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SRUC joins new centre tackling food security and climate change

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The views expressed in this Member News article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of Agri-TechE.

Scientists from SRUC will carry out research into plant breeding and animal nutrition to increase productivity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions as part of a new centre announced by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The UK-CGIAR Centre

The UK-CGIAR was launched at a global food security summit hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) in London yesterday (20 November).

With funding from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the UK-CGIAR aims to harness the country’s strengths in science and technology to help tackle the interconnected challenges of global food security and climate change.

It will do so by strengthening existing partnerships and forging new collaborations between CGIAR – a global partnership that unites international organisations engaged in food security research – and science centres in the UK and the Global South.

International Livestock Research Institute

Scientists at SRUC will work with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), part of CGIAR and co-hosted by Kenya and Ethiopia, to drive a step change in the breeding and manipulation of forages and crop residues for use in ruminant production systems.

The project, which starts next year, will combine ILRI’s expertise in plant breeding and SRUC’s track record on ruminant nutrition, to develop tools to accelerate the development of new forages and plant residues for Sub-Saharan Africa that boost animal production while decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.

Lead researcher Professor Jamie Newbold, Provost and Deputy Principal at SRUC, said: “Livestock is a fast-growing, high-value agricultural subsector accounting for 15–80 per cent of GDP in low- and middle-income countries. In Africa and Asia, demand for livestock products is expected to grow 200 per cent by 2030.

“Ruminants can make use of feed substrates such as crop residues and forages not otherwise nutritionally available to humans. However, such systems are associated with higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions and low productivity, particularly in the Global South.

“There is a need to develop solutions that increase the productivity of livestock systems in Sub-Saharan Africa while also reducing their environmental impact.”

The summit sessions can be viewed live on Zoom: https://ukglobalfoodsecuritysummit.com/programme

More information here

The John Innes Centre announced as UK’s first CGIAR Centre

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The views expressed in this Member News article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of Agri-TechE.

The John Innes Centre will play a leading role in driving a global food security initiative.

The UK Prime Minister announced the launch of the UK-CGIAR Centre at the Global Food Security Summit in London on November 20. 

Hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, the event involved 200 representatives and partners from around the globe.  

The Prime Minister said: “We are launching a new UK-CGIAR Science Centre to drive cutting edge research on flood tolerance rice, disease resistant wheat and much more. These innovations will reach millions across the poorest countries as well as improving UK crop yields and driving down food prices.” 

The UK government wants to harness the country’s strengths in science and technology to help tackle the interconnected challenges of global food security and climate change.

Continue reading the full article here.

Does CHAP hold the key to sensor-based pest monitoring?

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The views expressed in this Member News article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of Agri-TechE.

Over the last two years, Crop Health and Protection (CHAP) has led a two-phased project alongside a multidisciplinary and international team, including Knowmatics, Ystumtec and CABI, and supported by consortium members, MSSRF, Tamil Nadu Agriculture University (TNAU) and Pushkaram College of Agriculture Sciences, to develop an innovative sensor-based pheromone trap to help effectively monitor fall armyworm (FAW) in India.

Continue to the CHAP website to read the full article.

Norwich Research Park part of £150 million venture fund for climate change and biodiversity loss

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The views expressed in this Member News article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of Agri-TechE.

Specialist fund manager Greensphere Capital announces it is bringing together the world’s largest group of globally-renowned bioscience and environmental science institutes to launch the Gaia Sciences Innovation partnerships. Greensphere will raise a £150 million fund designed to invest in and scale world-leading businesses that successfully commercialise solutions that mitigate against the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Gaia Sciences Innovation brings together leading British partner institutions that are home to more than 4,000 scientists, researchers, and conservationists, including RBG Kew, ZSL, University of York, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, and via the Anglia Innovation Partnership, the Earlham Institute, John Innes Centre, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Quadram Institute, The Sainsbury Laboratory, and the University of East Anglia.

Based across the UK with a particular focus in regional research hubs such as York and Norwich, the fund will invest into start-up, spin-out and scale-up businesses linked to these institutions, that can help tackle biodiversity loss and climate change. These companies will then benefit from ongoing access to leading-edge scientific expertise in areas such as plant, fungal and animal sciences, ecology and hydrology, soil and microbiomes, and engineering biology.

The wider arrangement will see partner organisations benefit from any new spinouts through profit share (via co-ownership) and license fees which allows organisations to fund future research and further build their organisational capacity. The spin-out companies should also provide a virtuous loop of valuable data from operating environments for scientists to refine and improve intellectual property.

Divya Seshamani, Managing Partner at Greensphere Capital, said:

“In the face of the global climate and biodiversity crisis, we urgently need more investment into solutions based on the best available science. Mitigating these real risks requires evidence-led, science-based solutions, not anecdotes and spin.”

