TResearch Winter 2024
More than "meats" the eye
More than "meats" the eye
Farming in a Furnace
Miscanthus (Miscanthus X Gigantueus) is a tall C4 perennial woody grass of East Asia origin which has a high biomass yield potential and has been evaluated at Teagasc Crops Research Centre, Oak Park, Carlow since 1993. It is sometimes confused with elephant grass (Pennisetum Purpureum) but it is a different species.
Reed canary grass is a grass species native to Ireland which can be grown as an energy crop on marginal soils. The principal markets for the crop are electricity and heat production.
Investigations into the biological and genetic control of fatty acid levels in perennial ryegrass - 5620
Willow can produce large quantities of renewable "green" energy without harming the environment. Growing willow for energy contributes to sustainable development in rural communities. Willow yields a fuel that can be stored until needed, and then used to generate heat and electricity.
Oats and barley are currently valued at €160 per tonne each for conventional uses as a food, in malting, or as animal feed. Given these low prices and rising energy costs, it is not surprising that the value of grain for combustion is being reexamined.
Switchgrass is a perennial grass native to North America which can produce high biomass yields at low input levels. The principal markets for switchgrass are electricity and heat production.
Development of metabolomics based methods to benefit marker assisted breeding in perennial ryegrass - 5622
Anaerobic Digestion (AD) is the conversion of feedstock (any organic non-woody material) by micro-organisms in the absence of oxygen into biogas and digestate. It is a natural process and is well understood by mankind having been harnessed for many years.
Straw is a by-product resulting from the growing of commercial crops, primarily cereal grain. Ireland’s area under cereals amounts to almost 300,000 hectares and yielding approximately 1.1m tonnes of straw. The traditional markets for straw include, animal bedding, animal feed and chopping and plough back to increase soil carbon content. Straw has been used in other EU countries for decades as a combustion fuel for both heat and electricity production.