Ac-Planta Commences Field Trial of Heat and Drought Tolerance Material 'Skeepon' at a Tea Plantation in Kagoshima

## Field Trial of Heat and Drought Tolerance Material 'Skeepon' at a Tea Plantation in Kagoshima

Ac-Planta Inc. (Headquarters: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Jongmyung Kim) has conducted trials at the tea plantation of Horiguchi Seicha Co., Ltd. (Representative Director: Daisuke Horiguchi) in Shibushi City, Kagoshima Prefecture, using their proprietary agricultural material, 'Skeepon,' which enhances plant tolerance to heat and drought stress.

In this trial, application was carried out in mid-March on the 'Asatsuyu' variety. The study compares a non-treated control plot with a plot treated with Skeepon, measuring and recording growth progress and leaf yield. Moving forward, the company will organize data on yield and quality to verify the potential application of Skeepon in tea cultivation.

As risks of extreme heat and drought due to climate change increase, there is growing interest in technologies that support stable tea production.

### About Skeepon
Skeepon is an agricultural material that utilizes the action of acetic acid (the main component of vinegar). It enhances plant tolerance to drought and high temperatures, contributing to the maintenance of yield and quality, as well as water conservation.

### About Ac-Planta Inc.
Founded in 2018, Ac-Planta is an agri-bio startup established by CEO Jongmyung Kim, a former researcher at RIKEN, whose research on acetic acid's role in plant tolerance was published in 'Nature Plants' in 2017. The company conducts field trials in 14 countries, including the US and Uganda, and collaborates with various agricultural experiment stations and companies within Japan. They have received numerous awards and are committed to developing technologies for sustainable agriculture.