all about pears

1. PEAR

2. Taxonomy of Pear
Division Angiospermae
Class Dicotyledons
Family: Rosaceae
Genus Pyrus
Species: pyrifolia, communis, pashia,
serotina etc.

3. Area & Production
• In India, Pear occupy third place among temperate fruits both in
area and production.
• In India pear is cultivated in an area of 14668 hectare with an
annual production of 187,328 tonnes.
• It is mainly grown in temperate and sub-tropical regions of
Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh,
Assam and South India.
• In Punjab pear is grown in 2257 ha with an annual production of
45140 metric tones.
• It is doing very well in districts of Amritsar, Gurdaspur,
Jallandher, Hoshiarpur and Patiala.

4. Origin & History
• European and West Asian (Occidental group) are native to
Eastern Europe and South Western Asia and North Asian
species are native to China, Japan and Manchuria.
• Pyrus pyrifolia originated in China, where its culture dates
back to 2500-3000 years. It was introduced in India during
the time of Lord Kanishka (120-170 AD).

5. Climate
• Pear can be grown in mid-hill upto an election of 1200 to
1800 meter above sea level.
• Annual rainfall of 100-125 cm is considered adequate.
• Patharnakh pear is very hardy tree and can be grown in the
sub-tropical climate prevailing in Punjab.
• The absence of rains during flowering period is one of the
pre-requisites for successful cultivation of pear.
• Excessive hot winds during summer have adverse affect on
fruit and foliage.

6. Soil
• Pear can be grown on vide variety of soils provided these are
well drained.
• Pear trees are hardy and can flourish even on rather inferior
lands with relatively less care.
• It can tolerate water stagnation for short duration.
• The most suitable soil for pear is one which is of medium
texture, deep, well drained and has a water table below 200
cm around the year.
• It can be grown in soils having pH upto 8.7 and having
electrical conductivity below 0.5mmhos/cm.

7. Recommended varieties
Patharnakh
• It is a variety of Pyrus pyrifolia.
• It is most popular variety because of heavy bearing and good
keeping quality.
• The fruit is tough and can with stand transportation very well
for long distances without any spoilage.
• The flesh is gritty, crisp and juicy.
• It ripens in last week of July.
• Average yield per tree is 150 kg.

8. Recommended varieties
Punjab Beauty
• The trees are upright, medium in vigour and regular in
bearing. The fruit is medium yellow with red blush.
• The flesh is white, which is more juicy and sweet than
LeConte and Baggugosha.
• Fruits mature in third week of July.
• The average yield is 80 kg/plant.

9. Recommended varieties
Baggugosha
• It is a variety of Pyrus communis
• Trees are upright and vigorous and has irregular bearing
habit.
• Fruits are small, greenish yellow with tapered stem end.
• The flesh is sweet and somewhat gritty.
• It ripens in August.
• Average yield is 60-80 kg per tree.

10. Recommended varieties
LeConte
• It is a hybrid between Pyrus communis x Pyrus pyrifolia.
• LeConte is a variety having low chilling requirement.
• Tree medium in growth and upright, which becomes
spreading when fully mature.
• Fruits small to medium in size with alternate greenish
yellow colour.
• It ripens by the end of July and yields about 60-80 kg fruit
per tree.

11. Recommended varieties
Kieffer
• Kieffer is a hybrid between Pyrus communis x Pyrus
pyrifolia.
• It require longer chilling hours than LeConte and
Patharnakh.
• Fruits are medium to large pointed at the ends.
• Fruits are brownish red colour and are gritty.
• It ripens in August-September
• Average yield 100 kg per tree.

12. Propagation Techniques
• The Patharnakh pear plants are raised both by budding and
grafting on pear suckers and Kainth seedlings.
• Tongue and cleft grafting are the most common methods of
pear propagation and are performed during January-
February when plants are still dormant.
• Among budding methods, T-budding is most commonly
employed and is practiced from June to August.

13. Raising rootstock from Kainth seed.
• Fully mature fruits of Kainth are collected in September.
• Fruits are dumped for softening and easy extraction of
seed.
• Soon after extraction the seed are sown.
• The six inch tall seedlings are transplanted
• Distance from seedling to seedling and row to row is kept
15 cm and 30 cm, respectively.
• These seedlings become buddable during August-
September and graftable in December-January.

14. Raising of rootstock from pear suckers
• The root suckers (Batankan) are collected from underneath of
old pear trees during October-December.
• These are headed back leaving 2 to 3 buds from the ground
level and planted at 15 cm in rows 30 cm apart, leaving 60 cm
after every 2-3 rows.
• One healthy shoot is retained out of newly emerging shoots
which become buddable in August-September .
• Shoots which do not become buddable in August-September are
grafted in the following December- January.
• The pear suckers which have well developed root system can be
bench-grafted and are directly planted in the nursery.

