Dr. Michael Gaffney

And so this is a material that we have developed as part of the project.

Tomatoes are doing very well on it.

It's a very small initial study.

This is viburnum.

It's a common ornamental plant.

This has been grown in a two-liter pot.

We have hypericum.

We have Carex, which is a grass.

They're doing quite well.

Now for a commercial grower, they would absolutely see differences and challenges in terms of the quality of the plants.

In our latest trials, we have produced crops that are...

91% of what we would expect to get with peat.

So we're 9% off.

Yeah, and I think it's sometimes when you hear debates around the use of peat in horticulture, can we grow mushrooms without peat?

That would be a yes at the moment from where we stand.

Can we grow mushrooms that fit within the economic realities of growing mushrooms commercially?

Not at the moment.

Nearly all strawberries, I would say, in Ireland are grown in coir, not peat anymore.

So coconut husk.

And strawberry performs well in that material, so that has made that transition easier.