Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Plant Diseases in Horticultural Crops in Cheorwon, Korea

This study investigated the spatiotemporal dynamics of plant disease occurrence in horticultural crops in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, Korea, in 2025. A total of 137 samples were collected from 76 farms across six regions and analyzed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse transcription-PCR to detect seven fungal, three bacterial, and seven viral pathogens. Plant pathogens were detected in 47.4% of the surveyed farms, with bacterial diseases showing the highest detection rate (23.7%), followed by viral (15.8%) and fungal diseases (14.5%). Among fungal pathogens, Botrytis cinerea was the most prevalent species, accounting for 47.6% of detections, indicating a clear shift from the dominance of Phytophthora infestans and Pythium ultimum observed in 2025. In bacterial diseases, Ralstonia solanacearum was the predominant pathogen (76.0%), exhibiting a strong association with specific regions and crops, particularly tomato and paprika. For viral diseases, tomato spotted wilt virus accounted for 88.2% of detections and showed a tendency toward spatial localization in specific areas. The disease occurrence period extended from March to October, which is longer than that observed in the previous year. This extension may be associated with prolonged high humidity conditions resulting from increased rainfall during the late growing season. Additionally, co-infections involving fungal, bacterial, and viral pathogens were identified in 19.4% of farms with detected pathogens, indicating increased complexity in disease management. Overall, this study reveals shifts in dominant pathogens, spatial localization of major diseases, and an extended disease occurrence period in Cheorwon. These findings provide fundamental data for developing region-specific disease management strategies under changing climatic conditions.