A natural trigger to harness a plant's own protectant and growth systems to significantly improve crop production and food quality has received EPA approval.
EDEN Biosciences Corp., of Bothell, Wal, announced April 26 that Messenger is the first member of a fundamentally different and new class of crop protection and plant-protection products expected to impact agriculture worldwide.
Registration was granted for use on all food commodities, fiber-producing crops, trees, turf, and ornamentals. EDEN Biosciences expects state regulatory approvals shortly in its initial target markets in the southern United States.
The company anticipates that Messenger will be used to improve crop protection or significantly enhance yields on more than 45 crops grown in the United States alone.
"There is no other product or compound commercially available that has such a broad-based impact on so many crops. Messenger technology has the potential to improve food safety and agricultural practices dramatically worldwide," Jerry Butler, president and CEO, said.
The active ingredient of Messenger is harpin, a naturally occurring protein produced by bacteria commonly found in the environment. Harpin proteins were discovered by Dr. Wei and his colleagues, including Dr. Steven Beer, at Cornell University.