Temprate Fruits (1+1)

CULTURAL PRACTICES

Training and Pruning:-
Pear are usually trained according to modified Central leader system.

Modified central leader system:

• Generally, one – year – old whip without a single branch is planted in the dormant season.
• Immediately after transplanting the tip of plant is headed back to 60 to 75 cm above the ground level.
• In the following summer, most of the buds on main branch will sprout. In order to develop clean stem up to 30 cm from the ground the sprouted buds are pinched off soon after their appearance.
• Three or four well spaced buds projecting in spirally around the trunk are retained.

• If summer pruning is not done, then 3-4 well spaced primary branches having wider crotch angle are selected during dormant pruning. The lowest branch should be selected at least 30 cm above the ground and other branches spaced vertically 10-15 cm apart in spiral fashion.
• The branches emerging below 30 cm from ground level and other undesirable branches are pruned off. The selected branches are headed back to ¼ of growth to a bud projecting in the outer direction.
• The leader is also headed back to 30 cm above the last branch.
• During the second dormant pruning, 2-3 well spaced primary branches are selected on the leader.
• On the primary branches selected during previous year, two secondary branches which are growing in outward direction should be selected. The selected primary and secondary branches are headed back to 1/3 or ¼ of the growth.
• The third year training consists of thinning out of unwanted branches and heading back of desirable side branches.
• The central leader should be headed back to a bud or weak shoot, which will develop in the form of a side branch. By fourth year training should be completed.

Pruning:-

• In pruning of bearing tree, certain amount of thinning out and heading back of outward growing laterals is followed.
• Pruning intensity varies with the bearing habit of cultivars and vigour of the tree.
• Pear bear fruits mostly on spurs or sometime on 2 years old wood. Spurs continues to bear for 6 years. The limbs with spurs over 6-8 years old need to be removed in a phased manner.
• The branches and new shoots are headed back to induce new growth. Old planting branches and spurs are thinned out to maintain the vigour of the retained ones.
• The pruning is done during the winter.

Manuring and Fertilizers:-

• The fertilizer dose depend upon the soil fertility, type of soil, kind and age of trees, cultural practices, climate and crop load.
• The dose of manure and fertilizer should be determined on the basis of soil and leaf analysis.
• In an orchard of optimal fertility, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are applied in the ratio of 70:35:70g per year age of tree and which is stabilized after 10 years of age (700: 350: 700g N: P: K per tree).
• These application may be supplemented by FYMat the rate of 10 kg per year age of tree with the maximum of 100kg for 10 year old tree.
• N, P and K is applied in the form of calcium ammonium nitrate, single super phosphate and muriate of potash, respectively.
• Since, the response to phosphorus application is poor in phosphorus rich acidic hilly soils, it would be better to apply phosphorus after every 2-3 years or reduce the dose to half annually in such conditions.
• In bearing trees, FYM along with phosphorus and potash should be applied during December-January.
• Nitrogen is applied in the month of February-March in two split doses. Half of N is applied 2-3 weeks before bud break and second half dose one month after flowering, where the irrigation facilities are available.
• The fertilizers should be broadcasted in the tree basins 30 cm away from tree trunk to the canopy drip line and mixed well in the soil. In high rainfall areas with steep slopes having small basins, a band application of nitrogen is preferred.

After care:-

• Immediately after planting, the basins should be prepared around the plants. The level of the soil near the trunk should be kept slightly higher than the level at basin to avoid direct contact of water with the trunk.
• Irrigation should be given immediately after the planting. Second irrigation is given after 2-3 days of first irrigation and subsequent irrigation is given as and when required.
• The young plants are staked after planting to keep their stem straight.
• The trunk of these plants are white washed to avoid sunburn. The surplus shoots from the plants which are not required for primary frame work should be removed. The sprouts on the rootstock and root suckers should also be removed.

Orchard floor management and weed control

• Pear orchard should be managed with clean basin management system. In this system, the basin of trees are kept clean and free from weeds either by hand weeding, use of mulches and weedicides.
• In the initial years of plantation, the intercrops like peas, beans, cabbage, cauliflower and ginger are grown in the vacant area in between the trees but not in basin area.
• In bearing orchard, the basin area of trees should be mulched with 10-15 cm thick dry grass mulch or black alkathene mulch.
• Sod grasses like white clover, red clover, orchard grass and rye grass are grown in the vacant area between the trees.
• The mulches helps to conserve soil moisture and control the weeds in the basin area.
• To control weeds, both pre-emergence and post emergence weedicides are used. Spray of simazine at the rate of 4 kg/ha in March, followed by two sprays of glyphosate @ 800 ml/ha at monthly intervals in July and August have been found very effective to control the weeds in pear orchards.

Use of growth regulators:-

• Paclobutrazole (PP¬333) @ 500 to 1000 ppm restrict the vegetative growth, increased fruit set in pear. Cv. Flamish Beauty.
• GA3 at 10-20 ppm applied 10-14 days after full increased fruit set, fruit retention but it reduced flower bud differentiation in the following year.
• NAA 5-10 ppm control fruit drop in pear.

Irrigation:-

• Most of the pear orchard in India established in rain fed sloppy areas where irrigation facilities are inadequate. During the summer month, there is very less and low rainfall resulting in drought like conditions.
• The soil moisture stress affects the fruit growth and development. Therefore, irrigation is essential in pear orchards. The most critical period of water requirement in pear is April to June months and peak requirement is after fruit set.
• Irrigation applied at 80% of field capacity increased fruit set and yield, tree growth and reduces fruit drop in Flamish Beauty cultivar.
• In lighter soils, more frequent irrigation and heavier application of irrigation water is required. During the summer month, tree should be irrigated at 8-10 days intervals, while after harvesting the irrigation at 20 days intervals is required till October.
• No irrigation is required during winter months as plants under goes dormancy.

Harvesting and Post-harvest management:-

• Fully mature fruits are harvested for fresh consumption, while firm and green fruits for canning and distant markets.
• For local consumptions, fruits are picked slightly later stage because fruits hanging on trees make considerable gain in size weight and overall fruit quality.
• Fruit weight may increase up to 20% in delayed picking, however, it reduces the storage life.
• The ease with which the stem can be separated from the spur by an upward twist is used as an index of maturity.
• Number of days from full bloom to maturity is fairly consistent in a region but vary between regions.
• In Washington (USA), harvest maturity for pear variety varies from 110 to 115 days for Bartlett, 130-135 days for Bosc and 145-150 days for Anjou.
• Besides this, change in surface colour from green to yellow is also taken as a maturity index for harvesting.
• Generally, Bartlett pear is harvested at 19 pound pressure.
• After harvesting, pre-cooling treatments are given to fruits to remove field heat and arrest ripening.
• Pear fruits are picked individually by giving a gentle twist rather than direct pull.
• Harvesting should be done in2-3 picking at 3-4 days intervals rather than single picking
• In India, no specific grading and packing standards have been fixed for pear, but the farmers grade pear fruits according to fruit size as under.

• Pear is packed in boxes either in offset or in diagonal styles.
• Stems in first row next to packer should point away from packer, Stems in first fruit in other rows point toward packer.
• Pear are either placed in paper folds or wrapped in individual papers. The wooden, plastic or cardboard boxes are generally used for packing pears.
• The fruits are packed in layers. The bottom and top of the boxes is properly cushioned with newspaper or dry grass for avoiding bruising of fruits.
• Pear can be stored for 120-180 days at- 1oC and 85% relative humidity in cold storage.