Hakaru Plus's Chemical Fertilizer Reduction Plan Using 'Folina' Nitrate Nitrogen Sensor Receives Fundamental Establishment Project Certification

Hakaru Plus Corporation (Headquarters: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture; Representative Director: Yasuo Miyake) received certification from the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on June 5, 2026, for its fundamental establishment project implementation plan utilizing the non-destructive nitrate nitrogen sensor 'Folina'.

With this certification, the company becomes the first enterprise with its main office in the Kinki region to receive the 'No. 1 Certification' in the certification status of the fundamental establishment project implementation plan published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The No. 1 Certification targets the research and development of advanced technologies and projects that spread those results to the field.

Under this plan, primarily targeting greenhouse-grown tomatoes, Folina will be used to measure the nitrate nitrogen concentration in leaves, supporting fertilizer management based on the leaf's condition. Moving forward, the company will develop standard operating procedures for measurement methods, recording methods, and application to fertilizer application decisions, aiming to reduce the amount of chemical fertilizer used while maintaining yield and quality.

Key Points of this Release
- First No. 1 Certification in Kinki: The company is the first with a main office in the Kinki region to receive the No. 1 certification in the status published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
- Limited Category Nationwide: Out of 109 certified operators as of June 5, 2026, only 8 operators hold the No. 1 certification.
- Measures in about 7 seconds without cutting leaves: Folina is a non-destructive sensor that can measure nitrate nitrogen concentration simply by clamping the crop leaf.
- Supports fertilizer management based on leaf condition: Aims to reduce chemical fertilizer use and maintain yield and quality, primarily for greenhouse tomatoes.

Main Initiatives of the Plan
Focusing on greenhouse tomatoes, the plan will advance demonstrations of top-dressing decisions through nutritional diagnosis using Folina, and the development of operational methods that can be sustained in the field.
- Demonstration of nitrogen fertilizer reduction through nutritional diagnosis using Folina (Target: 10-25% reduction compared to conventional methods)
- Evaluation of impact on yield, quality, fertilizer costs, and working time
- Development of standard operating procedures summarizing measurement conditions, recording methods, and utilization for fertilizer decisions
- Preparation of introduction support materials for producers, extension organizations, and public testing grounds
- Consideration of expansion to other crops based on the measurement, recording, and judgment models established for tomatoes

Through short-time, multi-point, high-frequency measurements, the goal is to increase the certainty of top-dressing decisions in the field and contribute to suppressing excessive top-dressing.

Background: Fertilizer Decisions for Reducing Environmental Impact
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' 'Strategy for Sustainable Food Systems' sets a target of reducing chemical fertilizer use by 30% by 2050. However, uniformly reducing fertilizer can affect growth; therefore, precise fertilizer decisions based on crop conditions are crucial. Traditional nitrate measurements require laborious sap extraction, but Folina allows for continuous nutritional diagnosis non-destructively.

About Folina
Folina is a patented (Patent No. 7679937) non-destructive nitrate nitrogen sensor developed through industry-academia collaboration with Yamaguchi University. Measurement takes about 7 seconds, intended for use in cultivation sites and research institutions. The company aims to popularize it not just as a measuring device, but as a nutritional diagnosis system including procedures and judgment criteria.

About Vegemoni
Vegemoni is Hakaru Plus's cultivation judgment support brand for agriculture. Folina is the core sensor, and the company plans to integrate it with environmental data and cloud functions in the future.