Tokyo, Japan
August 20, 2026

A joint research team from NTT, Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Akira Shimada; hereinafter "NTT") and Professor Takashi Okamoto of Tokyo Metropolitan University (Head Office: Hachioji, Tokyo; President: Takaya Ohashi) have developed the world's first technology for simultaneous hybridization of four rice varieties, one of the world's three major cereal crops. The technology successfully produced rice that possesses desirable traits from four different varieties in a single breeding process, overcoming a major limitation of conventional breeding methods. 

The technology is expected to enable the development of crop varieties with enhanced yield, nutritional and functional properties, and other valuable characteristics. In the future, it could contribute to increased and more sustainable agricultural production while reducing environmental impact. 

The research findings were published in the British scientific journal New Phytologist on August 20, 2026.

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