International Group Visit Teagasc Oak Park Research Centre

Delegates from many parts of the World attending the XX International Grassland Congress in UCD visited the Teagasc Crops Research Centre at Oak Park today

 (Wednesday 29 June).

The new varieties of ryegrass and clover bred by the very successful Oak Park plant breeding programme were on display and strategies on how they can increase productivity at farm level presented. Over 85% of the farmed area in the country is devoted to grassland and is the primary resource for almost all of our agricultural output.

Addressing the distinguished group, Head of Centre, Dr. Jimmy Burke said “While sward composition, especially for old pastures is complex, perennial ryegrass and white clover are the key components of the most productive pastures. We must exploit the recent developments in plant breeding for maximum efficiency. The Oak Park breeding programme which has been very successful to-date, has concentrated on breeding new varieties with higher yields and quality and will make a valuable contribution to increasing the potential productivity of our grasslands in the future”, said Dr Burke.

Teagasc plant breeder, Pat Conaghan, told the group the new Oak Park bred varieties on display are high yielding, have improved spring/autumn growth, with better persistency and higher sugar levels compared to older varieties.

The international group of researchers and advisers also saw the ongoing research programme on plant biotechnology which is concentrating  on using molecular technologies to enhance the productivity, quality and safety of the major crops used for food and animal feed in Ireland.  The research employs enabling technologies such as gene mapping, gene markers and transformation to enhance the ongoing Teagasc programmes in plant breeding, disease, and pest control.

“The main priorities at present are centered on improving the productivity of perennial ryegrass, disease and pest resistance in potatoes,  as well as the rapid diagnosis of diseases and pests in cereals”, concluded Dr. Burke.

Ends

Issued by

Larry O’Loughlin, A/Head, Public Relations Department, Teagasc

Tel. 059 9183408; Mob. 087 2562434; Email: loloughlin@hq.teagasc.ie