Gangwon Agricultural Technology Institute, 'Grand Prize' in Farmer Education Content Competition

(Chuncheon=Yonhap News) Reporter Yang Ji-woong = At the 2025 Farmers Education Excellent Content Competition held at the Rural Development Administration's Rural Human Resources Development Center in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province on the 11th, the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Agricultural Technology Institute received the Grand Prize for its apple multi-axis flat water-type cultivation manual. The Rural Development Administration held this competition targeting rural development organizations across the country to discover and disseminate educational content that can be directly applied in agricultural fields. The apple multi-axis flat water-type cultivation manual from the Gangwon Agricultural Technology Institute was highly evaluated for its reflection of actual field conditions and its ease of understanding and application by farmers, as it includes only the core content from cultivation environment and variety selection to pest and disease control and physiological disorders. This manual is a compilation of the theoretical and experimental results from self-testing and field verification research conducted from 2020 to 2024. It covers the domestic and international research status, the advantages and disadvantages of multi-axis water-type, the water-type model and initial orchard creation method suitable for the characteristics of major varieties, annual water-type management, fruiting and growth management techniques, etc. The multi-axis flat water-type is a tree model being developed and promoted by the provincial agricultural technology institute since 2020 as the basis for future smart orchards. It involves laying the main trunk horizontally and growing 10 vertical branches that act as axes above it, creating a structure that resembles ten fingers stretching straight up to the sky. This method results in a lower and narrower tree, increasing work efficiency and allowing pest and disease control with fewer chemicals. Moreover, the upper and lower parts of the tree receive light evenly, ensuring uniform fruit quality and early coloring, reducing the need for laborious tasks such as leaf picking and laying reflective film. Park Young-sik, head of the Horticulture Research Division, said, "This award is a recognition that the manual is acknowledged as a significant educational resource for farmers nationwide," and added, "We will continue to develop educational content that can be directly utilized in the field to enhance agricultural competitiveness."