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Taxonomy of Pear
Division Angiospermae
Class Dicotyledons
Sub. Class Polypetalae
Series Calyciflorae
Order Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus Pyrus
Species: pyrifolia, communis, pashia, serotina etc.
Climate
Pear can be grown in mid-hill upto an election of 1200 to 1800 meter above sea level.
Annual rainfall of 100-125 cm is considered adequate.
Patharnakh pear is very hardy tree and can be grown in the sub-tropical climate prevailing in
Punjab.
The absence of rains during flowering period is one of the pre-requisites for successful
cultivation of pear.
Excessive hot winds during summer have adverse affect on fruit and foliage.
Soil
Pear can be grown on vide variety of soils provided these are well drained.
Pear trees are hardy and can flourish even on rather inferior lands with relatively less care.
It can tolerate water stagnation for short duration.
The most suitable soil for pear is one which is of medium texture, deep, well drained and has a
water table below 200 cm around the year.
It can be grown in soils having pH upto 8.7 and having electrical conductivity below
0.5mmhos/cm.
Recommended varieties
Patharnakh
It is a variety of Pyrus pyrifolia.
It is most popular variety because of heavy bearing and good keeping quality.
The fruit is tough and can with stand transportation very well for long distances without any
spoilage.
The flesh is gritty, crisp and juicy.
It ripens in last week of July.
Average yield per tree is 150 kg.
Punjab Beauty
The trees are upright, medium in vigour and regular in bearing. The fruit is medium yellow with
red blush.
The flesh is white, which is more juicy and sweet than LeConte and Baggugosha.
Fruits mature in third week of July.
The average yield is 80 kg/plant.
Baggugosha
It is a variety of Pyrus communis
Trees are upright and vigorous and has irregular bearing habit.
Fruits are small, greenish yellow with tapered stem end.
The flesh is sweet and somewhat gritty.
It ripens in August.
Average yield is 60-80 kg per tree.
LeConte
It is a hybrid between Pyrus communis x Pyrus pyrifolia.
LeConte is a variety having low chilling requirement.
Tree medium in growth and upright, which becomes spreading when fully mature.
Fruits small to medium in size with alternate greenish yellow colour.
It ripens by the end of July and yields about 60-80 kg fruit per tree.
Kieffer
Kieffer is a hybrid between Pyrus communis x Pyrus pyrifolia.
It require longer chilling hours than LeConte and Patharnakh.
Fruits are medium to large pointed at the ends.
Fruits are brownish red colour and are gritty.
It ripens in August-September
Average yield 100 kg per tree.
Propagation Techniques
The Patharnakh pear plants are raised both by budding and grafting on pear suckers and Kainth
seedlings.
Tongue and cleft grafting are the most common methods of pear propagation and are performed
during January-February when plants are still dormant.
Among budding methods, T-budding is most commonly employed and is practiced from June to
August.
Irrigation
Water is needed in summer months, when trees and fruits are actively growing.
Shortages of water in April, May & June restricts tree growth and leads to the formation of hard
and small fruits of poor quality.
During summer months pear should be irrigated at an interval of 5-7 days and 15 days interval
in August-September.
Under extreme water deficiency conditions fruits lack colour crispiness and become tough.
Excessive water cause loss of attractiveness of fruits and keeping quality deteriorates.
The entire dose of farmyard manure, super phosphate and muriates of potash should be added
in December.
Half of CAN should be added in early February before flowering and the other half in April after
fruit set.
Zinc deficiency
Zinc deficiency appears on young leaves.
Symptoms are interveinal chlorosis, reduction in leaf size and lead margins tend to curl upward.
Spray 3kg zinc sulphate and 1.5 kg unstaked lime in 500 liters of water.
Iron deficiency
Iron deficiency appear on young leaves.
Symptoms are: dark green vains on pale green background.
To correct iron deficiency spray 0.3 per cent ferrous sulphate.
Intercropping
In young and rejuvenated orchards intercrops can be grown.
Mong, mash and toria can be grown during Kharif season.
