Naju-si, Thorough Measures Against Cold Damage and Pest Control in Pear Blossoms

[Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong] On the 6th, Jeong Chankyun, Acting Mayor of Naju City, Jeonnam, visited pear orchards located in Wolsan and Ogang-ri, Geumcheon-myeon, to inspect the full bloom of pear blossoms and the response to low temperature and frost.

According to the Agricultural Technology Center on the 8th, this year's full bloom of pear blossoms is expected to be delayed by about a week compared to last year, occurring between the 9th and 11th of this week.

Low temperature damage during the blooming period occurs at subzero temperatures. If pear blossoms are exposed to an environment of -1.7 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes during full bloom, the ovary of the flower turns black and withers.

Even if fruit sets, deformed fruit and physiological disorders occur, significantly reducing marketability.

Preventive measures against low temperature damage include using devices that control orchard temperature such as 'hot air fans' or combustion methods using sawdust, liquefied, or solid fuels.

Acting Mayor Jeong said, “Hot air fans have good preventive effects, but due to the high installation costs, actual usage by farmers is very limited. We will consider expanding support so that more orchard farmers can be supplied with hot air facilities to prevent repeated low temperature damage.”

For stable pear farming yields, timely artificial pollination is as important as preventing low temperature damage.

Farmers should prepare safe artificial pollination pollen and Seksonja in advance and appropriately adjust the number of artificial pollinations for proper fruit set.

The pistil fertilization work should be done within about three days from the first day of blooming, with the appropriate time being from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. after the morning dew has dried.

If it rains within two hours after artificial pollination, the work must be redone.

The dilution ratio of the enhancer (Seksonja) should be adjusted according to the germination rate of pear blossom pollen, and since pollen germination and pollen tube growth are greatly influenced by temperature conditions, it is best to avoid low and high temperatures (between 15 and 35 degrees Celsius).

During high temperature and dry weather in the blooming period, the fertilization ability of the pistil decreases, so the fertilization period of the pistil should be extended by surface irrigation using watering facilities.

However, since water touching the flowers can reduce pollen adhesion ability or cause pollen loss, irrigation must be done strictly under the canopy.

In particular, to prevent the occurrence of black spot disease and fire blight in the early blooming stage, it is important to spray preventive agents distributed by the Agricultural Technology Center in a timely manner.

The second spray of fire blight preventive agent (Myeongpumtan) is 5 days after full bloom, and the third spray (Seripel) is 15 days after full bloom.

A city official said, “We appreciate the efforts of local pear farmers who have maintained the reputation of Naju pears despite adverse conditions such as low temperature and frost damage due to climate change and rural aging. We will do our best in emergency duty, monitoring, support, and response to minimize damage to farms during this critical period that will determine the year's pear farming yield.”

Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong bong2910@asiae.co.kr

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