“Britain is home to many of the world’s best bio and environmental science researchers, but the commercial potential in their breakthroughs is too often being overlooked. We want to unlock a pipeline of exciting ventures that are based on brilliant ideas, that operate with scientific integrity, that are grounded in a contextual understanding of the complex natural systems and are alert to the risks of unforeseen consequences.”

The fund will focus primarily on investments across three focus areas:

• Greening real assets: making agriculture and forestry more sustainable and enhancing or restoring land and water-based ecosystems, with applications such as natural pest control, green fertiliser and products that enhance soil health, afforestation and habitat restoration advisory, enhanced carbon dioxide sequestration, and improved watershed management.

• Green fintech: providing technology and expertise that can underpin and unlock green financial markets. This includes technologies to measure, monitor and verify biodiversity and climate impacts, including technologies for environmental DNA collection and sequencing, sensors for tracking water and soil health, computational genetics, and AI for assessing climate and nature-related risks.

• Human supply-chain resilience: investing in solutions that improve the resilience of human supply chains (from food to medicine) and ease pressures on ecosystems or adapt to changing conditions, for example through climate-resilient food crops, developing alternatives that displace drivers of deforestation such as meat, dairy and palm oil, and using plants for drug discovery or producing bioactive compounds.

In December 2022, international governments agreed the Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework with a goal of halting biodiversity loss by 2030, protecting 30% of the planet for nature. According to World Economic Forum, $44 trillion of global economic value is moderately or highly dependent on nature and its services, making up over half of global GDP. ZSL and WWF’s Living Planet Index reveals that since 1970, there has been a 69% decline in global monitored wildlife populations, and it is predicted that by 2050 1 million species are on course for extinction. This fund sets out to address these interdependent challenges of climate change.

Professor Monique Simmonds, Deputy Director of Science at The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, commented: “Addressing biodiversity loss and climate change through science is at the heart of Kew’s mission. When we work with others, innovate and deliver science-based solutions, we know we will see change. It is now a question of pace. We are ready, we have the knowledge and the expertise, but it is the arrival of critical funding that will help us realise the solutions.”

Matthew Gould, Chief Executive at ZSL, commented: “This is a brilliant opportunity for us to expand our impact and scale ZSL innovation at the kind of speed the world needs. It means our scientists and conservationists will have access to experts and investors as they develop solutions for our planet.”

Professor Charlie Jeffery, Vice-Chancellor at University of York, commented: “We have some of the best researchers working on solutions to many of society’s most challenging environmental issues. This vital collaboration highlights the University’s commitment to creating a fairer and more sustainable future for all by harnessing knowledge from our discovery-led research to provide innovative solutions in the global fight against climate change and biodiversity loss. We look forward to working with Gaia Sciences Innovation on a range of exciting projects that have the potential to make a real difference to the world we live in.”

Norwich Research Park

Roz Bird, CEO of Anglia Innovation Partnership (AIP), the science park management company at Norwich Research Park, commented: “The research and innovation at Norwich Research Park is important because it is addressing global challenges like food security, human disease and the effects of climate change. Companies on the campus spinning out of the research community are developing new ground-breaking technologies that will benefit society and the environment and contribute to the economic growth of the UK. We are delighted that as a result of AIP’s enterprise strategy this new partnership with Gaia Sciences Innovation has been formed which will help businesses on the park campus to grow and succeed.

Dr Stuart Wainwright, Chief Executive at UKCEH, commented: “We are excited to be a founding institute in this initiative, which will catalyse innovation across UKCEH, from reversing biodiversity loss to improving soil health and mitigating climate change to managing landscapes sustainably. This presents a fantastic opportunity to maximise the impact of our research and innovation, as well as to build new science collaborations across partner institutes, in order that together, people and nature can prosper.”

Notes to editors:

About Greensphere Capital
Greensphere Capital was founded in 2011 to invest in sustainable technology, companies and projects that help to mitigate the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. As the first fund manager to the UK Government’s Green Investment Bank, a mandate it won in 2012 against 23 other British and European fund managers, it has grown green and sustainable businesses in some of the most challenging social and economic environments for over a decade over two successive funds.

About Kew
Kew Science is the driving force behind RBG Kew’s mission to understand and protect plants and fungi, for the well-being of people and the future of all life on Earth. Over 470 Kew scientists work with partners in more than 100 countries worldwide to halt biodiversity loss, uncover secrets of the natural world, and to conserve and restore the extraordinary diversity of plants and fungi. Kew’s Science Strategy 2021–2025 lays out five scientific priorities to aid these goals: research into the protection of biodiversity through Ecosystem Stewardship, understanding the variety and evolution of traits in plants and fungi through Trait Diversity and Function; digitising and sharing tools to analyse Kew’s scientific collections through Digital Revolution; using new technologies to speed up the naming and characterisation of plants and fungi through Accelerated Taxonomy; and cultivating new scientific and commercial partnerships in the UK and globally through Enhanced Partnerships.

