Agriculture to Beat Extreme Heat: Glutathione Achieves 100% Premium Green Onion Yield. Recruitment for Support Program Participants with 'Full Waiver of Material Costs' if Efficacy is Insufficient.

As the Japan Meteorological Agency officially named "extreme heat days" this April, Japanese agriculture, where high temperatures have become the norm, is now facing an unprecedented crisis. WAKU Co., Ltd. (Head office: Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture; Representative Director CEO: Ryosuke Himeno) is launching the "2026 Summer Stable Production Support Program" using "WAKUFUL," a biostimulant containing glutathione, to counteract this.

The aim of this program is to optimize green onion cultivation under extreme heat and accelerate the social implementation of "WAKUFUL" together with three large-scale producers nationwide. Considering the preparation period before the peak of summer, applications will be accepted until early June 2026.

Background: Aiming for "Stable Growth" even on "Extreme Heat Days"

Recent climate change has redefined the concept of "intense heat" to date. The frequent occurrence of "extreme heat days" where daytime temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius, and "super tropical nights" where temperatures do not drop even at night, inflict severe stress on plants. Furthermore, complex environmental stresses beyond just heat, such as extreme drought, prolonged rain, and insufficient sunlight, also plague plants, directly impacting agricultural management through reduced yields and quality degradation.

Particularly in summer green onion cultivation, growth stagnation and thinning due to heat are becoming serious, and the decline in premium product rates and increased shipping losses are pressing on farmers' profits. In such harsh environments, a single stress countermeasure is insufficient, and there is a strong demand for multifunctional biostimulants that can simultaneously meet multiple needs, such as "tolerance to extreme heat and drought" and "maintenance and improvement of photosynthesis."

In response, "WAKUFUL" is abundantly formulated with "glutathione," a substance that plays a central role in antioxidant activity in living organisms. It supports the removal of reactive oxygen species that occur when plants are stressed and damage cells, thereby supporting the stable growth that producers desire.

Unlike traditional biostimulant approaches that apply artificial stress to plants and wait for a reaction, "WAKUFUL" focuses on the plant's redox balance. Glutathione supports the physiological responses involved in the redox balance, which tends to be disrupted under stress, thereby promoting the healthy, natural growth of crops. As "extreme heat days" become the new normal in Japan, it is attracting attention from research institutions and pioneering large-scale producers as a next-generation agricultural technology to combat climate change.

Glutathione-containing biostimulant "WAKUFUL"

See more details about "WAKUFUL"

Verification Results: Effects in Large-Scale Fields

Previous verification experiments have reported the following results:

Mr. T.S. Farm, Saitama Prefecture (100ha scale)

In verification at this company, which develops the "Negi-O" brand, the number of harvested green onions increased by 36% compared to the conventional area even under extreme heat. In addition, results such as the ratio of L-standard or higher increasing from 40% to 100% were obtained, and we received feedback that "profitability was increased by improving the standard."

Producer in Shibukawa City, Gunma Prefecture

An example where both elongation of the blanched part and a sense of weight were achieved by application before planting, with the 2L ratio being more than double (43%) that of the conventional area. This shows that glutathione is also effective in improving root development.

Producer in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture

An example where leaf wilting was suppressed by antioxidant action, and the blanched part elongated (+33% compared to the conventional area). Since growth improved compared to the conventional area, it contributed to advantageous sales through early harvesting.

*The above are measured values under specific conditions and do not guarantee the effect in all environments.

Overview of the "2026 Summer Stable Production Support Program"

This program is not just about delivering materials. It is a program to achieve reliable cultivation based on data by WAKU's expert staff.

1. Three Introduction Steps Optimized for On-site Challenges

WAKU, a research and development-oriented company, values dialogue with the field above all else. This program supports optimal introduction into each producer's agricultural management through the following steps:

① Individual counseling on production methods

② Proposal of application methods tailored to the field

③ Visualization of effects and capitalization for the next fiscal year

2. Risk-Sharing, Performance-Linked Support Program

"We do not want producers to bear all the risks of introducing new technology." With this determination as a research and development-oriented startup, we have prepared a unique system. Based on pre-agreed evaluation indicators (yield, premium product rate, weight, etc.), if the expected changes are not observed, we will bear (waive) the full cost of the materials we provided. This is a testament to our absolute confidence in our technology, which directly acts on the plant's redox balance through glutathione.

The evaluation indicators will be determined jointly by both parties based on past performance and material costs. In addition, yield surveys, etc.