Effect of rootstocks of oriental origin on pears under irrigation in the Goulburn Valley

Abstract

The effects of seven Pyrus species of oriental origin as rootstocks for Williams' Bon Chretien, Packham's Triumph, Josephine de Malines, and Winter Nelis pears were studied in a 16-year field trial at Tatura Horticultural Research Station. For Williams' Bon Chretien, Packham's Triumph, and Josephine de hfalines varieties, P. betulaefolia, P. calleryana (Db), P. calleryana (small fruited), and P. pashia (var. Kumaoni), yielded more and produced larger trees (P<0.01) than P. calleryana (large fruited), P. serotina, or Kieffer X dÆAnjou stocks. For Winter Nelis variety, all stocks but P. calleryana (large fruited) which cropped poorly, yielded a similar crop. The most vigorous trees were on stocks of P. pashia (var. Kumaoni), P. betulaefolia, and P. calleryana (small fruited). For Williams' Bon Chretien, P. serotina, and P. calleryana (small fruited) were the last to crop. For Packham's Triumph, P. serotina and Kieffer X dÆAnjou stocks were the most precocious. For Josephine de Malines pears, all stocks except Kieffer X d'Anjou and P. calleryana (large fruited) were late croppers, and for Winter Nelis the earliest croppers were Kieffer x dÆAnjou, P. calletyana (D6) and P. betulaefolia. Williams' Bon Chretien began cropping two years earlier than the other three varieties. Winter Nelis variety was free of black-end disorder on all stocks, but the other three varieties produced black-ended fruit on all stocks except P. calleryana (D6).