Heo Seok, Mayor of Suncheon, Visits Fruit Farms to Inspect Spring Cold Damage

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] Heo Seok, mayor of Suncheon, visited fruit farms growing pears and peaches in Woldeung-myeon and Nagan-myeon, areas where low-temperature damage is a concern, on the 13th to inspect the specific damage status and listen to the difficulties of farmers.

Recently, due to warmer-than-average temperatures and adequate rainfall, the blooming period was advanced by about 5 to 7 days. However, on the morning of April 6, low temperatures (minimum -2.4℃) caused low-temperature damage in some farms in the main production areas of Nagan (pears) and Woldeung (peaches).

In the case of spring low-temperature damage, symptoms such as blackening of the stigma and ovary occur, and in severe cases, flowers wither or grow into deformed fruits that drop early. This leads to poor growth later and a decrease in commercial value, so thorough prevention and follow-up management are necessary.

When low-temperature damage occurs, thinning work should be done after fruit set is complete, and final fruit thinning should be performed when damage such as deformities is clearly identified. Even for irregular fruits, vigor management through fruit set is needed, along with reducing nitrogen fertilization, refraining from foliar spraying, and making efforts in pest and disease management and cultivation care.

Mayor Heo Seok of Suncheon urged, “Fruit farmers who have suffered low-temperature damage should conduct a detailed damage survey in consultation with Jeollanam-do to prepare countermeasures. To reduce the burden on farmers, we strongly encourage active enrollment in crop disaster insurance, which supports 95% of the disaster insurance premium (85% by the city, 10% by NongHyup), to prepare for disaster damage.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.