUD), is developing novel compostable packaging solutions based on sustainable raw materials including stinging nettles and rhubarb
MTU and Teagasc are seeking commercial partners to further develop and commercialise the strain for applications in functional foods, biotherapeutics and women’s vaginal health
The Better Farming for Water campaign will be crucial to meeting objectives under the Water Framework Directive, explain Teagasc’s Director of Research, Pat Dillon, and Head of Environment Knowledge Transfer, Pat Murphy.
Teagasc’s researchers attend many events throughout the year, sharing the findings from their research with national and international audiences. Here, we capture the take-home messages – key pieces of information that our researchers want people to remember – from recent events.
Delegates from Teagasc recently attended the International Society of Mushroom Science congress for a look at the ever-growing world of mushroom research.
Agronomy practices have become increasingly reliant on herbicides. However, research at Oak Park shows that other tactics will be needed against the spread of herbicide-resistant weeds.
For six decades, the Crops Research Centre at Teagasc’s Oak Park campus has been at the forefront of development and innovation in crop science and agronomy.
Teagasc’s beef open day remains a vital element of Ireland’s robust beef sector, explain Beef Enterprise Leader Paul Crosson and Head of Drystock Pearse Kelly of Teagasc Grange’s Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre.
Generational renewal and succession planning must tackle the challenge of aging farmer populations. Collaborative farming may be a solution, but requires greater research and planning from policymakers.
Stones must be removed from grassland soils for accurate carbon measurements, but this process can be arduous. Teagasc research is examining improved protocols for soil carbon calculations.
Overuse of antibiotics is known to have detrimental effects; new Teagasc research is examining how antibiotic use in early life affects human and animal microbiota.
Studying employment practices on farms will allow for the development of tailored support and training, helping farmers offer more attractive employment opportunities.
A Research Officer in Grassland Science at Teagasc Grange, Peter Doyle is at the forefront of research that’s optimising beef systems to improve lifetime animal performance while meeting crucial climate goals.
Teagasc research is examining the beneficial symbiotic relationship between the soil microbiome and plant diversity in pasture systems.
For Teagasc’s dairy-beef research and KT programme, Research Officer Nicky Byrne and Walsh Scholar Jenny Abbott, DairyBeef500 Programme Manager Alan Dillon and Programme Advisor Fergal Maguire explain how their work supports Ireland’s world-class beef production systems.
Decision-support tools can facilitate more sustainable beef-on-dairy systems.
Grass varieties can now be evaluated on commercial grassland farms in Ireland; this system gives grassland farmers more relevant information regarding how varieties can contribute to their farms over time.
Teagasc reflects on significant impacts from the decade-long partnership between its technology transfer office and those of University College Cork and Munster Technological University forged via the Bridge Network consortium.
Teagasc’s researchers attend many events throughout the year, sharing the findings from their research with national and international audiences. Here, we capture the take-home messages – key pieces of information that our researchers want people to remember – from recent events.
With a lifelong passion for farming, David Kenny leads the Animal and Bioscience Research Department at Teagasc Grange, with a special focus on nutrition and emissions in livestock production systems.
Industry collaboration with Teagasc is key to sustainability-enhancing agtech adoption.
Research at Teagasc Ashtown’s Food Quality & Sensory Science Department is examining ways to attain balanced breads that are both nutritious and delicious.
The soilborne disease clubroot is increasingly prevalent and difficult to control. To help manage clubroot, Teagasc researchers are investigating the potential of naturally occurring predators in the soil microbiome.
Sustainability assessments are a useful tool to guide the transition towards greater sustainability. However, there are challenges to be aware of when developing methodologies and interpreting results.
Shell waste from commercial fishing has long been an untapped resource, but new research suggests it could have great potential for industrial packaging applications.
Ireland’s Nitrates Action Programme (NAP) aims to address farming practices relating to issues of declining water quality. Teagasc researchers have examined some of the top measures and their implications.
Zymoseptoria tritici continues to be highly destructive to cereal crops across Europe. However, advances in fungicide are seeking to manage future strains.
The newly opened BIA Innovator Campus at Teagasc Athenry offers a unique single-location centre for food innovation and development in Ireland. To learn more about BIA’s exciting new offering, TResearch spoke to its core team: General Manager Elaine Donohue, Food Technologists Colm Foley and Anita Furey, and Head of Department for Food Industry Development Ciara McDonagh.
Peatlands are a particularly effective soil type for carbon storage. Assessing their drainage status can help harness their potential towards emissions reductions.
Automation technology which mitigates over-milking is an important consideration when scaling up milking facilities. Research at Teagasc Moorepark is examining the optimal balance for milking efficiency.
Is pasture-based Irish milk truly better than milk from conventional indoor feeding? To examine this question, researchers from Teagasc and Food for Health Ireland conducted one of the largest, most in-depth trials of its kind.
A world-leading microbiome research centre based at Teagasc and UCC, APC Microbiome Ireland has spent twenty years at the forefront of this dynamic and ever-prevalent field of research.
As part of the SunMara project, Researchers from Teagasc and UCD are investigating polysaccharide-rich seaweeds and their potential benefits on the immune system.
Wexford native Anna Fenelon combines her technical expertise, and passion for working with people, in a national role coordinating laboratories across the Teagasc Research programme.
Increasing the prevalence of wild pollinators is one of many strategies to combat biodiversity loss. As part of the EU-CAP Network, Teagasc researchers are examining how this may be brought about, explains Research Officer Saorla Kavanagh.
Teagasc’s researchers attend many events throughout the year, sharing the findings from their research with national and international audiences. Here, we capture the take-home messages – key pieces of information that our researchers want people to remember – from recent events.