• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.504-512
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• 2023

After transitioning from periodic to model-based control policy for fire blight blossom infection, it is crucial to provide the timing of field application with easy and accurate information. To assess the risk of blossom infection, Maryblyt was employed in 31 sites across apple-producing regions nationwide, including areas prone to fire blight outbreaks, from 2021 to 2023. In 2021 and 2023, two and seven sites experienced Blossom Infection Risk-Infection warning occurrences among 31 sites, respectively. However, in 2022, most of the sites observed Blossom Infection Risk-Infection from April 25 to 28, highlighting the need for blossom infection control. For the comparison between the two model-based control approaches, we established treatment 1, which involved control measures according to the Blossom Infection Risk-Infection warning and treatment 2, aimed at maintaining the Epiphytic Infection Potential below 100. The analysis of control values between these treatments revealed that treatment 2 was more effective in reducing Blossom Infection Risk-Infection and the number of days with Epiphytic Infection Potential above 100, with respective averages of 95.6% and 93.0% over the three years. Since 2022, the implementation of the K-Maryblyt system and the deployment of Automated Weather Stations capable of measuring orchard weather conditions, with an average of 10 stations per major apple fire blight county nationwide, have taken place. These advancements will enable the provision of more accurate and timely information for farmers based on fire blight models in the future.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.67-73
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• 2015

Bacterial blossom blight of kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae is known to be largely affected by weather conditions during the blooming period. While there have been many studies that investigated scientific relations between weather conditions and the epidemics of bacterial blossom blight of kiwifruit, no forecasting models have been developed thus far. In this study, we collected all the relevant information on the epidemiology of the blossom blight in relation to weather variables, and developed the Pss-KBB Risk Model that is based on the Maryblyt model for the fire blight of apple and pear. Subsequent model validation was conducted using 10 years of ground truth data from kiwifruit orchards in Haenam, Korea. As a result, it was shown that the Pss-KBB Risk Model resulted in better performance in estimating the disease severity compared with other two simple models using either temperature or precipitation information only. Overall, we concluded that by utilizing the Pss-KBB Risk Model and weather forecast information, potential infection risk of the bacterial blossom blight of kiwifruit can be accurately predicted, which will eventually lead kiwifruit growers to utilize the best practices related to spraying chemicals at the most effective time.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.220-224
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• 2009

The causal agents of bacterial blossom blight in kiwifruit were isolated from flowers displaying symptoms in Korea. The pathogens were characterized by biochemical and physiological tests, and identified on the basis of 16S rDNA and 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. Pathogenicity tests demonstrated that the blossom blight of kiwifruit in Korea is caused by two pathogens, Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae and P. fluorescens. Carbon source utilization and DNA-DNA hybridization experiments confirmed P. fluorescens as one of the causal agents of blossom blight of kiwifruit. P. syringae pv. syringae and P. fluorescens can be distinguished from each other by the symptoms they produce in flowers. P. syringae pv. syringae primarily affected the stamen, while P. fluorescens caused rotting of all internal tissues of buds or flowers.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.543-554
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• 2021

To preventively control fire blight in apple trees and determine policies regarding field monitoring, the Maryblyt ver. 7.1 model (MARYBLYT) was evaluated in the cities of Chungju, Jecheon, and Eumseong in Korea from 2015 to 2020. The number of blossom infection alerts was the highest in 2020 and the lowest in 2017 and 2018. And the common feature of MARYBLYT blossom infection risks during the flowering period was that the time of BIR-High or BIR-Infection alerts was the same regardless of location. The flowering periods of the trees required to operate the model varied according to the year and geographic location. The model predicts the risk of "Infection" during the flowering periods, and recommends the appropriate times to control blossom infection. In 2020, when flower blight was severe, the difference between the expected date of blossom blight symptoms presented by MARYBLYT and the date of actual symptom detection was only 1-3 days, implying that MARYBLYT is highly accurate. As the model was originally developed based on data obtained from the eastern region of the United States, which has a climate similar to that of Korea, this model can be used in Korea. To improve field utilization, however, the entire flowering period of multiple apple varieties needs to be considered when the model is applied. MARYBLYT is believed to be a useful tool for determining when to control and monitor apple cultivation areas that suffer from serious fire blight problems.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.297-303
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• 2004

Bacterial blossom blight of kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) has been mainly controlled by antibiotics. Among 15 candidate chemicals, streptomycin sulfate oxytetracycline WP, streptomycin copper hydroxide WP and oxolinic acid WP were selected as preventive bactericides against bacterial blossom blight of kiwfruit through in vitro and in vivo test. Spray of streptomycin sulfate oxytetracycline WP and streptomycin copper hydroxide WP at flowering period was most effective in controlling bacterial blossom blight of kiwifruit. Among the various combinations of spray times at different spray periods, optimum spray program of the preventive bactericides for the control of bacterial blossom blight of kiwifruit was turned out to be 3 times application with 10 day-interval from early May during the flowering season of kiwifruits.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.182-192
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• 2018

