Gyeongnam Sweet Persimmon Research Institute Urges Winter Work to Reduce Labor Requirements and Costs

[FamTimes=Reporter Ji Mi-ok] The Sweet Persimmon Research Institute at the Gyeongsangnam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services has advised sweet persimmon growers in the province to carry out winter tree training and pruning as follows to reduce labor and production costs through winter orchard management.

In orchards where sweet persimmon trees are planted close together, trees should be thinned gradually over three to four years and sufficient work paths secured so that agricultural machinery can operate without difficulty.

Excessive thinning all at once can cause harvest volumes to fluctuate too widely, undermining stable income. It is therefore advisable to gradually reduce tree height and thin out trees over several years.

Likewise, orchards on steep slopes should secure sufficient work paths to reduce the long-term burden of operating costs.

One important aspect of winter tree training and pruning is the pruning method used to reduce the height of sweet persimmon trees. However, even after lowering tree height, inadequate follow-up care can have the adverse effects of reducing yields and increasing management costs.

Excessive heavy pruning should be avoided on trees whose height has been reduced, and sufficient fruiting mother branches should be retained in areas with good sunlight penetration. This reduces unnecessary vigorous upright shoots and the amount of summer pruning required.

For healthy fruiting mother branches with well-developed flower buds, it is advisable to remove about two buds from the tip in advance to reduce the labor needed to thin flower buds. The main and secondary scaffold branches that form the tree’s framework should be arranged without excessive complexity to make work easier, while fewer fruiting mother branches should be retained at the tips to keep the framework strong and stabilize the tree’s overall vigor.

The Sweet Persimmon Research Institute asked farmers to actively participate in the practical New Year agricultural training programs currently being held by cities and counties and acquire sufficient skills and information to carry out seasonal farming work effectively.

Reporter Ji Mi-ok jimi@famtimes.co.kr