Hampyeong-gun Implements 'Flower Bud Differentiation Inspection Service' for Premium Strawberry Production

Enlarged view of a strawberry flower bud observed through a microscope. Photo by Hampyeong-gun provided.

[Hampyeong=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] Jeollanam-do Hampyeong-gun announced on the 18th that it will operate a ‘Flower Bud Differentiation Microscope Inspection Service’ for strawberry cultivation farms from the 19th of this month to the 17th of next month to produce premium strawberries.

According to officials at the center, if seedlings without flower bud differentiation are planted early, strawberry harvests can be delayed by one or two months, and especially this year, due to the prolonged heatwave, more meticulous management is required than in previous years.

Strawberry flower buds cannot be seen with the naked eye and must be confirmed by magnifying more than 60 times using a microscope.

Therefore, farmers in need of support can visit the Agricultural Technology Center’s Technology Extension Division with 3 to 5 seedlings with dark leaf color from the central part of the nursery to receive an inspection.

Through this service, farmers can not only determine the optimal strawberry planting time but also check whether diseases have occurred in the seedlings.

Park Eunha, director of the Agricultural Technology Center, said, “The Seolhyang strawberries mainly cultivated in our county can produce high-quality strawberries from November if planted between the 10th and 20th of next month,” and added, “We urge farmers to conduct flower bud differentiation inspections and carry out strawberry planting at the right time.”

Meanwhile, flower bud differentiation refers to the formation of flower buds on strawberry seedlings when all necessary growth conditions such as nutrition and sunlight exposure time are met.

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