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Horticulture research boost at Teagasc Ashtown

Teagasc’s new development of horticulture, forestry and education facilities at its campus in Ashtown, Dublin were officially opened on Thursday, 17 May by Andrew Doyle TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Over €2.1 million has been invested in facilities including a modern glasshouse equipped with advanced systems for research, a turfgrass academy, a horticultural utility building, a large multi-span forestry polytunnel and additional polytunnels and structures which have various specific uses. The other primary piece of infrastructure on the site is the mushroom research unit, which has 100m2 of growing area to support a dedicated mushroom research programme. These new facilities underline a Teagasc commitment to the horticulture sector and complement already existing facilities on the Ashtown campus, including a conference centre and facilities associated with the food research programme.

This investment followed a decision taken as part of the Teagasc change programme which saw the Teagasc Kinsealy campus close and horticulture, forestry and education activities moved to the Ashtown campus, where Teagasc already has a food research centre. The investment was funded through the disposal of Teagasc assets and Teagasc funding from the government.

The upside to embedding the horticulture development department, and ultimately the horticulture research programme, in the Ashtown campus will be threefold: the opportunity to conduct research and development in new state of the art facilities will be more appropriate to current commercial requirements; the increased capacity that the Ashtown site provides to cross-pollinate with the food research programme cannot be underestimated; opportunities to develop synergies with horticulture education and forestry colleagues on the site are evident. ✽

Fruit research: Investigating the optimal nutrition for ‘Malling Centenary’ strawberry in Teagasc Ashtown

‘Malling Centenary’ still continues to play a blinder in terms of a quality strawberry. Maiden crops and second-year overwintered ones have cropped very well. The crop has so far performed very well under both regimes with good yields of very high-quality fruit. At the moment the crop is continuing to produce new flowers and fruit.

This is very unusual for a June bearing plant whose fruiting season typically last for between six to eight weeks. This extension of the season may be caused by heating the crop and may offer huge extra crop potential to those in a position to heat their glasshouses. ✽

Research drivers

It was interesting to read a recent research prioritisation document from the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation which identified exciting new opportunities including robotics, artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, health and wellbeing, smart and sustainable food production and processing, decarbonising the energy system, sustainable living, and advanced and smart manufacturing.

In the horticultural context, all of the above is relevant. Our ability as an industry to adopt and adapt existing technology in production and processing into our sector from other sectors will be paramount in the future. The dependence on labour in horticulture production will need to be reduced in the medium to longer term as labour availability is currently constraining growth in certain sectors.

Enhancing the innovative capacity of Irish based horticultural businesses along with their ability to diversify into new markets has become more critical, particularly in light of Brexit. Smart and sustainable food production is a key consideration in avoiding environmental impacts and satisfying a knowledge-driven consumer who is set on buying products with sound environmental credentials.

In terms of health and wellbeing, as members of the Horticulture Industry Forum (HIF), we are well versed on the potential which exists for collaboration between the medical sector and the horticulture sector to improve public health and at the same time underpin fresh produce horticulture. If the Irish population ate the recommended daily intake of fruit or vegetables (560g), we would have a tripling of demand for fruit and vegetables (€0.75bn) and a major reduction in the estimated €1.64bn cost of obesity to the Irish health system. While large amounts of research funding go towards looking at the human microbiome, probiotics and gut health, significant positive impacts from increased fruit and vegetable consumption have been known for many decades and consumers are moving in greater numbers towards healthier options.✽

Mushroom research

Teagasc’s new mushroom research unit was open to visitors on 17 May. The unit was completed this year by JF McKenna and is a scaled down version of a modern Dutch shelf mushroom production facility, with full environmental climate control and steam sterilisation. Current trials are mainly focussed on improving our understanding of crop genetics and trying to improve yield, particularly in the third flush. Teagasc is a world leader in MVX research and currently, our disease research is concerned with how different varieties of Agaricus bisporus react to MVX infection. The mushroom research unit works hand in hand with our diagnostic laboratories where a disease diagnostic service is currently available through our mushroom advisor, Donal Gernon.

In terms of research direction, an opportunity exists to increase the sophistication and complexity of the mushroom product portfolio in the context of significant advances in mushroom science, particularly the completed genome sequencing of Agaricus bisporus. The genome sequence will expedite mushroom breeding for improved agronomic characteristics, but more importantly for a new product portfolio.

Ultimately, a strong focused research and development programme is required to build resilience in a sector which is exposed to external and internal economic factors such as the Sterling exchange rate, labour costs, and general increasing input costs. There is an existing drive in the industry to diversify away from the single commodity based enterprise to look at new exciting future products, such as animal/human feeds and supplements, bioactive compounds, myco-packaging, mushrooms as a chitin source, biomedical (ABL lectin) and using mushrooms as a meat replacer in burgers and processed meat products.

From Teagasc’s perspective, we are interested in further analysis of the genes that we believe to be involved in controlling mushroom production, for example seeing what genes are turned on and off as the mushroom mycelium is colonising the compost. Having more information here could help reduce the crop cycle, leading to higher turnover of crops and better profits. ✽

New leaves research in cut foliage

The mild, relative frost-free climate in Southern Ireland is ideal for growing lush, premium foliage and a unique product range has been developed in conjunction with Teagasc and Bord Bia at research stations in Kildalton College, Kilkenny and in Tralee, Co Kerry. Irish foliage now worth €6m in exports is harvested from over 150ha and sold to flower markets in the UK and Holland. Expansion in planted areas supported by the DAFM in past two to three years will see a doubling of the production base coming on stream in 2018/2019. Irish foliage is well positioned to capitalise on the recent surge in environmental accreditation being demanded by the multiples and Teagasc research on sustainable production systems is crucial to progressing the industry and meeting the high regulatory and market specifications.

A major research program funded by the DAFM which commenced in 2017 in support of the industry is a collaboration between Teagasc, UCD and industry stakeholders. The work aims to identify novel foliage plant lines and optimum propagation techniques. In addition, epidemiology of key pests of foliage (tortrix moth and capsid) and diseases such as bacterial shot hole of Prunus is being gathered through intensive monitoring and survey work coupled with laboratory and field trials. Environmentally responsible measures will ultimately be sought for growers to tackle these critical issues in line with EU legislation under the Sustainable Use Directive. Given the parallels with the hardy nursery stock industry, results of the New Leaves work will be of benefit to the wider woody ornamental sector.

There is an opportunity to hear how this latest research work is progressing and to see at first hand some of the key foliage products at a field event to be held in Kildalton College on 15 August at 11 am. For further details contact Andy Whelton of the Horticultural Development Department at andy.whelton@teagasc.ie ✽

APPOINTMENTS

Last month Teagasc appointed John Spink as the head of its Crops, Environment and Land Use Programme for a five-year term. Based at Teagasc Oak Park, Carlow, he will lead the organization’s national tillage, forestry, horticulture and environmental, research and knowledge transfer programme. John graduated with a degree in agricultural science from the University of Leeds before starting his professional career as a crop physiologist at Rothamsted Research. From Rothamsted he moved to ADAS based in Hereford in the west of England, where he worked for nearly 20 years, ending up leading the agronomy, crop physiology, crop protection and renewable energy
work. In 2009 he moved to Teagasc Oak Park, and he became head of the crops research department in 2010. ✽