Messenger in Alaska

**"* J* R* <l*@hevanet.com>**

Eva Monheim just sent a story to the list, and I'm not sure it reached it
because of all the fonts, attachments, etc.  It's worth posting, but it
should have been cleaned up for the list, instead of just sending the web
page, the way it was.
-Lon Rombough
*********************************************

Dear Fellow Garden Writers -

Jeff Lowenfels just wrote this article today and boy does he have a
following.  The new product Messenger(R) is creating such a buzz that my
computer was near the crashing point - hundreds of responses and the day is
not even half over up in Alaska.

I thought that you all should know the effects and affects of the garden
writer.  When you know your audience, you create the buzz that goes on for
.... well perhaps a longer time than any of us could realize.

Thanks Jeff!!  Your the Best

Eva Monheim
------------------------

New product can speed plant growth during short summer

JEFF LOWENFELS
GARDENING

(Published: March 5, 2004)

As an Alaska gardener, I'm always on the hunt for ways to take advantage of
unlimited summer daylight as well as compensate for our cruelly short
growing season. 

I recently came across a new product that may help in both arenas. There is
no question it's worth trying, and there are free samples to be tested to
help in the venture.

The product is Messenger, and it has been dubbed "a plant health activator."
It's sold in powder form and is primarily sprayed onto leaves, where it
causes a series of reactions that markedly improve plant growth.

The story began almost 10 years ago, when a scientist at Cornell University
discovered a protein produced by pathogens as they attack plants. Called
"harpin," this protein is detectable by plant defense systems and triggers a
number of reactions by the plant to protect itself.

One of the major responses is faster uptake of nutrients. This causes the
plant to grow bigger and faster. This means bigger plants earlier with more
flowers and fruits and, obviously, healthy plants.

This is no different, in a sense, from your own system: You get a cold
virus, and the presence of that virus triggers your immune system to put up
defenses. 

When the harpin protein is applied to leaves without an accompanying
pathogen, the plant still reacts as if it were under attack.

The harpin disappears quickly as it is eaten by microbes on the leaves, but
the reaction to its presence continues.

Tests show increased seed germination, better root development, increased
immunity to diseases and better tolerance to stress. The produce from
treated plants even has a longer shelf life than produce from untreated
plants. 

Best of all, harpin is nothing more than a protein that's good microbial
fodder -- so safe it disappears, you might say. Obviously, it should be
compatible with compost tea, being added at the end of the brewing process.
The point is, this is not a poison and will do no harm to the environment.

On its own, this stuff sounds better than penicillin. However, what should
be of particular interest to Alaskans is that Messenger results in earlier
flowering as well as earlier fruit maturation. One of our major hurdles is
dealing with a short growing season. Messenger might help in this area and
is surely worth using in experiments on the plants we traditionally grow as
well as some that have been marginal but might make it with Messenger's
help. So far, all plants tested with Messenger respond positively.

And I can't help wondering what Messenger's impact might be on vegetables
that already grow big. This product could influence the outcome of state
fair big veggie contests.

Why am I so excited? I visited the Eden Bioscience facilities and saw
treated roses that were at least 10 days ahead of nontreated roses coming
out of dormancy. I saw root balls that were significantly fuller than those
without treatment. I was shown studies of earlier raspberries and reduced
diseases in fruits, both a result of the harpin protein.

The folks who promote harpin made one mistake, however. They agreed to give
away a free sample to any of my readers. If it's as good here in the field
as it was in the lab in Bothell, Wash., every one of us should get a free
sample right now. You can do so by sending an e-mail to Eva Monheim
(Eva@gardenmediagroup.com). Put your mailing address in the message field
and the words "Anchorage Daily News sample" in the subject line, and she
will send you a sample of Messenger to try. I am sending for mine now.

Jeff Lowenfels gardens in Anchorage. He is a member of the Garden Writers
Association of America. He can be reached at jeff@gardener.com. 

_______________________________________________
gardenwriters mailing list
gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/gardenwriters

GWL has searchable archives at:
http://www.hort.net/lists/gardenwriters

Send photos for GWL to gwlphotos@hort.net to be posted
at: http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos

Post gardening questions/threads to
"Organic-Gardening" <organic-gardening@lists.ibiblio.org>

For GWL website and Wiki, go to
http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters