Organic Resources

Research in Organics

Teagasc has carried out extensive research into various aspects of Irish organic production since 1993. Some of the research papers produced are included below, along with links to journal articles detailing research relevant to various facets of organic production.

Soil and Fertility Management in Organic Production

• The evaluation of phosphorus sources for nutrient budgeting on organic farms (1999) (PDF)
  Ref: 1999. End of project report 4510. Teagasc, Johnstown Castle, Wexford, Co. Wexford. Ireland.
• Accounting for soil biotic effects on soil health and crop productivity in the design of crop rotations
  Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2015) 95: 447-454
• Arable weeds, cover crops, and tillage drive soil microbial community composition in organic cropping systems
  Applied Soil Ecology (2013) 72:232-241
• 6094
  TResearch (2012) 7:4, 22-23
• Effects of four tillage systems on soil structure and soil microbial biomass in organic farming
  Soil Use and Management (2009) 25: 1-10
• Fourteen years of evidence for positive effects of conservation agriculture and organic farming on soil life
  Agronomy for Sustainable Development (2015) 35: 169-181
• Long-term organic farming fosters below and aboveground biota: Implications for soil quality, biological control and productivity
  Soil Biology and Biochemistry (2008) 40: 2297-2308
• NutrientBudgeting_GettingValueFromNutrients
  Teagasc, 2010
• Soil microbial biomass, functional microbial diversity, and nematode community structure as affected by cover crops and compost in an organic vegetable production system
  Applied Soil Ecology (2012) 58: 45-55
• Soil microbial responses to winter legume cover crop management during organic transition
  European Journal of Soil Biology (2014) 65: 15-22
• TResearch_201106
  TResearch (2011) 6:2, 14-15

Organic Grassland Management

• CloverBreeding_4755
  Teagasc, 2012
• 5916
  Teagasc, 2013
• Effects of date of autumn closing and timing of winter grazing on herbage production in winter and spring
  Grass and Forage Science (2006) 61: 363-374
• Impacts of autumn cutting height and interval on annual productivity of a white clover-grass sward
  Grassland Science in Europe (2010) 15: 985-987
• In vitro rumen methane output of red clover and perennial ryegrass assayed using the gas production technique (GPT)
  Animal Feed Science and Technology (2011) 168: 152-164
• Measured and Simulated Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Ryegrass- and Ryegrass/White Clover-Based Grasslands in a Moist Temperate Climate
  Teagasc, 2011
• Red clover: A promising pasture legume for Ireland
  Teagasc – Agricultural Research Forum (2011)
• Red clover for silage: management impacts on yield and digestibility during the season after sowing
  Sustainable Grassland Productivity (2006) 21: 243-245
• Red clover for silage: management impacts on yield during the third year after sowing
  Teagasc - Agricultural Research Forum (2006) 75
• Red clover for silage: management impacts on ensilability indices in the second season after sowing
  Teagasc – Agricultural Research Forum (2008) 110
• Red clover for silage: management impacts on protein content in the season after sowing
  Teagasc – Agricultural Research Forum (2008) 111
• Red clover for silage: management impacts on chemical composition in the season after sowing
  Grassland Science in Europe (2008) 13: 492-494
• Red clover increases micronutrient concentrations in forage mixtures
  Field Crops Research (2014) 169: 99-106
• The effect of organic management strategies on dairy production in clover-based grassland
  Grassland Science in Europe (2010) 15: 907-909
• The effects of treading by dairy cows on soil properties and herbage production for three white clover-based grazing systems on a clay loam soil
  Grass and Forage Science (2013) 68: 548-563

Organic Crop Production

• Teagasc Organic Stockless Arable Rotation Experiment - 1999-2007 Review and Analysis (PDF)
  Teagasc, Oak Park, Carlow
• Accounting for soil biotic effects on soil health and crop productivity in the design of crop rotations
  Science of Food and Agriculture (2015) 95: 447-454
• Evaluation of Winter Wheat Genotypes# for Weed Competitiveness and Yield under Organic Production Management
  Crop Management, 2014
• Reduced tillage and cover crops in organic arable systems preserve weed diversity without jeopardising crop yield
  Organic Eprints, 2014

Organic Horticulture

• A farm-to-fork model to evaluate the level of polyacetylenes in processed carrots
  Food Science and Technology 48: 1626-1639
• Effects of genotype, root size, storage, and processing on bioactive compounds in organically grown carrots (Daucus carota L.)
  Food Science (2004) 69: 388-394
• Effect of organic and conventional cultivation techniques on yield, phenolic content and sensory parameters in two carrot varieties
  Teagasc, 2011
• Effect of organic, conventional and mixed cultivation practices on soil microbial community structure and nematode abundance in a cultivated onion crop
  Science of Food and Agriculture (2013) 93: 3700-3709
• 42_TResearch_201008
  TResearch (2010) 5:3, 10-11
• Soil microbial biomass, functional microbial diversity, and nematode community structure as affected by cover crops and compost in an organic vegetable production system
  Applied Soil Ecology (2012) 58: 45-55
• 14_tresearch200908
  TResearch (2009) 4:3, 32-33
• Variation in bioactive content in broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) grown under conventional and organic production systems
  Science of Food and Agriculture (2015) 95: 1163–1171

