pear tree : the main technical challenges poiriers : les ... · dose ga4/7 + 2 x 0.5 kg/ha regalis...

Tours – France

25-26-27 juin 2019

Pear tree : the main technical challengesPoiriers : les défis techniques majeurs

www.interpera.org

http://www.interpera.org/

Pear trees: the major technical challenges

J. Vercammen

Pcfruit-Proeftuin pit- en steenfruit

(Sint-Truiden - Belgium)

Proefcentrum Fruitteelt vzw – Proeftuin pit- en steenfruit (pcfruit vzw – pps)Fruittuinweg 1, B-3800 Sint-Truiden – 0032 (0)11 69 70 81 – [email protected]

Challenges

• (New) pear varieties

• Early bearing• Rootstocks

• Planting systems

• Regular production• Fruit set and/or fruit thinning

• Climate change• Hail

• Heat and drought

• Plant protection• Psylla

• Fire blight

• Conclusions

New pear varieties

Pear varieties in Europe

• EU-28: Conference: 2009: ± 34 % – 2018: ± 41 %

• Italy: Abate Fetel

– 2009: ± 35 % – 2018: ± 44 %

• The Netherlands: Conference

– 2009: 5.691 ha (74 %) – 2018: 7.595 ha (75 %)

• Belgium: Conference

– 2009: 7.ooo ha (85 %) – 2018: 8.925 ha (88 %)

• Spain: Conference

– 2009: ± 37 % – 2018: ± 52 %

New pear varieties

CorinaSweet

Sensation

CepunaCelina

FredRed Modoc

Which new pear varieties are planted?

Demands for a new pear variety

• Productive, good size, good taste

• Vigour not too strong

• Possibility of parthenocarpy

• Fruit set through sprayings with GA

• Optimal for our climate

• Low susceptible to fire blight

• Good storability and shelf life

• Low susceptible to pests and diseases

New pear varietiesYield data (2017)

Planting year: 2012 Planting distance: 3.50 x 1.50 m

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Conference PR.12.02 PR.12.03 PR.12.04 PR.12.08 PR.12.10 PR.12.13 PR.12.14

Kg/tree

Kg/tree Fruit weight (g)

g

The temperature dropped to – 5.3°C in the night of April 19th to 20th.

PR.12.08Fruit shape 2017

The temperature dropped to – 5.3°C in the night of April 19th to 20th.

Demands for a new pear varietyConsumer

▪ Good taste Sweet Sensation

▪ Good outlook Cepuna/Migo and Celina/QTee

▪ Earlier available Corina

▪ Green and smooth, less russeting

Cepuna/Migo

▪ Red blush

Celina/QTee

Sweet Sensation

CH201/Fred

Celina/QTeeYield data 2007-2018

Planting year: 2005-2006

Rootstock: Quince C (Condo)

(Conference on Quince Ad. (Condo))

= 50 to 60 tons/ha

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Kg/tree


g

Planting year: 1999-2000 Rootstock: Quince Adams (B. Hardy)

Cepuna/MigoYield data 2002-2018

Since 2009 = > 50 tons/ha

120

160

200

240

280

320

0

10

20

30

40

50

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Kg/tree


g

Sweet SensationYield data (2009-2018)

Planting year: 2005-2006 Planting distance: 3,50 x 1,50 m

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Kg/tree

Quince Adams Quince C

Early bearing

What are the characteristics ofan ideal tree/rootstock in Belgium?

• Does not grow too strongly

• Demands little labour

• Early and regular yield

• Each year a good quality– good fruit size

– green background

– smooth skin

Mostly Quince EM C and Quince Adams– mostly sufficient

– sometimes too much growth

– too small fruits

– too much labour for pruning and thinning

Rootstock trial ConferenceIncrease trunk circumference (2006-2010)

Planting year: 2004-2005 Planting distance: 3.50 x 1.50 m

Rootstock Increase (cm) % Circum-

2010 Total Quince C ference (cm)

Quince C 1.1 a 10.5 b 100 18.7 b

Quince Ad. 1.4 a 11.7 b 112 20.4 ab

Pigwa 1.5 a 16.1 a 154 21.9 a

S1 1.8 a 15.5 a 149 21.2 a

Rootstock trial for ’Conference’Yield data (2006-2010)


160

170

180

190

200

210

220

230

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Quince C Quince Adams Pigwa S1

gKg/tree

Kg/tree Fruitweight (g)

