Startup Using Bacteria To Grow Crops Gets Approved In Canada

An Israeli company that uses bacteria to help crops grow has received approval to operate in Canada.

Lavie Bio uses “bio-stimulants” to improve food quality, sustainability, and agricultural productivity. These stimulants are made from microbial populations such as bacteria, which live within a plant or close to it.

The company announced that it had received registration for its Thrivus seed treatment from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which triples the product’s sales territory.

The Thrivus seed treatment is already being used in the USA on fields of Hard Red Spring Wheat, one of the most popular kinds of the grain, to improve the availability of soil nutrients while mitigating environmental stresses.

It was first used in the US during the 2022 growing season, when it showed an average increase in crop yield of three to four bushels per acre. 

Lavie Bio employs machine learning and AI to inspect microbes through a “multidimensional lens,” offering a deeper understanding of specific microbe functions. As a result, the company is continuously developing bio-stimulant and bio-pesticide products in a shorter time period and at reduced cost.

In the coming year, Lavie Bio plans to use Thrivus on field crops such as barley, durum, oats and others.

“Our product has played a key role in boosting farmers’ yields and promoting more sustainable food production practices,” said Amit Noam, CEO of Lavie Bio.

“We are currently seeing high demand in our market in the USA, and gaining regulatory approval from Canada is a significant milestone for our global expansion plan.”