With 37 projects relating to agriculture, there was plenty of talent showcased from around the country through experiments that aimed to debunk those myths ingrained in our psyche, and answers to farmers’ daily nuisances.

Tipperary

Title: An investigation into the effect of adding cow manure to concrete composite

Category: Chemical, physical and mathematical sciences

Second-year students Rebecca Elphick and Cormac Walsh from Colaiste Mhuire Co-ed in Thurles investigated the properties of cow manure when mixed with concrete.

They took two blocks of concrete, one mixed with cow manure and one regular block of cement, to a factory to test it for compression and put each block in 1cm of water to see how much moisture it absorbed.

“The cow manure actually absorbed all the water,” Cormac explains, “and when we took it out it evaporated it, while the regular concrete did not.”

They discovered that when cow manure and concrete are mixed together they become more breathable, taking in water, expanding and evaporating much quicker than regular concrete, meaning that it creates less dampness within a structure.

“When you mix the two together it does weaken the concrete and wouldn’t be able to be subjected to heavy loads for this reason.

“Old renovated buildings would be good, because the walls will have been made from stone,” Rebecca explains.

Wicklow

Title: We are the only mammals to drink another mammal’s milk … so should we be moo-ving away from cow’s milk?

Category: Biological and ecological

Rachel Bentley, Niamh Brannigan and Aoife Lancaster are from St Mary’s College in Arklow. They wanted to measure the differences between different cows’ milk and milk alternatives. They discovered that full-fat cow’s milk is the most nutritious milk to drink.

Testing 400 different samples of milk for its protein, lactose and fat content, they analysed their data and discovered that whole-full fat milk is the best.

“We should not be moving away from cow’s milk at all,” Rachel says, “There are no nutrients in alternative milks, we discovered.”

“Manufacturers are trying to make it taste similar to normal milk, so they are fortifying it and adding sugars,” according to Aoife.

The three girls looked at alternatives like almond, soya and coconut milk, alongside different varieties of cow milk.

“Unless you are vegan or lactose intolerant, there is no benefit to drinking these alternative milks,” Niamh surmises.

Kildare

Title: Is organic really best?

Category: Biological and ecological

Alana Baker, Dara Lovern, Rachel Ryan, Erin Meredith and Eimear Mulhall from St Paul’s Secondary School in Monasterevin, Co Kildare, examined both organic and non-organic fertiliser to see how they affect the oxygen levels in rivers.

“We looked at how they pollute the water and affect the oxygen levels,” Erin explains. “We took three different samples of water: one with no fertilizer in it, one with organic and the third with regular fertiliser from the River Barrow, which is our local river.”

They tested all three samples’ oxygen content and discovered that non-organic and organic fertiliser had the same impact on the water.

“We found that the organic fertiliser was nearly as bad as the commercial fertiliser in our area,” Dara divulges. “Both the non-organic and the organic had depleted the oxygen levels of the water.”

“Essentially, organic fertiliser is not good when it comes to the environment,” Eimear says.

Title: The effects of different artificial lights and soil acidity on the vitamin A content of a breed of carrots

Category: Biological and ecological

Kate Davitt, Emma Rowland and Sara Ryan from Colaiste Naomh Mhuire in Naas tested to see if exposing carrots to different light affects the vitamin A content in them.

“Initially we wanted to grow the carrots from scratch but, because of time constrains, we were unable to do that. So we bought them from shops and put them under different lights for different periods of time,” Kate explains.

The artificial lights were UV, florescent, halogen, and LED, and the team discovered that fluorescent light was very harsh on the vitamin A in carrots, while LED actually increased the vitamin A content of them. UV and halogen lights both had a negative impact. “This is interesting and means that in shops the best way to store carrots is under LED light, instead of the typical fluorescent light that is used,” Sara says.

The three also discovered from carrots they had grown that the shoots of a carrot hold the highest amount of vitamin A.

“You should really be eating the shoots too – especially if you are vitamin A deficient,” Emma advises.

Sligo

Title: To investigate does intensive agriculture effect the population of earthworms in heavy soils

Category: Biological and ecological

Brian Normanly, Shane Kennedy and Fergal Monaghan from St Attracta’s Community School in Ballyara, Co Sligo, sampled farms to see how the earthworms differed on each and found out there were more worms on intensively farmed land than less intensively farmed land.

“We thought it would be the other way around, due to all the slurry and machinery on the land,” Shane says.

“When a farmer has earthworms in his soil, it means there is better drainage of his land, and the earthworms bring the nutrients from the second level of soil to the top as well, so the soil would be more fertile,” according to Fergal.

“Overall, when you have earthworms you have a better soil, more productivity and a better output. The farmers need to look after the earthworms and they will look after the farmer by putting down organic fertiliser and keeping a neutral pH,” Brian says.

Meath

Title: Stimulating plant growth using electricity

Category: Biological and ecological

Vitalija Janusonyte and Niamh McHugh from St Joseph’s Mercy in Navan carried out an experiment to see how electricity influences the growth of plants.

“I got the idea from my granny. She always used to say lightening helps plants grow, and I never knew why. Then I saw while studying ecology that lightening turns nitrogen to nitrates in the soil and helps plants grow,” Niamh explains.

The pair put electrodes into potted plants to attract the static shocks they created in the lab and saw that the pots that had electrodes sprouted more quickly, and their stems were taller and greener. Seeds also germinated at a quicker pace.

“We think that electricity could actually be used like a fertiliser,” Vitalija says. “It would be so much better for the environment.”

“If you connected Vandagraph generators to wind turbines, farms would be able to generate this static electricity themselves and be totally self-sufficient in the future – and it would be cheaper,” Niamh says.