MustGrow initiates South America strategy; pursuit of bio-pesticide registration for several crop groups

MustGrow Biologics Corp. (CSE: MGRO) (OTC: MGROF) (FRA: 0C0) (the “Company”, “MustGrow”), an agricultural biotech company developing and commercializing a portfolio of natural, science-based biological crop protection products, announces the initiation of its South American strategy for bio-pesticide registration of TerraMG for use in several crop groups. TerraMG is MustGrow’s signature mustard-derived liquid pre-plant bio-pesticide formulation that has been proven to control soil-borne pests and diseases such as Fusarium, Botrytis, Rhizoctonia, Pythium, Verticillium, Phytophthora, Sclerotinia, and Nematodes.

MustGrow has already been working towards its US-EPA and Canadian-PMRA registrations of TerraMG for pre-plant treatment of soil-borne pests and diseases in high value crops such as fruits & vegetables and turf & ornamental. Now, MustGrow is looking to replicate that strategy in South America, starting with Colombia – pursuing registration of TerraMG as a bio-pesticide for use in Colombian crops including fruits & vegetables, coffee, oil palm, and various floriculture. This entry will coincide with proof-of-concept testing of TerraMG on the Panama Disease, a devastating disease threatening the global banana supply.

“We are very excited to introduce our natural technology into Colombia as our initial entry into the extremely important South American crop production market.” remarked MustGrow COO Colin Bletsky. “We look forward to testing in Colombia, targeting continual crop protection needs in South America and potentially helping farmers control key soil-borne diseases and nematodes.”

MustGrow is currently awaiting final import approval from the Colombian government. MustGrow anticipates testing its liquid bio-pesticide in laboratory then field settings for soil-borne pests and diseases affecting bananas, fruits & vegetables, coffee, oil palm, and various floriculture. This work will build on MustGrow’s existing field data and serve as a benchmark for achieving registration labels in Colombia and further South American advancement.

Panama Disease (Fusarium wilt TR4)

Panama Disease, caused by a new Fusarium pathogen strain known as Fusarium wilt Tropical Race 4 (“Fusarium wilt TR4”), is a soil-borne disease pathogen plaguing the global banana supply. MustGrow’s previous independent efficacy studies involving the treatment of Fusarium oxysporum, a soil-borne pathogen potentially similar to Fusarium wilt TR4, have demonstrated 100% control of the fungus.

The spread of Fusarium wilt TR4 to banana plantations in South America has prompted Colombia to reportedly declare a National State of Emergency, enacting special measures to stop the disease from spreading, including the preventive eradication of 168 hectares of infected crop. A flurry of media reports has followed, revealing a research race to save bananas from extinction.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ⁽¹⁾

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (“FAO”) Fusarium wilt disease has been a major constraint to banana production for more than a century. Its new race, Fusarium wilt TR4, has been causing serious banana losses in Southeast Asia, resulting in abandonment of thousands of hectares. Fusarium wilt TR4 is among the most destructive diseases of bananas, affecting particularly Cavendish bananas, supplying around half of global banana production. Effective eradication is currently not possible, with Fusarium wilt TR4 remaining viable for decades in the soil. Once established in a field, it can cause 100 percent yield loss.

⁽¹⁾ Source: http://www.fao.org