COMPARISON OF PEAR FRUIT CHARACTERISTICS BETWEEN LANDRACES AND NEW CULTIVARS IN KOREA

The National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science (NIHHS) has released about 30 pear cultivars since systematic pear breeding programs began in 1954. One of the main goals of NIHHS’s breeding program is to improve fruit quality. Until now, fruit characteristics between landraces and newly bred cultivars showed a significant difference in fruit size, acidity, sugar content, flesh firmness and core ratio. Soluble solids contents have been improved from 11.7 to 13.4 °Brix, and fruit flesh firmness decreased from 4.8 to 2.9 kg/8 mmΦ. Core ratio, which indicates how much of the whole fruit is inedible, has decreased from 40.5 to 35.2% and acidity was from 4.8 to 2.9%. These results illustrate the success of our pear breeding goal to improve fruit quality. Also, It appears to be worthwhile to continue further to investigate the relationship between flesh physical structure and firmness.