Rootstock trial for ‘Conference’% Frost damage 2009

Rootstock % with frost damage % with early leaf discoloration

Quince C 50 a 45 a

Quince Adams 50 a 10 b

Pygwa 30 a 10 b

S1 20 a 5 b


• January 2009: - 25 °C

Demands for rootstocks in Southern-Europe

• Demands for a new rootstock in France– Good tolerance for chlorosis and drought

– Early fruiting, good fruit size and high and regular productivity

– Vigour < Farold87 Daytor and close to Quince

Sandrine Codarin – CTIFL France

• Demands for a new rootstock in Portugal– Tolerant to fire blight

– Vigour like Sydo, not less

– Since soils are calcareous and poor in organic matter

Cristina Oliveira – ISA Portugal

Planting systems for ‘Conference’

• Cultivar: Conference

• Rootstock: Quince Adams

• 7 Planting systems

• Planting year: April 2002

• Pollenizer: Concorde (9 %)

• For each planting system we have asked a fruit grower tosupervise the trial

• Production, quality, costs and labour

Financial result

Bush-spindle tree (1.714 trees/ha)

Planting systems for ‘Conference’

V-System (2.813 trees/ha)

Spindle trees (5.625 trees/ha)

Planting systems for ‘Conference’Yield 2003-2018

120

130

140

150

160

170

180

190

200

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Bush V-system Spindle

gTons/ha

Tons/ha Fruit weight (g)

Planting systems for ‘Conference’Gross financial result after 17 years

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Bush V-system Spindle

Total costs Revenues Profits

x 1.000 €

Conclusion planting systems

• Grow large pears (+ good quality)

• Need at least 60-65 mm, preferably > 65 mm

• Fruit size will be more important for the financial result

• Also costs (p.e. investment costs) are important

• Low prices are particulary disadvantageous for systems with high investment costs

• Quince C or Quince Adams (depending on the expectedvigour)

• If necessary (light) root pruning

Regular bearing

Recommendations for fruit set:without frost damage

• A lot of flower buds: do nothing, wait.

• Moderate to good amount of flower buds: 1x half of a dose GA4/7 between full bloom and end of bloom.

• Small to moderate amount of flower buds: 1x half of a dose GA4/7 between full bloom and end of bloom

+ 2 x 0.5 kg/ha Regalis Plus/Kudos 2 + 3 weeks after full bloom.

Don’t spray GA3 or tankmix GA3 + GA4/7!!!

• Long before bloom: Wait for good weather during bloom and spray half of a dose GA4/7 + 2 x 0.5 kg/ha Regalis Plus/Kudos 2 + 3 weeks after full bloom

• Just before bloom: immediately half of a dose GA4/7 + half of a dose GA4/7 during bloom + 2 x 0.5 kg/ha Regalis Plus/Kudos 2 + 3 weeks after full bloom.

Recommendations for fruit set:with frost damage before bloom


• A lot of flower buds: immediately half of a dose GA4/7

• Moderate to good amount of flower buds: immediately half of a dose GA4/7 + 2 x 0.5 kg/ha Regalis Plus/Kudos 2 + 3 weeks afterfull bloom

• Small to moderate amount of flower buds: immediately half of a dose GA4/7 AND half of a dose GA4/7 end of bloom + 2 x 0.5 kg/ha Regalis Plus/Kudos 2 + 3 weeks after full bloom.

Recommendations for fruit set:with frost damage during bloom


• A lot of flower buds: immediately half of a dose GA4/7

• Moderate to good amount of flower buds: immediately half of a dose GA4/7 + 2 x 0.5 kg/ha Regalis Plus/Kudos 2 + 3 weeks afterfull bloom

• Small to moderate amount of flower buds:

(Already sprayed with GA4/7 during bloom)

Before the frost 0.5 kg/ha Regalis Plus/ Kudos

+ 0.5 kg/ha Regalis Plus/Kudos 3 weeks after full bloom.

Recommendations for fruit set:with frost damage after bloom


Improving fruit set CepunaFruit set 2018

Object Number of Number of fruits Number of fruits/

flower buds Thinned Picked 100 flower buds

Control 208 43 161 98

Regulex 10 SG 0,1 kg/ha 207 38 144 88

GA3 3 tablets/ha 181 52 121 103


Regulex 10 SG and GA3 were sprayed around full bloom.

No improvement of fruit set.

Improving fruit set CepunaFruit set 2018

Object Number of Number of fruits Number of fruits/

flower buds Thinned Picked 100 flower buds

Control 151 27 b 90 c 76 b

Regalis Plus 2x 0,5 kg/ha 157 34 b 118 b 98 ab

Regalis Plus 2x 0,5 kg/ha

+

Regulex 10 SG 0,1 kg/ha

155 44 a 146 a 123 a


Regalis Plus was sprayed at white bud and 2 weeks after full bloom.