About ZSL
Founded in 1826, ZSL is an international conservation charity, driven by science, working to restore wildlife in the UK and around the world; by protecting critical species, restoring ecosystems, helping people and wildlife live together and inspiring support for nature. Through our leading conservation zoos, London and Whipsnade, we bring people closer to nature and use our expertise to protect wildlife today, while inspiring a lifelong love of animals in the conservationists of tomorrow. Visit www.zsl.org for more information.
About the University of York
A member of the Russell Group, we are a dynamic, research-intensive university.
Our teaching, learning and student experience is outstanding, recognised by a Gold rating from the Office for Students in the 2023 national assessment (Teaching Excellence Framework).

We work collaboratively in partnership with institutions across the world to develop life-saving discoveries and new technologies that tackle some of the most pressing global challenges.
Our 30+ academic departments undertake ground-breaking research that underpins our inspiring teaching and challenges students to dream big, think critically and change the world.

About Anglia Innovation Partnership (AIP)
AIP is the science park management company at Norwich Research Park, one of the largest research clusters in Europe. The campus is home to 6 main partners; the John Innes Centre, Earlham Institute, Quadram Institute, The Sainsbury Laboratory, the University of East Anglia and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, as well as a community of over 30 businesses. The Park is one of 5 BBSRC research and innovation campuses in the UK, and the only one with three strategically funded BBSRC research institutes in one location.
The research and enterprise activity on campus aligns to four global markets, agribiotech, industrial biotech, food biotech and medtech. The campus is an ideal location for businesses that want to benefit from the specialist facilities and expertise, a dedicated on-site support team and a growing profile.

About UKCEH
The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology is a world-leading centre for excellence in environmental sciences across water, land and air. The Centre has a long history of investigating, monitoring and modelling environmental change. Its 500+ scientists provide the data and insights that researchers, governments and businesses need to create a productive, resilient and healthy environment. The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology is a strategic delivery partner for the Natural Environment Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation.

Accolades for researchers in the Agri-TechE ecosystem

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Agri-TechE

The Queen’s Anniversary Prize is the highest National Honour in the UK for further and higher education. It recognises outstanding work that shows excellence, innovation and benefit to the wider world.

Lincoln Institute for Agri-food Technology (LIAT) at the University of Lincoln is a specialist research centre focussed on improving productivity, efficiency, and sustainability across the food chain “from farm to fork”. It hosts the UK’s first global centre of excellence in agri-robotics research, Lincoln Agri-Robotics.

Professor Simon Pearson, Founding Director of LIAT, said: “We are absolutely delighted that this work has been recognised in this prestigious National Honour.”

Along with the University of Cambridge and University of East Anglia, Lincoln is also a partner in the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training for Agri-food Robotics (AgriFoRwArdS) – a first-of-its-kind advanced training centre.

The work of SRUC’s Veterinary Services has also been recognised with a Queen’s Anniversary Prize. With around 7,300 farmers and livestock keeper members, SRUC Veterinary Services is the largest provider of livestock health schemes in the UK, transforming animal health and welfare and contributing hundreds of millions of pounds to the economy through improved productivity.

Professor Wayne Powell, Principal and Chief Executive of SRUC, said: “Being awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize is a huge honour for everyone at Scotland’s Rural College and reflects both the quality of our research and the commitment of our staff.”

Strawberry-Picking Robot from University of Lincoln
Strawberry-Picking Robot from University of Lincoln
Simon Pearson, LIAT
Simon Pearson, LIAT
Wayne Powell, SRUC
Wayne Powell, SRUC

The world’s most highly cited researchers on the 2023 list include:

Prof. Jonathan Jones, Group Leader at The Sainsbury Laboratory TSL – the group uses advanced breeding techniques to create resilient crop plants that are less dependent on plant protection chemicals – read an interview with Jonathan. TSL also hosted an event for Agri-TechE Week 2023.

Prof. Sophien Kamoun, Group leader at TSL – his team studies plant-pathogen coevolution and how it impacts mechanisms of virulence and immunity. Resurrect Bio, a spinout from Prof. Kamoun’s lab, was featured in the REAP 2023 Start-Up Showcase.

