ISHS Acta Horticulturae 484: Eucarpia Symposium on Fruit Breeding and Genetics
EVALUATION OF FROST RESISTANCE AND PRODUCTIVITY OF PEAR CULTIVARS IN HUNGARY |
| Authors: | M. Göndör, M. G. Tóth |
| Keywords: | alternate bearing |
| Abstract:
A virus-free orchard of 13 pear cultivars was planted in Nagykanizsa in 1980 the aim being to increase the choice of cultivars for Hungary. The productivity of cultivars and the sensitivity of flower buds to winter frost were evaluated. Frost injury occurred six times during the 10 years or so of the investigation, temperatures reaching as low as -25° C in early 1995. Frost damage was evaluated by microscopical examination of flower buds. The tissues under the buds were also examined. Cultivars ‘Doyenné du Comice’, ‘Passe Crassane’ and ‘Doctor Jules Guyot’ are sensitive to winter frost under Hungarian ecological conditions, while ‘Packham's Triumph’ is relatively resistant. Great differences were recorded in precocity. ‘Williams’ and ‘Durondeau’ started to produce early, in the fourth or fifth year, while the first crop of cultivars ‘Doyenné du Comice’ and ‘Beurre d'Anjou’ appeared very late, in the eighth to tenth year. The cumulated yield of the cultivars was recorded between 1983 and 1995. ‘Packham's Triumph’ proved to be the most productive; it yielded ten times as much as ‘Doyenné du Comice’. The production efficiency was highest in the case of cultivar ‘Doctor Jules Guyot’, ‘Durondeau’ and ‘Packham's Triumph’. The biennial bearing index (BBI) was calculated from the 13 years' data. Cultivars such as ‘Conference’ and ‘Passe Crassane’ were characterized by strong tendency to alternate bearing while the BBI of ‘Packham's Triumph’ is the lowest. | |
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