Regulex 10 SG was sprayed around full bloom.

Significant improvement of fruit set.

Advice chemical thinning

• Light thinning: • 2 l/ha Globaryll or 10 l/ha Exilis or 7.5 l/ha MaxCel (= 6BA)

(at least 18 °C at the day of treatment and the days after)

• + 0.05 to 0.10 l/ha Fixor (= ANA)

(Gives stronger thinning, but not authorized in Belgium forthinning on pears)

• Stronger thinning:• Parcels with moderate to strong vigour: 1 x 1.1 kg/ha

• Older trees with weak vigour: 1.5 kg/ha

(Can give overthinning, especially when the days after treatment are very dark.)

Climate change

Thunderstorm days in Belgium(1928-2007)

Source: L. Debontridder (KMI)

Hail nets on pears

Pear varieties 2010Number of flower buds and fruit set 2011-2018

Variety Object Number of

flower buds

Number of

pears

Number of pears/

100 flower buds

Conference Control 918 984 107

Hail net 673 727 108

Xenia Control 1.511 959 63

Hail net 1.298 760 59

Sweet Sensation Control 920 387 42

Hail net 586 330 58

Early Desire Control 699 594 85

Hail net 474 386 81


Pear varieties 2010Yield data 2011-2018


04080120160200240280320360400

020406080

100120140160180200

+ - + - + - + -

Conference Xenia Sweet Sensation Early Desire

gKg/tree


Foto folletage

CdS

Effect of hail net in 2018

Semi-automatic hail net

Efficiency drip irrigation – slurry tank

Water gift between June 18th and July 23rd

• 21 days drip irrigation

• 14 x with the slurry tank

Water/tree between June 18th and July 23rd

Drip irrigation Slurry tank

155 l/tree 504 l/tree

Auger went only ± 15 cm into the ground

Here the auger quickly went 25 cm into the ground (at 10 cm from the dripper)

Plant protection

Pear sucker (Cacopsylla pyri): main important pest in pear growing

Multiple generations / year

Adult stage Nymphal stage

Considerable damage:• Honeydew secretion → Sooty mould fungal diseases

• Weakened/dead flower and leaf buds

• Vector for Candidatus Phytoplasma pyri: ‘Pear Decline’

• Less chemicals → risk of resistance

• Use of natural enemies / benificials

Psylla

Pear psyllids model (Cacopsylla pyri)

bloei

Based on climate data (hourly temperature data: 24 h/day)for every day in the year the model predicts: the relative presence of thedifferent life stages of C. pyri: adults/eggs/larvae

→ this helps the fruit growers to time their sprayings in order to reach anoptimal control effect

adults

eggs

larvae

Output model:

Tim Beliën: Department of zoology at pcfruit

T-driven phenological model of earwigs

Model topredict thephenologyof beneficialsin order toavoid side effects on them

Integration of models to optimize spraying schedules

Avoiding side effects

Avoiding side effects

maximal efficacy on pear Psylla

Fire blight (Erwinia amylovora)

• Fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) is extremely important for fruit producers and tree nurseries of apple and pear• Can lead to extreme damage and losses

• Can lead to important economical losses for fruit producers

• Negative effect on export to fire blight free countries

• High costs for regular visual inspections

Current control of fire blight in pear orchards in Belgium

• Strategy based on combination of different measures tocontrol severe outbreaks:

1. Regular monitoring for symptoms, removing and burning of infectedplant parts

2. Preventive spraying of plant defense enhancer (PDE) molecules duringthe critical infection period

• fosethyl-aluminium - Aliette®, laminarin - Vacciplant®, Cu, Mn during thecritical infection period

3. Preventive spraying of Biological control organisms (BCO) duringflowering when infection conditions are optimal

• Blossom Protect (Aureobasidium pullulans DSM 14940 and DSM 14941) in combination with Buffer Protect (citric acid)

Hilde Schoofs: Department of pomology at pcfruit

Conclusions

• Plant new pear varieties

• Use a rootstock that gives an early production

• Plant more trees per ha, but don’t go to intensive

• GA’s and/or Prohexadion-Ca can help to improve fruit set

• If necessary, use chemical thinning

• Invest in hail nets and irrigation/fertigation

• Save the natural enemies/beneficials against Psylla

• Remove infections of fire blight

Thank you for your attention!

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