12 January 2023

Soils: a diversity of colours and functions

Would you be able to distinguish a soil from a rock? Could you name where a soil comes from by only looking at its colour? Can you list the ingredients for a good, healthy soil? And now that you mention it, what are soils made of?

Too many people still consider soils as boring ‘dirt’, but that’s because they haven’t realised yet about the importance of healthy soils for the society, and the wonderful diversity of soil colours and functions we have. Apart from food production, soils can help us with tackling climate change, finding new medicines, or by purifying the water we drink. Each soil is different, and will be more or less adapted to different functions. We only need to manage them carefully and according to their capabilities.

If you want to find out more about soils, pop along to the Teagasc stand at this year’s BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition. You can even participate in our soil quiz and win a colourful prize!  

Visit the Teagasc stand this Thursday (12/1/23) and meet soil scientists Luis Lopez-Sangil, Elizabeth O’Carroll and Donal Kinsella from Teagasc Crops, Environment & Land Use Research Programme.

We invite you to visit the Teagasc stand at the 2023 BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE), which takes place January 12-14 at the RDS, Dublin.

We will have a range of hands-on displays throughout the exhibition covering a range of science topics: soils, food safety, ash dieback disease, human digestion, milk sugars, cheese, superbugs, robotics, functional foods from waste, biocontrol of plant pathogens, aphid vectors and potato diseases.

Teagasc Education staff will be on-hand each day to answer any of your queries on education opportunities at Teagasc.

This year, 550 projects from 212 schools from across the island of Ireland will represent their schools in the BTYSTE.

Teagasc sponsors a special award at the event. The Teagasc prize is awarded to the project that best demonstrates a thorough understanding of the science of agricultural or food production, or the use of science to improve technologies available to agricultural or food production.

Visit the Teagasc stand in the exhibition hall W19 in the World of Science and Technology (Hall 4 – Industries Hall).

Book your ticket for this exciting event today by visiting https://btyoungscientist.com/

Follow the event on social media #BTYSTE2023