Outbreak of Fire Blight of Apple and Asian Pear in 2015–2019 in Korea
Hyeonheui Ham, Young-Kee Lee, Hyun Gi Kong, Seong Jun Hong, Kyong Jae Lee, Ga-Ram Oh, Mi‐Hyun Lee, Yong Hwan Lee
Abstract
Erwinia amylovora, a causal bacterium of fire blight disease, is registered as a prohibited quarantine pathogen in Korea. To control the disease, the government should diagnose the disease, dig and bury the host trees when fire blight occurs. Fire blight was the first reported in 43 orchards of Anseong, Cheonan, and Jecheon in 2015, and 42.9 ha of host trees were eradicated. However, the disease spread to eleven cities, so that 348 orchards and 260.4 ha of host trees were eradicated until 2019. Fire blight of Asian pear occurred mainly in the southern part of Gyeonggi, and Chungnam province, on average of 29±9.2 orchards per year. And the age of the infected trees were mostly 20-30 years old. In apple trees, the disease occurred mainly in the northern part of Gyeonggi, Gangwon, and Chungbuk province, on average of 41±57.6 orchards per year, increased highly in 2018 and 2019. The age of infected apple trees were under 20 years old. Therefore, because the disease spread rapidly in young apple trees, spraying control agents to the trees in a timely manner and removing infected trees quickly are important to prevent the spread of fire blight in the orchard of immature trees.