Ganghwa County Emphasizes Prevention of Summer Crop and Agricultural Facility Damage

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] On the 28th, Ganghwa County emphasized the need for special attention to prevention of crop and agricultural facility damage as well as farmer health management in preparation for summer heat waves and the full onset of the rainy season.

As the rainy season officially began from the 23rd, the county stressed the need for drainage maintenance and repairs and reinforcement of agricultural facilities such as vinyl greenhouses to prepare for heavy downpours during the rainy season. The county also called for prompt drainage management for open-field crops.

Regarding open-field peppers, the county stated that drainage around fields should be improved and support stakes should be reinforced to prevent crops from falling due to rainfall, while prevention measures should be strengthened against diseases and pests such as anthracnose and tobacco budworm after heavy rain.

The county warned that if heat waves with daytime temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius persist after the rainy season, damage to horticultural crops such as sunscald and leaf scorch may be expected. The county cautioned that reduced root vitality due to rising soil temperatures could lead to poor growth, defoliation, fruit drop, lime deficiency fruit, and soft rot damage as nutrient absorption decreases.

Additionally, for open-field crops, continuous irrigation should be maintained to preserve soil moisture, and for fields with poor growth, foliar fertilization can prevent physiological disorders such as nutrient deficiency, the county explained. It added that as the occurrence of high-temperature insects such as thrips and aphids increases during prolonged heat waves, appropriate pesticides must be sprayed for control.

For greenhouse facilities, the county emphasized that air circulation fans should be installed inside, ventilation windows should be opened as much as possible for forced ventilation, and shade nets should be installed externally or shade coating agents should be sprayed to reduce the amount of light entering the interior.

A county official stated, "Since localized heavy rainfall and heat waves are frequent, agricultural disasters can be prevented in advance by making good use of weather information to avoid crop damage," and added, "We plan to strengthen agricultural guidance activities for farmer health and high-quality agricultural product production."