Prof Tracy Lawson, Director of Essex Plant Innovation Centre, University of Essex. Her research is aimed at improving plant productivity and primarily focused on stomatal physiology. EPIC hosted an event as part of Agri-TechE Week 2023

Prof. Tony Miller, Senior Scientist at the John Innes Centre, has an interest improving nutrient use efficiency and has spun out a company, PlentySense, to commercialise his novel nitrogen soil sensors. PlentySense was featured in the REAP 2023 Start-Up Showcase.

Prof. Giles Oldroyd, Director of the Crop Science Centre, Cambridge, is internationally recognised for his work on nitrogen fixation, which aims to replace inorganic chemistry with biological approaches.

Jonathan Jones, TSL
Jonathan Jones, The Sainsbury Laboratory
Prof Tracy Lawson, University of Essex Plant Productivity Group
Prof Tracy Lawson, University of Essex
Tony Miller at REAP 2023
Tony Miller, John Innes Centre
Giles Oldroyd, Crop Science Centre
Giles Oldroyd, Crop Science Centre

Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing Limited: Mechanisms of soil organic carbon sequestration and implications for management

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The views expressed in this Member News article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of Agri-TechE.

A new book from Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing Limited:

Chapter Title: Mechanisms of soil organic carbon sequestration and implications for management*

Authors: Ingrid Kögel-Knabner, Technical University of Munich, Germany; Martin Wiesmeier, Technical University of Munich and Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture, Germany and Stefanie Mayer, Technical University of Munich, Germany

*This chapter features in our book: ‘Understanding and fostering soil carbon sequestration’.

Introduction and definitions

A major potential for increasing carbon sequestration in mineral soils is in agricultural systems under cropland use (Amelung et al., 2020). Understanding organic carbon (OC) sequestration in (mineral) soils requires considering the pathways and the associated different types of organic matter (OM) input. As
pointed out in Box 1, OC sequestration refers to ‘the process of transferring CO2 from the atmosphere into the soil of a land unit, through plants, plant residues and other organic solids which are stored or retained in the unit as part of the soil organic matter (humus)’ (Chenu et al., 2019; Olson et al., 2014). If we accept this definition, all processes are relevant that lead to a storage or retention of OC in soils. A number of mechanisms have been described that lead to the retention of OC in soils. As the OC that enters the soil is in dynamic equilibrium, all the different OM pools that are retained in a soil must be considered. SOC sequestration implies raising soil organic carbon (SOC) levels, where they are currently undersaturated, and to maintain maximal OC levels in well-managed soil systems (Lehmann et al., 2020).

Olson et al. (2014) pointed out that it is essential to strictly differentiate between the application of any of OM to soils from sources external or outside a land unit (e.g. amendments like manure, compost, biochar) and OC sequestration sensu strictu. Sequestration of OC in soils as defined here (Box 1) requires that atmospheric CO2 is fixed through photosynthesis and stored in the soil. No atmospheric CO2 is converted and stored as a result of amendment transfer and it does not add to reducing atmospheric CO2 levels. Therefore, we will not consider the application of organic amendments in this chapter. As organic amendments may in specific cases influence SOC sequestration through their impact on plant growth and soil microbial functioning, their management is discussed in Chapter 9 of this book.

Organic matter input to soils

Organic C enters the soil mainly as:
• aboveground litter or crop residues,
• belowground litter or crop residues, and
• rhizodeposition.

Both above and belowground litter or crop residues are mainly composed of OC bound in large polymers (celluloses, hemicelluloses, lignin, cutin, suberin) in leaves, stems, twigs and other woody debris, or roots, with only a small contribution of low-molecular weight organic components (Kögel-Knabner, 2017). They are either deposited on the mineral soil surface, or in different soil depths as root litter. Incorporation of OC from aboveground litter occurs via bioturbation or leaching of soluble components. In contrast, rhizodeposition consists mainly of low molecular weight compounds released from roots into the surrounding soil at various depths.

Long-term OC storage in soils occurs primarily when OC derived from plant biomass is stabilized in soils as soil OM. Plant biomass makes up the majority of OC input also to agricultural soils. But we have to take into account that OM is also added to cultivated soils through fertilization and waste disposal (e.g. liquid manure, compost, sludge, animal excreta, biochar, biogas digestate), which contribute significant amounts (Jacobs et al., 2020). Soils are often also contaminated with organic constituents from the petroleum
and coal chemistry/industry, as well as from coal combustion, e.g. tar oil, coal dusts, black carbon, specifically in industrial-urban areas (Kiem and KögelKnabner, 2003; Schmidt and Noack, 2000), as well as plastics (Rillig et al., 2021). Geogenic C such as kerogen or black shale can also be inherited from the parent material (Fox et al., 2020 and references therein). This short listing demonstrates the large diversity of OM input to soils. Lehmann et al. (2020) suggest that the molecular diversity of the organic compounds rather than the material properties of individual compounds controls decomposition in soils. As pointed out above, the amendments help to increase the OC content and stocks of a soil, but may not help sequestering OC in soils. At the same time, it is important to return organic residue materials to soils, rather than burning them or using them otherwise, e.g. for energy production or production of chemicals.

