Following last month's article by Carl Bozicek on mushroom casing, it was timely to hear that further work is being undertaken in a project funded by the Department of Agriculture and Food, Research Stimulus fund.
In collaboration with University College Dublin and Kinsealy, the second strand of this work programme commenced late last year when Paul Baxter, a PhD student registered at Queen's University Belfast, began work at NIHPBS, Loughgall.
One of the main objectives of Paul's research is to assess the potential for Near InfraRed Spectroscopy (NIRs) as a rapid analytical technique to characterise the physical, chemical and microbial properties of peat.
Utilising this technology will enable the development of improved formulations for mushroom casing.
Stalker wishes Paul all continued success with his researches and no doubt his work will prove invaluable to the Irish mushroom industry and beyond in the years to come.
