TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / December 6, 2018 / Toronto based CO2 GRO Inc. (''GROW'') (TSX-V: GROW, OTCQB: BLONF, FRA: 4021) is pleased to announce dramatic plant resistance improvement against common pathogens and a common predator using CO2 Foliar Spray. Bacterial (E. coli) and fungal (F. oxysporum) numbers showed a reduction by two orders of magnitude (over 90%) while a significant reduction in aphid counts was also identified.

Foliar Spray plants once infected with powdery mildew had over a 100% increase in days of plant survival post infection versus plants grown conventionally and CO2 gassed plants. The CO2 gassed plants had similar low results to conventional plants showing minimal pathogen resistance improvement using CO2 gas.

These pathogen and pest results will add to grower confidence to use GROW's natural CO2 Foliar Spray which is proven to sharply enhance plant growth and value. It could lead to the reduction of the amount of chemical pesticides, insecticides and fungicides used for optimal plant growth with CO2 Foliar Spray use.

CO2 FOLIAR SPRAY SCIENTIFIC TRIAL METHODOLOGY

Antipathogen experimentation considered bacterial (E. coli), fungal (F. oxysporum) Powdery Mildew strains and aphids (insects). Six individual experiments were conducted at St. Cloud State University under Dr. Matt Julius. Two grew pathogens directly on agar plates (one E. coli and one F. oxysporum). Four used peppers as a host for the pathogens; one used E. coli, one used F. oxysporum and one used Powdery Mildew. The sixth experiment used predator aphids.

CO2 Foliar Spray at 800 PPM dissolved was applied every fifteen minutes for three hours per day. E. coli, fungi, and aphid trials were five days long while the powdery mildew trials were 21 days in length.

With the powdery mildew trial, three variations were considered. A control, CO2 gassing at 1200 PPM, and CO2 foliar infusion at 800 PPM. Plants were infected with Powdery Mildew and days to mortality were counted for each experimental plant.

All experiments were compared with standard statistical methods and found major increases in resistance for all pathogens and predators trialed.

CANNABIS TRIALS PENDING

Several LP cannabis growers waiting to trial CO2 Foliar Spray following approval expressed concerns that its use could increase powdery mildew risk with limited Health Canada powdery mildew treatment options. These non-cannabis plant scientific results using powdery mildew prove the opposite.

The next series of scientific pathogen and predator resistance trials with be performed at two legal US cannabis facilities in early Q1, 2019. Results will be filed with Health Canada in support of approving the Canadian usage by LPs of CO2 Foliar Spray during plant cutting transplant and vegetative growth phases for superior pathogen and predator resistance.

Dr. Matt Julius concluded ''These results are consistent with the hypothesis that CO2 Foliar Spray use inhibits the growth of E. Coli, fungus and Powdery Mildew and retards insect grazers.''

John Archibald, CEO of GROW stated "These results add further confidence to our potential cannabis and non-cannabis plant growers of the dramatic plant value superiority using CO2 Foliar Spray over no CO2 gassing as well as over plants CO2 gassed.''

About CO2 GRO Inc.

GROW's mission is to accelerate all indoor and outdoor value plant growth naturally, safely, and economically using its patented advanced CO2 Foliar Spray technologies. GROW's global target plant markets are retail food at $8 trillion per year (Plunkett Mar 2017) and retail non-food at an estimated $1.2 trillion per year with retail tobacco at $760 Billion (BA Tobacco estimate), floriculture at $100B by 2022 (MarketResearch.Biz estimate) and legal retail cannabis at $50 billion per year by 2022 (Bay St Analyst estimates).

GROW's CO2 technologies are commercially proven, scalable and easily adopted into existing irrigation systems. GROW's proven crop yield enhancements and revenue model are compelling for growers and Agri-industrial partners.

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 water 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 of natural water, dissolved 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, about 60% 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 infused CO2 foliar spray can be used by indoor and outdoor plant growers with minimal CO2 gas lost and much greater plant bioavailability resulting in higher yields. GROW's mission is to accelerate all indoor and outdoor value plant growth naturally, safely, and economically using its patented advanced CO2 Foliar technologies. GROW's global target plant markets are retail food at $8 trillion per year (Plunkett Mar 2017) and retail non-food at an estimated $1.2 trillion per year with retail tobacco at $760 Billion (BA Tobacco estimate), floriculture at $100B by 2022 (MarketResearch.Biz estimate) and legal retail cannabis at $50 billion per year by 2022 (Bay St Analyst estimates).

GROW's CO2 technologies are commercially proven, scalable and easily adopted into existing irrigation systems. GROW's proven crop yield enhancements and revenue model are compelling for growers and Agri-industrial partners.

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 water onto the entire plant leaf surface area, which is a semi permeable membrane. The osmotic pressure of the concentrated CO2 then penetrates a leaf's surface area naturally like nicotine naturally dissolves through human skin from a nicotine patch.

Spraying of natural water, dissolved 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, about 60% 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 infused CO2 Foliar Spray can be used by indoor and outdoor plant growers with minimal CO2 gas lost and much greater plant bioavailability resulting in higher yields.

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.

SOURCE: CO2 GRO Inc.