Read the full chapter here

Lombard: How technology helped a poultry farmer grow his business more sustainably

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The views expressed in this Member News article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of Agri-TechE.

A Move Towards Sustainability

As energy prices remain persistently high, poultry farmer Gordon Whiteford has embraced a sustainable, more cost-effective future by investing in solar technology for his business.

Gordon runs his company, Highland Eggs, from the 150-hectare Lower Mill of Tynet Farm in Moray, in the north-east of Scotland, along with his wife, June.

The farm is mixed, with some arable land, 40 cows, a small flock of sheep, and 9,000 free-range laying hens and 6,000 organic-laying hens, producing award-winning brown and white eggs.

Lombard’s Support and Expansion

With Lombard’s support, Gordon recently installed 120 solar panels on the roofs of his hen sheds, to produce 40 kw of energy for the farm. He also received financing for new, multi-layered laying machinery which feeds and waters the birds and collects the 90,000 eggs they produce every week.

Gordon says: “We already had 12kw of solar energy, and Lombard helped us with the additional investment to expand that. With the price of electricity going up so much, we decided it was the right time.”

Gordon says that although the purchase of the panels increased his costs initially, the additional units were needed to help power his expanding milking operation, which can be a high energy consumer.

“It’s an investment for the future because once the panels have been paid off, they’ll still be producing electricity for you, and there’s very little upkeep required,” he says.

“First and foremost, you’re always trying to make a decent margin, but anything you can do to make yourself more sustainable helps – and it’s good to put that message out there so that people can support you.”

The bulk of the eggs produced on the farm find their way into supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl via wholesalers or are purchased by hotels and restaurants.

Connecting with the Community

But, eager to serve the local community, Gordon has installed five vending machines in the farm shop, where visitors can purchase eggs and other farm produce like milk – dispensed in reusable glass bottles – milkshakes and home baking. He also has plans to install an ice-cream vending machine as his dairy operation grows.
“That’s a pretty good source of income for us,” says Gordon. “And it’s a nice way to have a closer connection with our neighbours here.”
After studying Agricultural Business Management, Gordon received financing from the Prince’s Trust and a local enterprise grant to get his organic egg business off the ground in 2005. From there, he managed to secure a tenancy with Crown Estates in 2012, which meant he was able to expand the farm and build a packing facility on site.
He spent a year studying animal-welfare best practices through a Nuffield Scholarship. He now applies these techniques on the farm which, he says, not only help to improve the environment but also produce higher quality produce.
His ambition is to develop his business further, and he is especially keen to grow his dairy herd, despite it being an unusual practice in his region.
“Dairy farming is quite rare in this part of Scotland now, so everyone thought we were a bit crazy when we decided to develop a dairy herd, but we’ve grown it organically,” he says.
“It’s quite successful because there isn’t much competition, and the milk is locally produced and doesn’t have to be brought in on lorries from further afield. We sell about a third of our milk directly through our own vending machines too, so there is a good margin for us.”

Overcoming Challenges and Future Ambitions

Despite the recent success of Highland Eggs, building the business from the ground up hasn’t been without its challenges. Currently, for instance, there is the constant threat of avian flu – which has the capacity to wipe out entire flocks – and higher feed prices.

But with careful cash flow management, and a philosophy of always putting the hens’ welfare first, Gordon hopes he can continue his profitability and maintain the standards of hygiene and care on the farm.
“We’re quite lucky in that we have a healthy retail market for eggs in the UK, and because we pack our own eggs, we have control of the price,” says Gordon. “We have to stay on top of hygiene, but our hens are cared for to the highest welfare standards.”

Lombard’s Role in Agricultural Sustainability

Lombard’s agricultural relationship manager, Adam Peters, says: “It’s great to help our customers become more sustainable through our support. We’re helping them not only potentially reduce their own carbon footprints, but also potentially save them money in the long term, enabling them to invest that money elsewhere in the business.”

Find out more about how Lombard might be able to help you grow your agricultural business.
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PES Technologies Secures £2.4M to power Product Launch in 2024

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The views expressed in this Member News article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of Agri-TechE.

UK-based PES Technologies has closed its £2.4M Seed Investment round. This will enable PES to make their revolutionary in-field soil health measurement tool market-ready and power its launch in Spring 2024.

