Apple growers and horticulture stakeholders visited Teagasc's experimental orchard in Oak Park, Co. Carlow, to review ongoing research into Irish apple production.
Teagasc has established an applied apple research programme aimed at supporting domestic production and increasing the supply of Irish-grown apples. The programme focuses on developing a production system adapted to local growing conditions, with an emphasis on competitiveness and sustainability.
© Teagasc
Research includes long-term evaluation of the agronomic performance and fruit quality of more than 50 apple varieties grown in Ireland. The objective is to identify cultivars that meet commercial quality standards.
Teagasc researcher Dr Alberto Ramos Luz said around 50 participants attended the recent event, including growers, advisors, researchers, students, and industry stakeholders. He described this as a "record attendance across all the events we've organised so far".
The event included presentations on varietal performance, fruit quality, rootstocks, disease management, consumer preferences, and flowering physiology, followed by an orchard visit to review field trials.
Researchers presented early findings from trials comparing climatic conditions between 2024 and 2025. Ahmad Hassan Chaudhry showed how a cooler, wetter 2024 season and a warmer, drier 2025 season influenced crop development across cultivars. Despite these differences, Jean do Prado reported that most varieties showed satisfactory performance and maintained fruit quality across both seasons.
The programme is also evaluating different training systems, with the orchard used to assess productivity, consistency, and fruit quality under varying conditions. Ramos Luz said the results are still preliminary but indicate directions for future production practices, with further recommendations expected.
Integrated pest management was also discussed, including current adoption levels and practical challenges within Irish orchards.
Participants observed trees entering their fourth leaf, with flowering underway across different varieties, rootstocks, and training systems. Growers engaged with researchers to review performance and discuss orchard management practices.
Source: Agriland
