Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Publication
    The potential of Miscanthus to harbour known cereal pathogens
    Miscanthus holds great potential as a bioenergy crop and Ireland has ideal conditions for its cultivation, however limited information is available about the interactions between Miscanthus and soil fungi which are pathogenic to other crops grown in Ireland and the UK. Miscanthus may therefore be susceptible to soil-borne pathogens present in the soil prior to crop establishment or may harbour pathogens and facilitate transmission of disease to other crops. The response of Miscanthus to a number of fungal species was recorded to determine the vulnerability of Miscanthus to some of the most important cereal pathogens in Ireland. The microbial species were selected based on their presence in soil and their known pathogenicity towards cereal crops currently grown in Ireland. A number of fungi caused a significant level of infection on detached Miscanthus leaves: Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium poae (Fusarium sporotrichiella var. poae) and Sordaria fimicola caused the greatest level of symptoms while Fusarium culmorum caused the greatest visual disease symptoms in living tissue during whole plant tests. The results suggest that Miscanthus is susceptible to a number of cereal fungal pathogens, and that of all the species investigated Fusarium species pose the greatest threat to Miscanthus plantings in Ireland. Fusarium is a known causative agent of blight in cereals, thus its ability to survive both on living and discarded Miscanthus tissue is important as it suggests that Miscanthus could act as a 'disease bridge' for cereal pathogens.
      584Scopus© Citations 4
  • Publication
    Combining Wind and Pumped Hydro Energy Storage for Renewable Energy Generation in Ireland
    (Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2014-08-21) ; ; ;
    Ireland has one of the highest wind energy potentials in Europe. The intermittent nature of wind makes this renewable resource impractical as a sole source of energy. Combining wind energy with pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) can overcome this intermittency, consuming energy during low-demand periods and supplying energy for periods of high demand. Currently Ireland has a number of hydroelectric power plants and wind farms of various scales in operation. A feasibility study was conducted to investigate the potential of securing a reliable source of renewable energy by increasing the penetration of hydroelectric power by means of combined wind-PHES developments. The greatest wind potential is experienced along the western coast of Ireland and a number of sites were identified here which satisfied a minimum mean wind speed criterion of 10.5 ms−1. Each site was then further evaluated according to topographical requirements for PHES. All but two of the identified sites are immediately unsuitable due to the presence of areas protected under European legislation; this highlights the nonenergy related obstacles in the path of renewable energy generation in Ireland and suggests that a compromise should be researched which could facilitate both renewable energy generation and species and habitat protection in Europe.
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