Assessing the Impact of GrowMás on Tomato Growth in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Systems
Nov 12, 2025 | Research Centre
Imagine a tomato that not only grows faster and stronger but also does so with fewer chemicals and greater resilience against disease. At Canadore College, this vision took shape through the Ecolution Project, a pioneering Applied research project that investigated the power of GrowMás, a biostimulant developed by Ecolution Agriculture, within Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) systems. By comparing treated plants to control groups through transcriptomic analysis, the project revealed the hidden conversations occurring in plant DNA, demonstrating how science can foster healthier and more productive crops.
For lead researcher David Villeneuve, the project is about more than plants. It is about decoding the genetic messages that drive growth and resilience. Research Assistants such as Philippe Coutu, brought the plants to life by managing growth conditions, applying the biostimulant, collecting samples, and extracting RNA. Transcriptomic analyses were interpreted under David’s guidance, while Director of the Canadore Research Centre, Christina Deroche, ensured every piece fit together seamlessly. Working alongside Ecolution Agriculture and student researchers, the team not only grew plants but also gained insight into how science can combat global food insecurity.
The project was inspired by pressing challenges, including global food insecurity and plant pathogens that threaten crop productivity. It aimed to determine whether biostimulants, such as GrowMás, could enhance growth, strengthen resilience against disease, and boost yield in precise, controlled systems. The treated plants surged ahead, producing stronger stems, fuller leaves, and heavier fruit, while transcriptomic analysis revealed significant changes in gene expression tied to growth pathways, stress response, and nutrient metabolism. These findings provide guidance for optimized biostimulant application protocols for controlled environment agriculture systems, helping farmers achieve more with less.
What sets this applied research project apart is its integration of controlled environment agriculture with high-resolution transcriptomics, providing molecular-level insights rarely captured in traditional agronomy studies. Precise control over growth variables allows the team to directly link biostimulant treatment to specific genetic outcomes, demonstrating the potential of technology-driven, science-based farming.
The project has a transformative impact. Crop yield and quality have improved for greenhouse and vertical farming operations, while reliance on chemical fertilizers has decreased, promoting sustainability. Data-driven recommendations from the project inform global controlled environment agriculture practices, and advancements in plant genomics knowledge have the potential to influence breeding programs worldwide.
Challenges such as variability in plant responses, large-scale transcriptomic datasets, and ensuring reproducibility were addressed through meticulous planning. Replicates, standardized protocols, controlled conditions, and robust bioinformatics pipelines ensured reliability. Increasing sample sizes strengthened the statistical power of the results.
The methodologies reflect state-of-the-art plant research. Plants were grown in carefully controlled systems, treated with GrowMás according to precise protocols, and sampled for RNA extraction from multiple tissues. Transcriptomic data were analyzed to reveal the molecular effects of the biostimulant. Ecolution Agriculture provided materials and practical expertise. Locally controlled environment agriculture growers and aggrotech partners advised on scalability, and students gained hands-on experience, learning how research translates into real-world agricultural solutions.
Future directions are ambitious. The team plans to scale the findings to larger greenhouse and vertical farm operations, test the effects of GrowMás on different crop species, and integrate multi-omics approaches, including metabolomics and proteomics, for even deeper insights. If successful in North Bay, these approaches could be applied to vertical farms in New York, urban agriculture projects in cities, and drought-stricken regions of Africa, transforming the way food is grown globally.
The key message is clear: this applied research project demonstrates that science and technology can sustainably enhance plant growth. By understanding how biostimulants influence plants at the genetic level, we can cultivate healthier crops, reduce chemical dependence, and support a resilient, sustainable food system. This applied research project shows that the future of farming lies not in vast open fields, but in precise, resilient, and sustainable systems capable of feeding the world, one genetically informed plant at a time.
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