TSP Ventures

The funding round was led by TSP Ventures, with participation from Kero Development Partners, Green Angel Ventures, Moorhampton Investments Limited, Climate.vc and Generation-RE Holdings as well as angel investors and existing shareholders. The round is also supported by Innovate UK, which will add an additional £625k of non-dilutive funding on top of the raise.

Based in Norfolk, PES Technologies has developed a product that provides industry-leading, biology-based soil health information in-field in 5 minutes. The product is built around PES’ unique VOC-sensing (or “smell-based”) technology that, with one test, provides the multiple biological, chemical, and physical indicators agronomists use for soil health assessments.

Soil is a finite and non-renewable resource that should be teeming with life, especially microbial life –without it, soil is not soil, but just dust. Unfortunately, a significant amount of our world’s soils are degraded or heavily degraded , and the cost of land degradation has been estimated to be $231B per annum globally . Moreover, soil in poor health produces less food and is less resilient to climatic extremes, making it more prone to flooding and drought.

While governments, industry and farm businesses worldwide are increasingly looking to protect soils’ health, a lack of good-quality, affordable testing for soil biology has hampered their efforts and hindered the uptake of environmentally sustainable farming practices. PES solves this testing problem by using its unique technology to detect smells produced by microbial life in soil and link it to known soil health indicators with its affordable and easy-to-use product.

Founders

Founded in 2017 by CTO Jim Bailey, CEO Andrej Porovic and Graham Bailey (now retired), PES sees itself as “The Future of Soil Health Measurement”. It employs a team of 5 and is looking to strengthen with multiple hires over the coming months. It was recently featured on the Cleantech Group’s 2023 50 to Watch (selected from 1,814 companies) and was one of the FoodTech 500 in 2022.

Bloomberg UK names BigSis in its 25 ‘Startups to Watch’

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The views expressed in this Member News article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of Agri-TechE.

BigSis, the British agtech start-up offering robust yet chemical-free insect control solutions to farmers, has been named today as one of Bloomberg UK’s 25 Startups to Watch.
From more than 1,500 applications received, BigSis is one of just 25 startups to feature in the inaugural list compiled by Bloomberg. The financial and media company says the final selection represents the most innovative, new UK businesses: those that are growing fast, working on something truly unique, and which demonstrate their commitment to diversity.
“I’m truly thrilled by our inclusion as one of these 25 companies,” says BigSis Founder and CEO Glen Slade. “To have been selected from what was undoubtedly an impressive bank of entries is a great vote of confidence in the value of our work to reduce chemical insecticide usage and surely reflects BigSis’ unique and innovative approach to this problem.”

Company Background

Founded in 2017, BigSis has harnessed AI and robotics in its quest to help farmers control insect pests without the use of harmful pesticides. Its in-house technology (Slade has a computer science degree from Cambridge and 25 years’ experience in agribusiness) has automated the individualised rearing of sterile male insects as a means to produce millions of them. These can be released into a crop, where they mate with wild females, which then produce no offspring. This prevents the rapid increase in pest populations that leads to crop damage. Farmers will subscribe to a season-long service, with BigSis taking care of insect releases and crop monitoring.
“The beauty of our system is that it’s species-specific, non-toxic, non-GMO, and demands minimal regulation,” notes Slade. “Despite its minimal impact on the environment, BigSis solutions are capable of outperforming chemical insecticides in many agricultural and horticultural crops, with further opportunities in pest control for public health.”

Collaboration

BigSis partnered with Berry Gardens, the UK’s largest berry supplier, and the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (Niab) in early field trials to prove the technology worked against Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD), an invasive fruit fly. Introducing the sterile male insects reduced SWD populations in strawberries by as much as 91% compared to untreated plots. This year, trials in raspberries showed up to 88% reduction in SWD populations compared to plots treated with one spray of a chemical insecticide.
The clear success of the company’s trials has caught investors’ attention. BigSis Series A closed over-subscribed in November 2022 at £4.5m, with the round led by the specialist agricultural innovation fund Regenerate Ventures. BigSis is currently raising £3m to replicate its production system to treat up to nine times more hectares in 2024 compared to 2023; most of this is pre-ordered.

Production

The company’s current production plant is located within its headquarters in Reading, Berkshire, but the individualised insect rearing technology was designed to be easily scaled up by replicating the processing units. BigSis’ business model is to build its automated production facilities in each country or state where there is demand.
“This ties to our strategy to minimise environmental impact, which has the important benefit of minimising regulatory hurdles,” says Slade. “While most life sciences companies spend millions of pounds and many years pursuing regulatory approvals, our solutions are so safe that they need no permit for commercial sales in England; the same is true for four US states.”
BigSis is already developing solutions for other crop pests. “There’s enormous scope for our solutions in crops worldwide,” says Slade. “As regulatory pressure increases on chemical insecticides, we aim to facilitate producers to pivot towards regenerative practices and meet consumers’ demand for ‘greener’ food.”

