- Agricultural biotech company, MustGrow Biologics (CSE:MGRO) has received positive laboratory results, after testing its bio-pesticide against clubroot spores
- Clubroot is a soil-borne disease, which can damage and destroy canola crops
- During a 24-hour trial, MustGrow’s bio-pesticide allowed testers to gain 100 per cent control of the clubroot spores
- The company will now replicate the trials in greenhouses and later in larger field studies
- MustGrow Biologics (MGRO) is up 10.71 per cent and is currently trading at C$0.31 per share
Agricultural biotech company, MustGrow Biologics (CSE:MGRO) has received positive laboratory results, after testing its bio-pesticide against clubroot spores.
Clubroot is a rapidly spreading, soil-borne disease, which causes the roots of canola plants to swell.
This can cause the plant to die prematurely. Once it has infested a field, clubroot can destroy an entire crop.
Since 2003, Canada’s canola-growing regions have experienced thousands of crop infestations. In the last year alone, 300 new cases of clubroot have emerged in Alberta.
Canola farmers have started implementing preventative measures to protect their crops. These include lengthening crop rotations, seeking clubroot-resistant varieties, and cleaning soil off between fields.
Unfortunately, these only slow the spread of the disease, and don’t eradicate it completely. As such, the need for a pesticide is increasingly high for Canada’s canola crops.
MustGrow’s patented mustard-derived bio-pesticide, TerraMG, may provide the solution. In laboratory conditions, testers gained 100 per cent control of the clubroot spores within a 24-hour period.
MustGrow will now replicate the trial on a larger scale, starting in greenhouse facilities. If those are successful, then the company will test TerraMG in larger field studies.
MustGrow’s Chief Operating Officer, Colin Bletsky, commented on the company’s next steps.
“We are extremely excited to now advance our Clubroot work to the next testing stage to potentially provide a valuable crop-protection tool for farmers.
“I know how important canola is for farmers in Western Canada, and on my family farm as well. I’m proud to think that we can potentially provide a Saskatchewan-based solution to help control this devastating disease,” he said.
MustGrow Biologics (MGRO) is up 10.71 per cent and is trading at C$0.31 per share at 3:00pm EDT.