15. Raising of plants through cuttings
• Pear plants can be raised through hardwood cuttings.
• Cuttings are prepared in December and are kept for
callusing for about a month.
• Callused cuttings are planted in nursery 10 cm apart in
rows 30 cm apart.
• Treating the cuttings with 100 ppm IBA for 24 hours prior
to callusing gives better rooting success.
• Nursery is kept moist with frequent light irrigation.

16. Planting and after care
• Best time for planting pear trees is from mid-January to first
fortnight of February, before the start of new growth.
• One year old healthy and vigorous plants should be used for
planting
• Older plants of 2-3 years of age can also be planted with
good success.
• The plants are planted 7.5 meters apart, which
accommodates 180 plants in one hectare by square system
and 207 plants by hexagonal system.

17. Training and Pruning
• Pear trees are trained according to “Modified leader system”.
Training in the first year
In low headed trees, the plants are cut 90 cm above ground level and
the lowest branch is allowed to develop 60 cm above ground level.
The high headed trees are headed back at a height of 1.2 to 1.5
meters.
Training in second year
The largest shoot in the centre is left as leader but is cut back where
immature portion starts.
Three to five laterals, spaced at a distance of 15 to 22 cm and evenly
distributed around the stem are retained.

18. Training in three to four year old trees
• The secondary scaffold framework is developed by
retaining 1 or 2 branches arising on primary scaffold
branches.
Training in five year old trees
• The leader should be cut to a well placed outward
growing lateral.
Training and Pruning

19. Pruning of young bearing trees
• Pear trees bear fruit on shoots of limited growth called
spurs.
• These spurs grow by few millimeters each year and
remain productive for 12-15 years.
• So only corrective pruning is done for first 12-15 years, so
as to avoid loss of fruiting spurs.
Training and Pruning

20. Pruning of order trees
• In older trees, fruit bearing get reduced due to damage to
spurs over the years and limited new growth is made by
these trees.
• In old trees entire scaffold branches are headed back leaving
30-40 cm long stumps.
• From these stumps new shoots arise which become
productive in 3-4 years
Training and Pruning

21. Irrigation
• Water is needed in summer months, when trees and fruits are
actively growing.
• Shortages of water in April, May & June restricts tree growth and
leads to the formation of hard and small fruits of poor quality.
• During summer months pear should be irrigated at an interval of
5-7 days and 15 days interval in August-September.
• Under extreme water deficiency conditions fruits lack colour
crispiness and become tough.
• Excessive water cause loss of attractiveness of fruits and keeping
quality deteriorates.

22. Manuring and Fertilization
Age
(years)
FYM
(kg/tree)
CAN
(25%N)
Superphosphate
(16%P2O5)
Muriate of Potash
(60% K2O).
g/tree
1-3 10-20 100-300 200-600 150-450
4-6 25-35 400-600 800-1200 600-900
7-9 40-50 700-900 1400-1800 1050-1350
10 &
above
50 1000 2000 1500
• The entire dose of farmyard manure, super phosphate and
muriates of potash should be added in December.
• Half of CAN should be added in early February before
flowering and the other half in April after fruit set.

23. Zinc deficiency
• Zinc deficiency appears on young leaves.
• Symptoms are interveinal chlorosis, reduction in leaf size
and lead margins tend to curl upward.
• Spray 3kg zinc sulphate and 1.5 kg unstaked lime in 500
liters of water.
Iron deficiency
• Iron deficiency appear on young leaves.
• Symptoms are: dark green vains on pale green background.
• To correct iron deficiency spray 0.3 per cent ferrous
sulphate.

24. Intercropping
• In young and rejuvenated orchards intercrops can be grown.
• Mong, mash and toria can be grown during Kharif season.
• Wheat, peas, grams and senji can be grown during Rubi
season.
• Barseen should not be grown as intercrop in pear, because
of its high demand for irrigation in winter season when pear
plants are dormant.

25. Weed Control
• Spray Hexuron 80 WP (Diuron) @ 4.0 kg/hectare as pre-
emergence herbicide after thorough cultivation in first
fortnight of March .
• Spray Glycel 41 SL (glyphosate) @ 3 lt/hectare or
gramoxone 24 WSC (paraguat) at 3 lt/hectare as post
emergence herbicides when the weeds are 15-20 cm high.
• Dissolve all weedicides in 500 lt. water.
• Spray glycel/gramoxone at above mentioned dose in case
there is re-emergence of weeds during or after rainy season.

26. Crop regulation
• Pear trees tend to overbear, resulting in smaller fruits.
• Tne fruit per cluster may be retained after thinning.
• In most of commercial varieties 30-40 leaves per fruit are
essential for the proper growth and development of one pear
fruit.

