Yeongju City Makes All-Out Efforts to Preemptively Prevent Fire Blight in Fruit Trees During Flowering Season

Yeongju City announced on the 10th that it will thoroughly implement the 2025 fire blight control measures during the flowering period to proactively block the spread of fire blight and minimize damage to apple and pear farmers.

By March 21, the city had invested a total budget of 2 billion KRW from national, provincial, and municipal funds to provide five types of fire blight control agents free of charge to 3,500 local apple and pear farms. The city is also urging farmers to strictly carry out the application of these agents a total of five times: once before flowering, twice during flowering, and twice during the growing season.

Fire blight is a bacterial disease that primarily infects fruit trees during the flowering period and is one of the major disasters causing significant damage to the domestic fruit industry. Accordingly, Yeongju City considers the period before and after flowering as the key time for control and is encouraging active participation from local farmers.

Following the Rural Development Administration's control guidelines, the city plans to conduct intensive control twice during the flowering period. To this end, fungicides have been supplied in advance, and informational leaflets containing control instructions and schedules have been distributed to farmers.

The antibiotics used for control during the flowering period should be sprayed for the first time when about 40% of all flowers have bloomed, starting from the onset of flowering. The same antibiotic should be applied again five days later as a second treatment.

An official from Yeongju City stated, "Once fire blight occurs, it is difficult to control and the damage can be extensive, so thorough preventive control is more important than anything else." The official also urged, "Farmers should use the recommended agents and make sure not to miss the control period during flowering."

The official added, "After the control measures, farmers must prepare evidence such as a log of agent applications and photographic records, as these serve as important proof of 'responsible control' in the event of a future fire blight outbreak."

In addition to the current flowering period control, Yeongju City is also implementing various other measures to prevent fire blight. These include ▲farmer education, ▲removal of overwintering cankers (the source of infection), and ▲guidance on preventive practices. The city is also strengthening on-site and telephone monitoring of suspected areas by appointing professional surveillance personnel.

Furthermore, weather monitoring equipment has been installed in 10 towns and districts in the region, and a fire blight prediction system has been introduced to provide farmers with real-time information on infection risk periods and optimal timing for agent application.

For any other inquiries regarding fire blight control, please contact the Technical Support Division of the Yeongju City Agricultural Technology Center.

Yeongju City is conducting 'blossoming period control' for fire blight disease in fruit trees.

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