South Korean cabbage farmers see fewer nematode losses
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The Rural Development Administration in South Korea reported a significant decrease in damage from cyst nematodes in high-altitude cabbage fields.
Farmers in the Gangwon province experienced nematode damage on only 7.4% of 271 cabbage fields this year. This represents a substantial improvement from the previous year, when nematodes affected 22.5% of 187 fields. The nematodes, an invasive pest native to South Korea, commonly appear in fields where cabbage and radish are grown in succession.
Starting in October and November of last year, after the cabbage harvest, the Rural Development Administration collected soil samples from affected and suspected areas to measure nematode density. The Administration then conducted public pest control, applying both fumigant and non-fumigant soil disinfectants to infected fields before cabbage seedlings were transplanted. They additionally applied non-fumigant disinfectants to high-density fields to further reduce nematode populations in the soil.
The Administration plans to continue soil testing through October and use the data to inform pest control plans for next year.
