MustGrow Joins Industry Consortium “Global Alliance Against TR4” to defeat Banana Fungal Disease Fusarium wilt TR4
MustGrow Biologics Corp. (TSXV: MGRO) (OTCQB: MGROF) (FSE: 0C0) (the “Company” or “MustGrow”) is pleased to accept membership into the Global Alliance Against TR4 (https://iica.int/en/global-alliance), an international consortium of world-leading banana players committed to defeat Fusarium wilt TR4 (“TR4”), a fungal disease jeopardizing the future of bananas. MustGrow is collaborating to bring its uniquely effective technologies to help address this global issue, joining international banana leaders, including Bayer, Chiquita, Del Monte, Dole, and Fyffes.
“I celebrate the willingness of MustGrow to join forces in this endeavor to put an end to this hazard, and contribute in this manner to the food security and the economy of several families involved in the banana value chain,” Gabriel Rodríguez Marqués, IICA Representative in Paraguay Executive Secretariat of the Global Alliance Against TR4. “I extend my gratitude and underscore the assurances of my highest consideration.”
The deadly disease pathogen TR4 has been wreaking havoc and ravaging the $25 billion global banana industry – with infected plantations experiencing 100% loss and being quarantined for decades. A flurry of apocalyptic media accounts are revealing a race to save bananas from extinction after the disease has left a trail of scorched banana plantations in its wake.
MustGrow vs. TR4
Under commercial partnership with Bayer, Bayer has the option to continue to build on MustGrow’s work in treating TR4. MustGrow’s approach harnesses the natural defense mechanism of the mustard plant to develop organic, safe, and effective biofungicides and biopesticides to treat a variety of pests, fungus, and disease, including TR4.
MustGrow’s previously-disclosed work has demonstrated 100% control of TR4 in a laboratory setting of five different plate samples at five different application rates. All 25 plates showed 100% disease control utilizing MustGrow’s biofungicide technology after a five-day period. In field trial settings, application of MustGrow’s biofungicide demonstrated positive dose response with reduced incidence and severity of TR4 symptoms in banana plants after 21 days. Importantly, even at higher application rates there was no damage or phytotoxic effects to the banana plants, allowing MustGrow to explore treating the banana plants directly, in addition to soil applications.
Sustainable innovations and green technologies are necessary to ensure agricultural production continues to address food safety and security as well as soil health. MustGrow’s rapidly developing solutions are focused on sustainable, safe, and effective, organic plant-based crop protection solutions that harness the mustard seed’s natural defense mechanism to treat diseases, pests and weeds. MustGrow’s technology has shown consistent efficacy in multiple global regions, in multiple crops, in multiple applications, over multiple years. The commercial development collaboration between Bayer and MustGrow demonstrates the importance of innovation in sustainable technologies in agricultural regions around the world.
Additional Sources
Bananas As We Know Them Are Doomed VICE News
Disease Is Ravaging the $25 Billion Banana Industry Bloomberg
Why The World’s Most Popular Banana May Go Extinct Business Insider
The world’s bananas are in trouble BBC World Service
Why The Banana Business Of Chiquita And Dole Is At Risk CNBC
About Global Alliance Against TR4
At the Global Alliance Against TR4, our purpose is bringing together the world’s efforts to defeat TR4, a fungal disease jeopardizing bananas’ future. We’re a worldwide, multi-stakeholder community, uniting food brands, value chain companies, researchers, trade associations, financial services, the public sector and civil society. We recognize that TR4 is an urgent threat, and that we can fight it more effectively together than we ever could alone. As the Global Alliance, we’re co-ordinating research and training efforts at every stage, from the lab to the plantation. And we’re raising funds and awareness through our business and public engagement campaign, The Banana Action Group.
About MustGrow
MustGrow is an agriculture biotech company developing organic biocontrol and biofertility products by harnessing the natural defense mechanism and organic materials of the mustard plant to sustainably protect the global food supply and help farmers feed the world. MustGrow and its leading global partners — Bayer, Janssen PMP (pharmaceutical division of Johnson & Johnson), Sumitomo Corporation, and Univar Solutions’ NexusBioAg — are developing mustard-based organic solutions for applications in biocontrol to potentially replace harmful synthetic chemicals in preplant soil treatment and weed control, to postharvest disease control and food preservation. Bayer has a commercial agreement to develop and commercialize MustGrow’s biocontrol soil applications in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Concurrently, with new formulations derived from food-grade mustard, the Company is pursuing the adoption and use of its Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI Listed®) and California’s Organic Input Material (OIM) Program registered biofertility product, TerraSanteTM, in key U.S. states including California. Over 150 independent tests have been completed, validating MustGrow’s safe and effective approach to crop and food protection and yield enhancements. Pending regulatory approval, MustGrow’s patented liquid technologies could be applied through injection, standard drip or spray equipment, improving functionality and performance features. MustGrow has approximately 51.6 million basic common shares issued and outstanding and 54.1 million shares fully diluted. For further details, please visit www.mustgrow.ca.
Contact Information
Corey Giasson
Director & CEO
Phone: +1-306-668-2652
info@mustgrow.ca
MustGrow Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements included in this news release constitute “forward-looking statements” which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may affect the results, performance or achievements of MustGrow.
Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, “budget”, “estimates”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, or “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might”, “occur” or “be achieved”. Examples of forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others, statements MustGrow makes regarding: the commencement of its membership into the Global Alliance Against TR4; the outcome or the ability of its technologies to combat TR4;; whether MustGrow’s organic biofertility product will complement the Company’s existing biocontrol programs in preplant soil fumigation, postharvest food preservation, and bioherbicide; the application of MustGrow’s biofungicide, and the efficacy of MustGrow’s technology. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of MustGrow to differ materially from those discussed in such forward-looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, MustGrow. Important factors that could cause MustGrow’s actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include market receptivity to investor relations activities as well as those risks described in more detail in MustGrow’s Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2023 and other continuous disclosure documents filed by MustGrow with the applicable securities regulatory authorities which are available at www.sedar.com. Readers are referred to such documents for more detailed information about MustGrow, which is subject to the qualifications, assumptions and notes set forth therein.
This release does not constitute an offer for sale of, nor a solicitation for offers to buy, any securities in the United States.
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