Diss company, PES Technologies, wins national award for device which can ‘smell’ soil health
A company, which has pioneered an ingenious device to monitor soil health, has won a national award.
PES Technologies, based on Diss Business Park, was named Agri-tech Innovator of the Year at the 2024 British Farming Awards.
It is the second award the company has won in the space of a month after also scooping a similar innovation award from the Fresh Produce Consortium.
PES Technologies is the company behind a unique hand-held sensor device with can detect the odour, or literally ‘smell’, a soil’s biological make-up.
This allows farmers and agronomists to carry out quick and cost-effective tests in the field, without the need to send samples to a laboratory to determine soil health.
It works within five minutes and helps farmers to select which crops to grow, and how to treat them.
The company is also exploring further uses for the technology, which has so far attracted more than £3 million in investment since the idea was first mooted by chief technology officer Dr Jim Bailey in 2017.
Andrej Porovic, company CEO and co-founder, said: “The device is unique in that it can literally smell the make up of soil, like a sniffer dog trained to smell truffles or narcotics.
“We began delivering the first units this autumn and we are super-chuffed to win the national award as we build up customers.”
The hand-held device, which connects to a smartphone app, analyses small samples from the top five to 15cm of soil, detecting volatile organic compounds and small molecular gases.
It provides in-field data on more than 12 key indicators of biological, chemical and physical soil health.
Judges praised the global potential of the product, alongside the cross-sector benefit for all UK-based farmers.
Currently used for growing arable crops, the technology could be applied to other areas in future.
“There are many potential uses, from pasture farming to pesticides and even food storage,” added Mr Porovic.
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