TORONTO, June 20, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Toronto based CO2 GRO Inc. (“GROW” or the “Company”) (TSX-V:GROW) is pleased to announce more scientific proof validating its dissolved CO2 foliar spray technology on lettuce. The first trials at St Cloud State University in Minnesota ("St. Cloud") measured a fourfold sustained increase of chlorophyll concentration in Romaine lettuce leaves with dissolved CO2 foliar spray pulsed in 15-minute intervals for four hours. More chlorophyll lets plants grow faster and larger.
According to Tridge Intelligence, the worldwide lettuce market is 26.8M tonnes/y with the US producing 15.2% or 4M tonnes/y. Over 90% of US lettuce grown is in California. At the current $1.17/kg global wholesale lettuce price, the global wholesale lettuce market is worth $30B/y.
GROW believes that these initial chlorophyll trials with further replication of previous lettuce grow trials using its CO2 foliar spray technology will confirm the potential of 1-2 more lettuce crops/year in California or $1-2B/y more wholesale California lettuce revenue with less water use per unit of lettuce yield.
St. Cloud's first weekly plant science report states " Notable in these initial experiments is the rapidity of physiological response seen in CO2 exposed plants. This data is encouraging and consistent with the hypothesis of significant plant growth enhancement with CO2 delivered via foliar spray:"
In April 2018, GROW signed an ongoing Collaboration Agreement with St Cloud for scientific plant cultivation research services. Regular scientific documentation of CO2 foliar spray impacts on plant leaf stomata and now started grow trials in lettuce and peppers will be ongoing.
The primary objective of the started St. Cloud Romaine lettuce trial is to duplicate the excellent 100% incremental biomass results from an earlier lettuce trial conducted by the University of Guelph. That dissolved CO2 foliar spray lettuce biomass result was measured against lettuce grown with 800 PPM of CO2 gassing.
All patentable results from scientific discoveries at St Cloud will be 100% owned by GROW.
About CO2 GRO (GROW.TSXV) or "GROW"
GROW's mission is to accelerate all indoor and outdoor value plant growth naturally, safely, and economically using its patented advanced CO2 foliar technologies. CO2 GRO's global target plant markets are retail food at $8 trillion per year (Plunkett Mar 2017), retail non-food plants at an estimated $1 trillion per year and legal retail cannabis that may reach $50 billion per year by 2022 (Bay St Analyst estimates). GROW's sole focus is working with its plant grower and Agri-industrial partners in proving and adopting its CO2 technologies for specific growers’ plant yield needs.
The CO2 technologies work by transferring CO2 gas into water and foliar spraying across the entire plant leaf surface area, which is a semi permeable membrane. The dissolved concentrated CO2 then penetrates a leaf's surface area naturally like nicotine naturally dissolves through human skin from a nicotine patch.
Foliar spraying natural nutrients and chemicals on plant leaves has been used for over 60 years by millions of indoor and outdoor plant growers. To date, outdoor growers have not had any way to enhance plant CO2 gas uptake for faster growth.
Indoor use of CO2 gassing has enhanced plant yields for over 60 years. However, over 50% of the CO2 gas is typically lost through ventilation. Current greenhouse CO2 gassing levels of up to 1500 PPM are also not ideal for worker health and safety. GROW's safer dissolved CO2 foliar spray can be used by indoor and outdoor plant growers with minimal CO2 gas lost.
GROW's CO2 technologies are commercially proven, scalable and easily adopted into existing irrigation systems. GROW's proven crop yield enhancements and revenue model is compelling for growers and Agri-industrial partners.
Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking statements that are based on CO2GRO's expectations, estimates and projections regarding its business and the economic environment in which it operates. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to control or predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements and readers should not place undue reliance on such statements. Statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update them publicly to reflect new information or the occurrence of future events or circumstances, unless otherwise required to do so by law.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
For more information, please visit www.co2gro.ca or contact Sam Kanes, VP Business Development at 416-315-7477.