Harp-N-Tek™: An Excellent Environmental and Safety Profile

When the first Harp-N-Tek™ product, Messenger®, was developed, its beneficial properties and favorable safety profile won the U.S. EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Award in 2001. The Award recognizes accomplishments and promotes the research, development, and implementation of innovative green chemical technologies that have been or are utilized by industry in achieving pollution prevention goals.

Harp-N-Tek products exhibit virtually no acute toxicity to mammals by any route of exposure and are classified as a Toxicity Category IV product (EPA’s lowest hazard rating) and carry the EPA signal word “Caution.”

Harp-N-Tek foliar products can be mixed and applied safely with minimal protective clothing and qualify for the minimum EPA restricted entry interval (REI) of four hours for field workers.

Harpinea and Harpinab, the active ingredients in Harp-N-Tek products, are exempt from the requirements of a tolerance on all food crops.

Harpin Protein is non-persistent and does not accumulate in the environment. After application, the material degrades rapidly by natural sunlight and by micro-organisms in the soil and on plants. At normal use rates, Harpin Protein is not detectible on plants or in the soil. Harpin Protein poses no threat of ground water or surface-water contamination.

Harp-N-Tek products are EPA-classified as practically nontoxic to all species tested: birds, honeybees, fish, and aquatic invertebrates. In seedling germination and emergence studies, Harp-N-Tek products exhibit no phytotoxicity to plants, and none was observed in crop field trials. No restrictive use labeling is necessary to protect non-target organisms and sensitive habitats.

Worker safety precautions may vary if Harp-N-Tek products are tank mixed with other, more restrictive products. Harp-N-Tek foliar products can be tank-mixed with almost any post-emergence crop input, including herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and plant growth regulators. Producers find this compatibility and flexibility is to their liking because it provides the benefits of Harp-N-Tek while saving an extra trip over the crop, which reduces costly fuel use, equipment wear and tear, and compaction. When tank-mixing Harp-N-Tek products, always add them to the tank first, and always follow the labeled worker safety instructions and REI for the most restricted tank mix partner.

Test Organism Test Results (MessengerSTS)

Acute Toxicity Test Results (MessengerSTS)

For more safety information, please see Harpin's Biopesticide Regulatory Action Document (pdf format, at the epa.gov website).