SRUC: Capturing impact and evidence through collecting data on-farms

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The views expressed in this Member News article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of Agri-TechE.


HUW JONES, HEAD OF INDUSTRY AND PARTNERSHIPS, SCOTTISH RURAL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

As the quality of data being collected on farms improves, we are seeing a rise in the use of on-farm information helping to drive innovation.

At times it feels that the agriculture industry is under more pressure than ever before. Production costs have increased dramatically, whilst output prices have very rarely followed suit. Pressure to reduce any negative environmental impacts is at an all-time high, and the welfare of our livestock is continually under the microscope.
I strongly believe that the best response to such pressure is to innovate, adapt and evidence the good work we are doing.

Industry and Partnerships

As Head of Industry and Partnerships, I have the pleasure of working across SAC Consulting and SRUC, supporting and driving forward the creation of real industry impact from new innovations. I have a front row seat for many of the exciting developments in agri-innovation, but also know all too well that generating real industry impact from using them is not always that easy.
Over the last decade we have seen a growing focus on developments in Agri-tech, like electronic tagging, advanced sensors, digital cameras, use of satellite imaging, the wireless transfer of data and on-line data management software. We now have many opportunities to generate new information that can help you better manage your farm, whilst improving efficiency and reduce environmental impact. However, innovation isn’t and can’t be a one size fits all approach, each farm needs to evaluate what works for them.
Currently, our research and consultancy teams are involved in trailing and evaluating a number of tools and approaches, ensuring we are well placed to provide independent and knowledgeable advice for farms.

Data collection


As the quality of data being collected on farms improves, we are seeing a rise in the use of on-farm information helping to drive innovation. This brings with the opportunity to reliably quantify the impact of any on-farm improvements that are being adopted.
We are also seeing growing interest in developing more joined up thinking. Measurements are being taken and stored in such a way that it’s not only useful for its intended primary purpose, but also linked to other data sets that are held on the farm or by other partners. What that means in practice, is that over time there should be more opportunities to gain more value from the information you are collecting. There should also be less need to input data in manually, and less need to input the same data twice or even several times!
Obviously, the wish for more joined-up thinking and added value is not new. We already have several examples where it has been a key component of successes that SRUC helped deliver.

EGENES Unit

Did you know that through our EGENES unit, SRUC runs some of the most advanced genetic evaluations for dairy cattle, beef cattle and sheep in the world. At the core of that service is the analysis of data that has typically been collected primarily for another purpose by farmers or our partners. For example, milk production and quality, fertility and health data for dairy cattle that is recorded and used by milk recording companies, lifespan from traceability records, and Bovine Tuberculosis resistance for cattle from government led testing programs. This year the EGENES unit is celebrating 20 years of successfully running UK national genetic evaluations, so we’ve learned a lot in that time. It’s important to realise that the majority of our success stories have required careful combing of some enormous data sets. The analysis for dairy currently includes more than 75M records! In applying advanced analytics alongside many years of fine-tuning and effective collaborations, we have helped industry achieve substantial impacts. The value to the UK beef and sheep sectors alone is estimated a >£20M a year, with the value to the dairy sector even higher.

Collaboration


Our experience, knowledge and collaborations are now being used to develop new products and services in several other areas. delivering real value for the UK economy. For example, new digital tools to support animal welfare monitoring and herd health planning will be available later this year.
Regular readers of Perspectives may have also seen in the last addition that our web-based carbon calculator tool ‘Agrecalc’ is being moved to a cloud-based platform. This will vastly improve its flexibility and ability to link into other digital tools and data sets. Over time this should help farmers generate a more complete picture of their enterprises to help best inform and evidence the impact of positive on-farm decisions aimed at getting the industry closer to the net zero target.
These are just some examples of the advances and innovations we have made, but there is much more to come.
There is little doubt that as we move forward, data collected on farms will play an increasingly important role in driving Agri-innovation and demonstrating positive impact. However, not all data is useful, and careful consideration of what and how to record can make a big difference in terms of the benefits you can capture from it. Having friends that can help you make best use of it also helps!

Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing: Is a better understanding of fungicide resistance required to protect global food production?

Member News
The views expressed in this Member News article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of Agri-TechE.

Since the widespread introduction of fungicides in the 1940s, fungicides have emerged as a basic component of modern IDM programmes.

However, the sheer effectiveness of fungicides has proven to be – in part – their downfall, with widespread application and improper use contributing to the emergence of fungicide resistance.

