Three Rounds of Pesticides Supplied to Apple and Pear Farms
"Monitoring Teams Formed... All Orchards to Be Inspected"
Damyang County, South Jeolla Province (Governor Jeong Cheolwon), announced on the 9th that it will carry out thorough control measures to reduce damage to farms caused by fire blight in fruit trees during the flowering season.
Fire blight is a disease caused by bacteria, in which the leaves, stems, flowers, and fruits of apple and pear trees show symptoms as if they have been scorched by fire, eventually leading to the death of the plant.
Because the disease spreads rapidly during the flowering season, control during this period is extremely important. Apple and pear growers must spray pesticides within 24 hours according to the risk alerts (infection risk levels) provided by the Rural Development Administration's Fire Blight Prediction Information System. If a grower does not receive the alert message or if the orchard's growth differs from surrounding areas, the timing should be determined independently for spraying.
Last month, the county supplied three rounds of preemptive fire blight control agents to apple and pear growers through township and town agricultural counseling centers. The first pesticide, Serenade ASO, should be sprayed 5 to 7 days after 50% of the flowers have bloomed. The second pesticide, Agriphage, should be sprayed 5 to 7 days after the first application.
Since pesticide spraying does not guarantee 100% control of fire blight, follow-up measures after spraying are also important. The Agricultural Technology Center plans to organize monitoring teams to inspect all orchards in the county four times.
An official from the Agricultural Technology Center stated, "Fire blight spreads rapidly, so prompt reporting by farmers is most important," and added, "We ask everyone to pay special attention so that it does not occur in our region."
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