조선시대 충재의 생태환경사적 고찰

Abstract

This study attempts to deduce the main causes of agricultural crop pests or Hwangchoong, the degree of damages to the Joseon people and the governing actions by the Kingdom to countermeasure those damages based on the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. Choongjae, an outbreak of an agricultural insect pest, usually occurs when the climate meets optimal growing condition of a pest, the host crop proliferates due to increase of cultivations, or the reduced natural enemies present around the habitats, Accordingly, information regarding climate conditions, types and areas of cultivated crops, and occurrence or outbreaks or a pest was retrived from the Annals of Joseon Dynasty. Lastly, causes of reduced natural enemies in certain era were inferred with the concurrent climate or political conditions. On the Annals of Joseon Dynasty, Hwangchoong, an agricultural pest, was documented during 170 year across the total 447 years. Arithmetically, this indicates Hwangchoong occurred during the Joseon Dynasty, at approximately every 2.6 years. the records of Hwangchoong or Choongjae were more frequent the 15th and 17th centuries. In the 15th century, King Taejo, the first king of Joseon, erected the Dynastyof Joseon as an agriculture-orient kingdom. Thereafter, Joseon had promoted co cultivate various crops in expanded arable fields. Hwangchoong included not only pests of rice but also as pests of many other cereal crops such as millet, sorghum, barley and wheat, and even those of and beans and cottons. In 17th century when Joseon was under King Sukjong’s regime, Hwangchoong or Choongjae was documented continuously for more than 20 years, which occurred at the same time with the two major famine periods of Joseon. Concentrated records of Hwangchoong or Choongjae were in two Northwestern provinces, Pyeongan province and Hwnaghae province, which are possibly related to the development of cultivation fields in the areas, insect pests that were migrated from China, pests moved as on imported Chinese commodities or on merchants’ parcels, or higher densities of survey according to the value of properties including some royal families’ in those areas.