PEAR PLANTING SYSTEMS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

G. Browning
Presented is a review of current UK pear planting systems, their performance and constraints on future development. Reported are the results from the one UK pear systems experiment to have been completed. This indicated that at economically feasible increased tree densities, closer planted, single row Doyenne du Comice, worked on Quince C rootstocks and pruned according to the Guilliam system, can produce at full bearing yields of marketable sized fruits threefold greater than those of average commercial orchards, but without the bienniality of similar systems on Quince A. Vigour emerged as the major factor determining system performance. Because of the constraints of the marginal climate for pears in the UK, major improvement in planting system performance will require new scion varieties and better vigour control by rootstocks to introduce greater efficiency of light utilisation and partitioning into larger fruits.
Browning, G. (1989). PEAR PLANTING SYSTEMS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. Acta Hortic. 243, 289-296
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.1989.243.40
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1989.243.40

Acta Horticulturae