Hapcheon-gun, All-Out Effort to Preemptively Block the Inflow of Fire Blight Disease in Fruit Trees

Plan to Issue Administrative Order for Strengthening Prevention and Surveillance of Fruit Tree Fire Blight

Preemptive Blocking of Fire Blight Invasion [Image Source=Hapcheon-gun]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongnam Province, is making every effort to prevent the introduction of fire blight disease by targeting about 100 apple and pear growers in the area.

Fire blight is a quarantine disease designated under the Plant Protection Act. It is a bacterial disease with no cure, causing the tissues of leaves, branches, stems, and fruits of apples and pears to turn black as if burned and then wither and die.

When fire blight occurs, the orchard is ordered to be destroyed, and cultivation is prohibited for three years. Currently, it has occurred nationwide in 356 farms covering 167 hectares across five provinces (Gyeonggi, Chungbuk, Chungnam, Gangwon, and Andong in Gyeongbuk), and its rapid spread is causing enormous damage to fruit growers.

Accordingly, the county plans to issue an administrative order including mandatory application of slaked lime, operation of a work history system for fruit farm workers' movement and tasks, mandatory disinfection of labor, equipment, and tools, mandatory operation of a farm reporting system, and strengthening of fire blight prevention and surveillance.

Violators of this order may have part of their compensation reduced if fire blight occurs.

The supplied slaked lime should be spread around the entrance of the orchard, and used farming tools must be disinfected frequently with a 20-fold diluted bleach solution.

Shin Jae-soon, director of the Hapcheon-gun Agricultural Technology Center, said, “We ask for the active cooperation of farmers to block the introduction of fire blight by regularly conducting self-surveillance, immediately reporting to the Agricultural Technology Center if symptoms are suspected, refraining from visiting affected and nearby areas, and avoiding purchasing seedlings.”

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