ISHS Acta Horticulturae 800: X International Pear Symposium
MANIPULATION OF PEAR SEEDLINGS TO REDUCE JUVENILITY |
| Authors: | L.R. Brewer, P. Alspach, C. Morgan |
| Keywords: | girdling, Pyrus communis, Pyrus × bretschneideri, interspecific pear |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.2008.800.34 |
| Abstract:
In New Zealand, the juvenile period for European pear (Pyrus communis) seedlings grown on their own roots can average as much as eight years. Reducing the length of time before fruiting is therefore critical if forward progress in breeding and cultivar development is to be accelerated. To reduce the juvenile period, tree top bending has been used as a standard orchard management practice for seedlings in the HortResearch breeding programme. In order to further encourage earlier fruiting, girdling treatments were applied to European and Chinese Pyrus × bretschneideri seedling populations. Chinese pear is more precocious than European pear, but girdling treatments were effective in enhancing both pear types to flower sooner and more prolifically. | |
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