Pear Variety Trials

What characteristics make the perfect pear? Ideally, the desired qualities would be a pear that the consumer can't live without, one that is grower friendly; disease resistant, heavy bearing, easy to maintain, and maintains its quality in cold storage. The newly reorganized variety trial block here at MCAREC will be for testing both numbered and named pear varieties from around the world and how they respond to conditions in the Hood River Valley. This year the trial includes varieties from France, United Kingdom, Canada, as well as varieties that were developed here in the Hood River Valley.

The trial will consist of two phases. The initial phase will be with ten trees of each variety. Phase one data will consist of information on first and full bloom and fruit set, optimum harvest pressures (determined by sampling at four different times during the harvest season), and evaluating the fruit during storage for fruit condition and ripening characteristics. If a variety meets the criteria for further testing, it will move on to phase two.

Phase two will involve more in-depth data collection on a maximum of five varieties. If a variety makes it to phase two, then planting will be expanded to approximately 60 trees. This phase will be testing flesh firmness, soluble solid content, titratable acids, along with the data collected during phase one.

And so the search continues for the perfect pear.

Pear Cultivar Evaluations