“There is no doubt that fungicides will remain a vital component of modern agricultural production systems for the foreseeable future,” says Dr Gregory M. Kemmitt, Global Leader in Disease Management, Integrated Biology and Field Sciences at Corteva Agriscience.

“However their development and use within agronomic production systems will likely need to be adapted and grounded within a more holistic and sustainable system of food production,” he concludes.

A new book published by Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing explores the emergence of fungicide resistance in agricultural and horticultural systems, as well as how fungicide use and application can be optimised to reduce the impact of fungicide resistance on global food production.

Understanding and minimising fungicide resistance has been edited by Dr Francisco J. Lopez-Ruiz who currently leads the Fungicide Resistance Group at the Centre for Crop and Disease Management, Australia.

“This new book provides a comprehensive coverage of the issue of fungicide resistance in agriculture,” says Dr Lise Nistrup Jørgensen, Senior Scientist at Aarhus University, Denmark.

“Edited by a leading name in the field and featuring contributions from a very impressive list of international experts, the volume promises to be an excellent reference for the future management of fungicide resistance,” she adds.

Systemic Fungicides

Since the development of systemic fungicides in the 1960s, a core group of fungicides has provided the foundation for effective disease control over the last 50 years: sterol biosynthesis inhibitors (SFIs), quinone outside inhibitors (QoIs), succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHIs) and oxysterol binding protein inhibitors (OSBPIs).

Through the inclusion of a select number of informative case studies, coupled with discussions exploring the science behind the emergence of fungicide resistance, the book reviews our current understanding of resistance to the four key groups of fungicides mentioned above, as well as the role of good practice in minimising the development of resistance in key staple crops.

“These four groups of fungicides have proven to be extremely effective in preventing the onset of disease in crops and are extremely popular with farmers around the globe,” says Francis Dodds, Editorial Director at Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing.

“This popularity with farmers emphasises the need for a more informed understanding of the mechanisms of resistance of each fungicide group and I’m confident that this book can contribute to achieving that,” he concludes.

The need for farmers to have a more informed understanding of the crop protection products they’re applying on their farms is reinforced through the contribution of chapters written by experts working at some of the world’s most renowned agrochemical companies, including Bayer, Syngenta and Corteva Agriscience who are largely responsible for the development of these same fungicides.

Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing: Is vertical farming the answer to our global food supply problem?

Member News
The views expressed in this Member News article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of Agri-TechE.

The global population is estimated to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, with global demand for food set to increase by 60% as a result.

However, with the agricultural sector already heavily criticised for its contribution to global warming, and the sector vulnerable to climate change impacts, increasing global food production to feed an additional two million inhabitants using conventional models is no longer seen as viable.

Plant factories with artificial lighting (PFALs) – more widely known as vertical or indoor farms – are recognised as a promising model that protects food production from weather extremes, optimises yields and can reduce the overall impact of agriculture on the environment.

Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing: Advances in plant factories: New technologies in indoor vertical farming.

In their latest venture, two pioneers of indoor farming – Toyoki Kozai and Eri Hayashi – have collaborated with an impressive range of international experts to produce a new book: Advances in plant factories: New technologies in indoor vertical farming.

“Professor Toyoki Kozai and Dr Eri Hayashi have had a major influence on the advancement and global understanding of vertical farming,” says Christine Zimmermann-Lössl, Chairwoman of the Association for Vertical Farming, Germany.

Key Topics

“This new book addresses key topics such as energy modelling, the nutritional components of crops and spectral manipulation. We see tremendous value in this latest publication from Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing and are confident that it will become a standard reference book in this area,” she concludes.

The book provides an authoritative review of the latest research in the development and application of PFALs for a range of crop, including the application of machine vision, plant phenotyping and spectral imaging to monitor plant health and growth.

PFALs are viewed by many as a more resources-efficient production model with less environmental impact. For example, when compared to conventional open-field production, PFALs have been proven to reduce water consumption by 90% per kg of produce and pesticide and herbicide usage by almost 100%.

And it’s the technology within the system that enables this.

“One of the core technologies of the PFAL derives from the use of an airtight and thermally insulated cultivation room with sensors for measuring all resource inputs, product outputs, environmental factors and plant traits or phenotype,” says Professor Toyoki Kozai, co-editor of this new book.

“This means that plant environmental factors can be controlled at an optimum point with minimum resource inputs and waste outputs, regardless of local weather, soil and ecosystem conditions,” he adds.

What makes this book particularly valuable is that it also addresses the continuing challenges that indoor farming faces.

The editors and authors, identify where more research and investment is required to tackle some of the biggest obstacles facing indoor farming, including the current rate of resource consumption (electricity, plastics and fertilisers), as well as the emission of greenhouse gases during the construction and operation of PFALs.