Yeonggwang County Issues 'Barley Crop Damage' Advisory Due to Frequent Snow and Rain

Request for Drainage Maintenance and Prompt Water Removal in Case of Yellowing Symptoms

Yeonggwang County has recently been focusing on preparing measures to prevent cereal crop damage caused by frequent snowfall and rainfall. Photo by Yeonggwang County

Yeonggwang County in Jeollanam-do recently urged meticulous field management, such as drainage maintenance, to prevent waterlogging damage to cereal crops following frequent snowfall and rainfall.

According to the county on the 12th, weather conditions this month have brought more than 60 cm of accumulated snowfall from the 3rd to the 10th. Since then, precipitation has continued, raising concerns about waterlogging damage to cereal crops.

Barley is more susceptible to waterlogging than other cereals. Excessive soil moisture can hinder respiration and nutrient absorption, and in severe cases, cause root rot and necrosis, with symptoms such as yellowing from the leaf tips downwards. In particular, frequent rainfall during last year’s sowing season delayed planting, resulting in many fields overwintering with young seedlings (with only 1-2 true leaves), making careful management even more necessary.

In fields with poor drainage, it is essential to create water channels at the edges of the paddy and connect them to drainage ditches to prevent water from pooling. Thorough drainage maintenance is crucial to prevent waterlogging. If waterlogging does occur, water should be removed from the field as quickly as possible, and a 2% urea solution (400g urea fertilizer/20L water, application rate 100L/10a) should be foliar-sprayed 2 to 3 times to promote crop recovery.

Ko Yunja, Director of the Agricultural Technology Center, said, "Due to frequent snowfall and rainfall before the regrowth stage, thorough field management such as drainage maintenance is essential to prevent waterlogging damage to cereal crops," and requested, "After overwintering, please apply topdressing fertilizer at the appropriate time in mid to late February."

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