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Washington, DC
June 25, 2001
The Presidential Green Chemistry
Challenge Award was presented today to EDEN Bioscience
Corporation (NASDAQ:EDEN), Bothell, Wash., for its technical
innovation in the development of harpin technology.
The awards are given annually through the EPA Office of
Pollution Prevention and Toxics to recognize organizations and
individuals that are successfully researching, developing, and
implementing outstanding green chemical technologies. These
technologies are defined as chemical products and manufacturing
processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of
hazardous substances.
The awards were presented at the National Academy of Sciences by
Stephen L. Johnson, EPA Assistant Administrator for Prevention,
Pesticides, and Toxic Substances, during the fifth National
Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference. This is only the
third time an agricultural product company has won the award.
Jerry Butler, CEO, and Zhongmin Wei, PhD, vice-president for
research, accepted EDEN's award in the small business category.
"This award underscores our dedication to commercializing crop
production technologies that promote environmental stewardship
while at the same time provide economic benefit to growers and
ultimately, the consumer," said Butler on receiving the award.
In 1992, while at Cornell University, Wei and his colleagues
first discovered how naturally occurring proteins, called
harpins, trigger natural plant defense systems to protect
against disease and pests and simultaneously activate certain
plant growth systems without altering the plant's DNA. When
applied to crops, harpin increases plant biomass,
photosynthesis, nutrient uptake and root development and,
ultimately, leads to greater crop yield and quality.
Using environmentally friendly fermentation and formulation
processes, EDEN Bioscience(R) has brought harpin technology to
the marketplace as Messenger(R), the first commercial product of
this new crop production technology. EPA approved Messenger in
April 2000 as a biochemical pesticide for disease management and
yield enhancement in more than 40 crop groupings plus turf and
ornamentals. Messenger is approved for use in 49 states,
including New York State, where it is recommended by Cornell
University for use on apples to manage fire blight, and in
California for use on strawberries for disease management.
"A tremendous amount of teamwork was involved between EDEN,
universities and the EPA in providing and reviewing data
submitted for the registration of Messenger in the United
States," Butler said. "Worldwide, the approval process is under
way, and registrations in some countries are expected soon," he
added.
More than 1,000 trials conducted on a wide array of crops
throughout the world demonstrate that Messenger effectively
stimulates plants to defend themselves against a broad spectrum
of viral, fungal, and bacterial diseases, including some disease
for which there is currently no effective treatment, according
to Fred Betz, EDEN director of environmental stewardship and
regulatory affairs, Annapolis, MD. Messenger treatments promote
improved plant quality and generally lead to increased yields of
between 10 percent and 20 percent over current agronomic
practices that include traditional chemicals. Now, using
environmentally benign harpin protein technology, for the first
time in the history of modern agriculture growers will be able
to harness the innate defense and growth systems of crops to
substantially enhance yields and improve crop quality.
Messenger has been shown through an extensive safety evaluation
to have virtually no adverse effect on any of the tested
organisms, including mammals, birds, honeybees, plants, fish,
and other aquatic organisms. Harpin is highly effective at very
low rates of application -- 0.004 to 0.l4 lb of harpin protein
per acre per season.
The harpin molecule is rapidly degraded in the presence of
sunlight and natural microorganisms, and has no potential to
bioaccumulate or to contaminate water. Moreover, the harpin
protein in Messenger is produced in a water-based fermentation
system that uses no solvents or reagents, requires only modest
energy inputs, and generates no hazardous wastes. Using harpin
technology not only conserves resources, it also helps protect
the environment by partially replacing traditional
agricultural chemistry.
Messenger is not irritating to the eyes or skin, and product
application requires no special protective clothing or
precautions. Because of its lack of toxicity, low use rate, and
lack of detectable harpin residue on treated crops, EPA has
determined that Messenger poses no dietary risk and has
established an exemption from the requirement of a tolerance for
harpin protein on all
food commodities.
The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Program was
established in 1995 as part of the Clinton Administration's
Reinventing Environmental Regulations Initiative. In announcing
the program EPA Administrator Carol M. Browner said the awards
were an opportunity for individuals, groups, and organizations
to "compete for Presidential awards in recognition of
fundamental breakthroughs in cleaner, cheaper, smarter
chemistry." Approximately five awards are given annually to
industry and government sponsors, an academic institution, and a
small business. An independent panel of technical experts
convened by the American Chemical Society judged nominations
received for the awards.
Since the inception of the program, the only previous award
winners in agricultural chemistry were made in 1998 to Rohm &
Haas for Confirm insecticide, and in 1999 to Dow AgroSciences
LLC for Spinosad insecticide.
(c) 2001 EDEN Bioscience Corporation.
Always read and follow label instructions before buying or using
this product.
Messenger(R), and EDEN(R), and EDEN Bioscience(R) are registered
trademarks of EDEN Bioscience Corp. Messenger is not currently
registered for sale or use in Colorado. In California, Messenger
is labeled for disease management in strawberries only.
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