Since fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) firstly broke out at mid-Korea in 2015, it is necessary to investigate potential spread of the invasive pathogen. To speculate environmental factors of fireblight epidemic based on disease triangle, a fire blight predicting program, MARYBLYT, was run with the measured meteorological data in 2014-2017 and the projecting future data under RCP8.5 scenario for 2020-2100. After calculating blossom period of Singo pear from phenology, MARYBLYT was run for blossom blight during the blossom period. MARYBLYT warned "Infection" blossom blight in 2014-15 at Anseong and Cheonan as well as Pyungtak and Asan. In addition, it warned "Infection" in 2016-17 at Naju. More than 80% of Korean areas were covered "Infection" or "High", therefore Korea was suitable for fire blight recently. Blossom blight for 2020-2100 was predicted to be highly fluctuate depending on the year. For 80 years of the future, 20 years were serious with "Infection" covered more than 50% of areas in Korea, whereas 8 years were not serious covered less than 10%. By comparisons between 50% and 10% of the year, temperature and amount of precipitation were significantly different. The results of this study are informative for policy makers to manage the alien pathogen.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.94.1-94
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• 2003

Control of bacterial blossom blight of kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) has been mainly depended on chemical control. Recently cultural practices such as trunk girdling of kiwifruit trees and rainproof installation over kiwifruit trees also were conducted as the alternative control practices. Each of the control methods was evaluated for the best practicing conditions for the control of bacterial blossom blight of kiwifruit. Among the various combinations of spray times and spray periods, optimum spray program of antibiotics was turned out to be 3 times with intervals of 10 days from early May during the flowering season of kiwifruits. Optimum periods of trunk girdling of kiwifruit trees were from late March to late April. Trunk girdling with 20-30 mm wide showed best control efficacies on bacterial blossom blight, irrespective of the heights of girdling on trunks of kiwifruit trees. Optimum period of rainproof installation over kiwifruit trees was from March till late April, irrespective of installation methods.

• Mycobiology
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.354-359
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• 2015

Blossom blight in strawberry was first observed in a green house in Nonsan, Damyang, and Geochang areas of Korea, between early January to April of 2012. Disease symptoms started as a grey fungus formed on the stigma, which led to the blossom blight and eventually to black rot and necrosis of the entire flower. We isolated the fungi purely from the infected pistils and maintained them on potato dextrose agar (PDA) slants. To test Koch's postulates, we inoculated the fungi and found that all of the isolates caused disease symptoms in the flower of strawberry cultivars (Seolhyang, Maehyang, and Kumhyang). The isolates on PDA had a velvet-like appearance, and their color ranged between olivaceous-brown and smoky-grey to olive and almost black. The intercalary conidia of the isolates were elliptical to limoniform, with sizes ranging from $5.0{\sim}10.5{\times}2.5{\sim}3.0{\mu}m$ to $4.0{\sim}7.5{\times}2.0{\sim}3.0{\mu}m$, respectively. The secondary ramoconidia of these isolates were 0- or 1-septate, with sizes ranging betweem $10.0{\sim}15.0{\times}2.5{\sim}3.7{\mu}m$ and $8.7{\sim}11.2{\times}2.5{\sim}3.2{\mu}m$, respectively. A combined sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer regions, partial actin (ACT), and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF) genes revealed that the strawberry isolates belonged to two groups of authentic strains, Cladosporium cladosporioides and C. tenuissimum. Based on these results, we identified the pathogens causing blossom blight in strawberries in Korea as being C. cladosporioides and C. tenuissimum.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.302-310
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• 2023

In this study, the extent of the impact of rainfall on the outbreak of fire blight during the blossom infection risk period was explored. In the Chungnam province, the outbreak of fire blight disease began in 2015, and changes in the outbreak's scale were most pronounced between 2020 and 2022, significantly escalating from 63 orchards in 2020 to 170 orchards in 2021, before decreasing to 46 orchards in 2022. In 2022, the number of incidence has decreased and the number of canker symptom in branches has also decreased. It was evaluated that the significant decrease of fire blight disease in 2022 was due to the dry weather during the flowering season. In other words, this yearly fluctuation in fire blight outbreaks was correlated with the presence or absence of rainfall and accumulated precipitation during the blossom infection risk period. This trend was observed across all surveyed regions where apples and pears were cultivated. Among the weather conditions influencing the blossom infection risk period, rainfall notably affected the activation of pathogens from over-wintering cankers and flower infections. In particular, precipitation during the initial 3 days of the blossom infection risk warning was confirmed as a decisive factor in determining the outbreak's scale.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.304-309
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• 2004

Girdling of trunk and rainproof installation over kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) trees were turned out to alleviate bacterial blossom blight effectively in kiwifruit orchards. The disease was most effectively prevented by girdling of tree trunks with 20 mm width around April 10 before about 45 days of flowering stage of kiwifruit, but control efficiencies were not affected by height of girdling on trunks above the ground. Use of a transparent polyvinyl film to protect kiwifruit trees from rain was more effective than windbreak net to prevent the disease, irrespective of kinds of rainproof installation. Installation of partial rainproof vinyl cover over kiwifruit trees around March 10 before about 75 days of flowering stage of kiwifruit prevented most of the disease occurrence on kiwifruit. It is expected that girdling of tree trunks and installation of partial rainproof vinyl cover over kiwifruit trees will be practical as environmentally friendly control methods to manage bacterial blossom blight in kiwifruit orchards.