The scientific history of pear research in Brazil

Pear is a very important fruit for Brazil, not because of production, but due to the high consumption, needing to import around 90% of the pears consumed in the country. This work describes the scientific evolution of pear growing in Brazil, based on results of scientific research published up to 2017. Papers began to be published after 1978. The first significant results began to be presented in 1992, on the adaptation of rootstocks, propagation and mainly studies on overcoming tree dormancy, since chilling requirements are generally not covered in Brazilian weather conditions. Some results on plant propagation and floral bud abortion were published within the late 1990s. Despite an intensification of publication about pear cultivation since 2000, cultivated area started to decrease at the same time due to the difficulties of regular production. The most studied subjects in Brazil were propagation, cultivar response grafted on different rootstocks, and floral bud abortion, followed by postharvest, plant growth regulators (PGRs) and dormancy. The studies were carried out mainly in the southern region of Brazil, in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, by research institutions and universities, especially the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel), the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), Company of Agricultural Research and Rural Extension of Santa Catarina (Epagri) and Santa Catarina State University (Udesc). About 60% of the papers were published in international journals written in English, mainly in Acta Horticulturae. Other papers were published in Brazilian journals, with most of them written in Portuguese, mainly in the Revista Brasileira de Fruticultura. These results led to slightly improve the technological level in what still appears a not economically viable endeavour. More studies are thus needed to make pear production a viable alternative for Brazilian fruit growers.