Organic Beef Production

• Adoption and Abandonment of Organic Farming: An Empirical Investigation of the Irish Drystock Sector
  Agricultural Economics (2010) 61: 697-714
• Dan Clavin-Financial Performance of Organic Cattle Farming
  Teagasc REDP, 2011
• Financial Performance of Organic vs Conventional Cattle Rearing Systems
  International Farm Management Association (2007) 16: 712-717
• Intake, digestibility, rumen fermentation and performance of beef cattle offered diets based on whole-crop wheat or barley harvested at two cutting heights relative to maize silage or ad-libitum concentrates
  Animal Feed Science and Technology (2008) 144: 257-278
• Meat quality and health implications of organic and conventional beef production
  Meat Science (2015) 100: 306-318
• The Drivers of Productivity in the Organic Beef Sector in Ireland
  University of Limerick (2013) A. Cawley, MBS Thesis

Organic Sheep and Goat Production

• Comparison of meat and carcass quality in organically reared and conventionally reared pasture-fed lambs
  Animal (2011) 5: 2001-2009
• Texel sheep are more resistant to natural nematode challenge than Suffolk sheep based on faecal egg count and nematode burden
  Veterinary Parasitology (2006) 136: 317-327

Organic Dairy Production

• Assessing the sustainability of EU dairy farms with different management systems and husbandry practices
  Organic Eprints, 2012
• Country-specific analysis of competitiveness and resilience of organic and low input dairy farms across Europee
  Solidairy, 2014
• Impacts of organic and conventional dairy farmer attitude, behaviour and knowledge on farm biodiversity in Ireland
  Nature Conservation (2013) 21: 272-278
• Integrating willow-based bioenergy and organic dairy production – the role of tree fodder for feed supplementation
  Agriculture and Forestry Research (2012) 362: 394-397
• Organic dairy farming: impacts on insect–flower interaction networks and pollination
  Applied Ecology (2011) 48: 561–569
• SOLID-DSS – An online application balancing forage supply and demand in organic low-input dairy farming
  Organic Eprints, 2014
• The effect of feed demand on greenhouse gas emissions and farm profitability for organic and conventional dairy farmsa
  Dairy Science (2014) 97: 7564-7574
• Welfare state of dairy cows in three European low-input and organic systems (NI, Romania and Spain)
  Solidairy, 2014

Organic Policy, Economics and Markets

• A whole-farm profitability analysis of organic and conventional cropping systems
  Agricultural Systems (2013) 122: 1-10
• Adoption of organic farming: Are there differences between early and late adoption?
  Ecological Economics (2011) 70: 1406-1414
• An investigation into the determinants of commitment to Organic Farming in Ireland
  International Farm Management Association (2007) 16: 718-732
• Comparing attitudes and characteristics of organic, former organic and conventional farmers: Evidence from Ireland
  Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (2012) 28: 329-337
• Org_Prod_Census2012_DC
  Teagasc, 2013
• The development and geographic distribution of organic farming in Ireland
  Irish Geography (2012) 45: 67-85
• The Fairtrade movement: Six lessons for the organics sector
  Organic Eprints. 2011

Further Organic Research Resources

• Organic Eprints is an international open access archive for papers and projects related to research in organic food and farming.
• SOLID is a European project on Sustainable Organic and Low Input Dairying financed by the European Union. The project runs from 2011-2016. The project aims to improve the technical performance and economic competitiveness of organic and low input dairy systems in Europe, while maximising their potential to deliver environmental goods and enhance biodiversity.
• FiBL is an independent, non-profit, research institute with the aim of advancing cutting-edge science in the field of organic agriculture.
• CORE Organic is the acronym for "Coordination of European Transnational Research in Organic Food and Farming Systems".
• The International Centre for Research in Organic Food Systems (ICROFS) was established by the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries in June 2008 for the provision of high quality research results that may contribute to the promotion of organic farming and food systems.

Recommended Book Chapters

• Läpple, D. and Donnellan, T. (2012). The Irish organic sector: farmer attitudes, reasons and ability to convert to organic farming. In A. Kinsella, C. O’Donoghue, and F. Thorne, Eds. Current Economic Issues in Irish Agriculture. Oak Tree Press. In press.
• Reilly, K. Chapter twelve: Interaction of rhizobia with soil suppressiveness factors. In M.K. Meghvansi and A. Varma, Eds. Organic Amendments and Soil Suppressiveness. Springer Soil Biology series. Springer Publishing. In press.
• Reilly, K. (2013). Chapter nine: On-farm and fresh produce management. In: B.K. Tiwari, N. Brunton, and C. Brennan, Eds. Handbook of plant food phytochemicals: sources stability and extraction, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9781444338102). pp. 201-235