Brazil's NanoGrow startup advances nanotech to boost crop yields

NanoGrow, a Mato Grosso‑based startup founded by researchers from the Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT), is developing nanotechnological agronomic inputs aimed at increasing productivity sustainably. The company, which won the post‑graduate category at the 2025 ExpoLondrina hackathon and joined the Go SRP Agritech accelerator, is testing its nanocarbon‑based products on lettuce, tomato, pasture and soybean. Early field trials reported a 15% rise in fresh lettuce mass, about a 20% increase in tomato fruit number, a 13.6% boost in dry matter of Brachiaria pasture, and soybean yield gains of up to 3.55 sacks per hectare. These improvements could add roughly R$300 per hectare under favorable conditions. NanoGrow plans to expand the platform to soy, corn, sorghum, cotton and sugarcane, targeting commercial release of its products by 2028.