First Confirmed Case of 'Fire Blight' in Apple Production Area Andong... "No Spread Yet"

On the 4th, the Gyeongbuk Agricultural Research and Extension Services announced that a rapid test for fire blight conducted at an apple orchard in Gilan-myeon, Andong, Gyeongbuk, confirmed positive, and the diagnosis was confirmed through a detailed examination. This is the first time fire blight, which is spreading in Chungcheong and other regions, has been detected in Gyeongbuk. The photo shows the orchard where fire blight occurred in Andong.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Jae-ho] Fire blight, a disease that kills entire trees, has occurred for the first time in Andong, a major apple-producing area, putting fruit farmers on high alert.

According to Andong City, on the 2nd, a suspected tree was reported at an apple orchard within Andong, and after the Agricultural Technology Institute conducted an on-site investigation and detailed diagnosis, it was finally confirmed on the 4th.

Accordingly, the Rural Development Administration, the Provincial Agricultural Technology Institute, and the Andong City Agricultural Technology Center have conducted detailed surveillance focusing on nearby apple orchards and have confirmed that the infection has not spread to neighboring orchards so far.

Currently, to prevent further spread, rapid burial and disinfection of the infected apple orchard are being carried out, and joint surveillance of orchards within a 5 km radius of the fire blight outbreak is underway together with the Provincial Agricultural Technology Institute.

Fire blight is a type of bacterial disease that causes apple and pear trees to appear blackened as if scorched by fire, eventually causing the entire tree to wither and die. It mainly occurs after mid-April and spreads through insects such as bees and flies, wind and rain, farming tools, and infected seedlings.

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