27. Harvesting
• Criteria for judging maturity of pear fruits are change in external
fruit colour, decrease in firmness of fruit flesh change in external
fruit colour and increase in total soluble solids.
• Fruits of Patharnakh pear reach harvest maturity 145 days and of
Baggugosha 135 days after fruit set.
• Colour of fruits changes to light yellow at final stage of harvest.
• The optimum harvesting time of Patharnakh , in Punjab is from end
July to mid August.
• Care should be exercised during picking so that fruit being spurs do
not get damaged.
• Harvest the fruits with stalk to avoid fruit rot in storage.
• For distant markets fruits should be picked when in hard ripe stage.

28. Packing
• Fruits are packed in wooden boxes for distant markets. The fruits are
packed in layers and are padded with thick layers of dried grass.
• For transportation to markets at short distances, baskets are generally
employed for packing.
Shelf life
• The fruits of Patharnakh and Baggugosha pear can be stored for 90 days
and 45-50 days, respectively, at 0-33 oC temperature with 85-90 per cent
relative humidity after packing them in polyethylene bags.
• The Patharnakh pear fruits can be successfully stored for 125 days by pre-
harvest treatment with calcium nitrate @ 1.0 and 1.5 per cent one week
before harvest.

29. Insect-Pests
Leaf –hoppers and aphids
• Attack start soon after leaf sprouting in March-April
• Cause serious damage by sucking the cell-sap from the
leaves and tender fruits.
• To control spray 1 kg Sevin/Hexavin 50 WP (Cataryl) or 800
ml Rogor 30 EC (Dimethoate) in 500 litres of water.

30. Hairy Caterpillar
• The gregarious caterpillars feed on the epidermis of leaves
and fruits.
• The eaten surface of leaves dry up and turn brown & fruits
turns black and become hard.
• Collect and destroy gregariously feeding young caterpillars.
• Spray 700 ml of Thiodan 45 EC in 500 liters of water.
Insect-Pests

31. Bark-eating caterpillar/Inderbela
• Its caterpillars bore hole into the stem and branches.
• They feed on bark under the cover of its webbing
containing its excreta.
• To control of dissolve 100 g BHC 50 WP in 10 liters of
water
• Apply this suspension with wash bottle into the holes
during
• September-October and again in January-February
Insect-Pests

32. Mites
• Mites attack in April-May
• As a result of mite attack brownish spots appear on the
leaves.
• If the incidence is high, the whole of the leaf becomes pale
• To control spray 500 ml Rogor 30EC (diamethoate) or 1000
ml Kalthane 18.5 EC (dicopal) or 500 ml Fosmite 50 EC
(ethion) in 500 litres of water.
Insect-Pests

33. Diseases
Pear scab
• Infection appear on young shoots
• Olive dark mouldy spots appear on the underside of leaves
later these spots turn grey and necrotic.
• Similar olive spots appear on pedicel, calyx and petals.
• The affected blosooms and petals usually drop.
• Dark brown spots are produced on the fruits, which join
together become corky and crack.
• To control this disease, apply bulky organic manures to trees.
• Spray 0.2 per cent Captan at pre-bloom stage on dormant
trees and again after petal fall.
• Collect and burnior on plough carefully the fallen leaves and
other debris.
• Prune the tree to promote good acration.

34. Shoot-fruit blight and bark canker
• Small elliptical brown spots appear on leaves.
• As these spots enlarge their centres become sunken with edges
raised above the surrounding healthy bark.
• The fungus perpetuates on the tree in bark cankers.
Control
• Remove the cankers on the trunk and in the crotches.
• Decorticate the dead bark alongwith 2 cm of healthy bark.
• Destroy all the dead wood and pruning wood.
• Apply disinfectant solution on the wounds.
• After this apply Bordeaux paste and cover it with Bordeaux paint
after one week.
• Spray the trees with 2:2:250 Bordeaux mixture or 0.3% copper
oxychloride.
• Repeat the spray in March, June and January.
Diseases

35. Root-rot and Sap-wood rot
• Gummosis of main trunk, limbs and secondary branches occur.
• The bark and wood of roots rot with white mycelial mat in the
crevices.
• Tree show wilting, early leaf-fall and increase in fruit set before
collapsing.
• Rotting of roots lead to toppling of trees.
Control
• To full grown trees apply 10g Bavistin 50 WP + 5 g Vitavax 25 WP
in 10 lt water along the trunk and around the drip area twice.
• Once before monsoon (April-May) and second after monsoon
(September-October). Apply light irrigation immediately after
treatment.
• Avoid deep hoeing so that root injury do not occur.
• Do not pile soil around the tree trunk.
• Avoid growing intercrops which require heavy irrigation in winters
Diseases