Wheat, peas, grams and senji can be grown during Rubi season.
Barseen should not be grown as intercrop in pear, because of its high demand for irrigation in
winter season when pear plants are dormant.
Weed Control
Spray Hexuron 80 WP (Diuron) @ 4.0 kg/hectare as pre-emergence herbicide after
thorough cultivation in first fortnight of March .
Spray Glycel 41 SL (glyphosate) @ 3 lt/hectare or gramoxone 24 WSC (paraguat) at
3 lt/hectare as post emergence herbicides when the weeds are 15-20 cm high.
Dissolve all weedicides in 500 lt. water.
Spray glycel/gramoxone at above mentioned dose in case there is re-emergence of
weeds during or after rainy season.
Crop regulation
Pear trees tend to overbear, resulting in smaller fruits.
Tne fruit per cluster may be retained after thinning.
In most of commercial varieties 30-40 leaves per fruit are essential for the proper growth and
development of one pear fruit.
Harvesting and Handling of fruits
Harvesting
Criteria for judging maturity of pear fruits are change in external fruit colour, decrease in
firmness of fruit flesh change in external fruit colour and increase in total soluble solids.
Fruits of Patharnakh pear reach harvest maturity 145 days and of Baggugosha 135 days after
fruit set.
Colour of fruits changes to light yellow at final stage of harvest.
The optimum harvesting time of Patharnakh , in Punjab is from end July to mid August.
Care should be exercised during picking so that fruit being spurs do not get damaged.
Harvest the fruits with stalk to avoid fruit rot in storage.
For distant markets fruits should be picked when in hard ripe stage.
Packing
Fruits are packed in wooden boxes for distant markets. The fruits are packed in layers and are
padded with thick layers of dried grass.
For transportation to markets at short distances, baskets are generally employed for packing.
Shelf life
The fruits of Patharnakh and Baggugosha pear can be stored for 90 days and 45-50 days,
respectively, at 0-33 oC temperature with 85-90 per cent relative humidity after packing them in
polyethylene bags.
The Patharnakh pear fruits can be successfully stored for 125 days by pre-harvest treatment
with calcium nitrate @ 1.0 and 1.5 per cent one week before harvest.
Insect-Pests
Leaf –hoppers and aphids
-Attack start soon after leaf sprouting in March-April
-Cause serious damage by sucking the cell-sap from the leaves and tender fruits.
-To control spray 1 kg Sevin/Hexavin 50 WP (Cataryl) or 800 ml Rogor 30 EC
(Dimethoate) in 500 litres of water.
Hairy Caterpillar
The gregarious caterpillars feed on the epidermis of leaves and fruits. The eaten surface of
leaves dry up and turn brown & fruits turns black and become hard.
Collect and destroy gregariously feeding young caterpillars.
Spray 700 ml of Thiodan 45 EC in 500 liters of water.
Bark-eating caterpillar/Inderbela
Its caterpillars bore hole into the stem and branches.
They feed on bark under the cover of its webbing containing its excreta.
To control of dissolve 100 g BHC 50 WP in 10 liters of water
Apply this suspension with wash bottle into the holes during
September-October and again in January-February
Mites
Mites attack in April-May
As a result of mite attack brownish spots appear on the leaves.
If the incidence is high, the whole of the leaf becomes pale
To control spray 500 ml Rogor 30EC (diamethoate) or 1000 ml Kalthane 18.5 EC (dicopal) or
500 ml Fosmite 50 EC (ethion) in 500 litres of water.
Diseases
Pear scab
Infection appear on young shoots
Olive dark mouldy spots appear on the underside of leaves later these spots turn grey and
necrotic.
Similar olive spots appear on pedicel, calyx and petals.
The affected blosooms and petals usually drop.
Dark brown spots are produced on the fruits, which join together become corky and crack.
Control
To control this disease, apply bulky organic manures to trees.
Spray 0.2 per cent Captan at pre-bloom stage on dormant trees and again after petal fall.
Collect and burnior on plough carefully the fallen leaves and other debris.
Prune the tree to promote good acration.