Do pear tree branch bending well to promote early fruiting and early high yield

Through agricultural industrial structure adjustment in Hechuan City, Chongqing, fruit trees have seen considerable development. At present, the whole city has planted 32,000 mu and 3.5 million plants of Huanghua pear, Zaomeisu pear, Hosui pear, Cangxi pear, etc. In order for pear trees to be high quality, early fruiting, and early high yield, in addition to strengthening fertilizer and water management and pest control, they proposed that branch bending is an important technical measure, and this measure can also be referenced by sister units.

When planting pear trees, do branch bending well to promote early fruiting and high yield

1. Effect of branch bending: Branch bending can prompt pear trees to sprout shoots early and sprout more shoots; can help young trees form a canopy earlier; can make full use of space and light energy; can inhibit vegetative growth of the tree and shift it to reproductive growth as soon as possible, ultimately achieving the goal of early fruiting and high yield.

2. Timing of branch bending: Branch bending can be carried out from after the leaves fall in autumn until before bud break the following spring.

Methods for planting pear trees

1. One-year-old trees: For one-year-old young trees planted in the current year, leave 40 to 50 cm above the ground surface and bend the tree tip toward the row spacing. The direction in which the tree tips are bent across the whole plot should be basically consistent. The degree of bending should reach horizontal or 80 degrees. After the rope is released the following year, the natural bend of the tree tip should remain at about 90 to 100 degrees, and the trunk of the young tree must remain upright.

2. Two-year-old trees: After branch bending in the first year, many shoots are stimulated. When bending branches in the second year, choose a robust shoot at the bending point of the first year's branch bending, leave 40 cm from the base upward, and bend it in the opposite direction <the degree of bending is the same as in the first year>, and bend the other shoots to the left and right respectively.

3. Three-year-old and fruiting trees: At the bending point of the second year's branch bending, choose a robust branch, leave 30 to 40 cm from the base upward, bend it in the opposite direction from the second year's branch bending, and bend the other shoots to the left and right. In this way, a canopy with three layers and three to five main branches is formed, and tree height is generally controlled at about 2.5 m.

For fruiting trees more than three years old, first prune away excessively dense branches, dead branches, and diseased and pest-damaged branches at the base of the trunk and main branches. For other upright vegetative branches, still carry out branch bending, branch circling, and branch twisting to promote early fruiting and high yield, suppress the tree with fruit, and control canopy growth.

Growing environment for pear trees  

1. Temperature conditions: Pear trees like warmth, require relatively high temperatures during growth, and need a certain amount of low temperature during dormancy. The suitable annual average temperature is about 4-12°C for Ussurian pear, about 7-15°C for white pear and European pear, and about 13-21°C for sand pear.  

2. Light conditions: Pear trees are light-loving fruit trees and require 1600-1700 hours of sunshine per year. The light compensation point of pear leaves is about 1100 lux, and the light saturation point is about 54000 lux.  

3. Moisture conditions: Pear trees have a relatively high water requirement, with a transpiration coefficient of 284-401. Each square meter of leaf area transpires about 40 g of water. When it is below 10 g, damage can be caused. Ussurian pear, white pear, and European pear have poor moisture tolerance, while sand pear has strong moisture tolerance. In sandy loam, when soil moisture content is 15-20%, it is more suitable for root growth, and when it drops to 12%, root growth is inhibited.  

4. Soil conditions: Pear trees have strong adaptability to soil. Sandy loam with deep soil layers, loose texture, good water permeability and water retention, and a low groundwater table is most suitable. They have broad adaptability to soil acidity and alkalinity and can grow normally within a pH range of 5-8.5, with pH 5.8-7 being most suitable. They also have relatively strong salt and alkali tolerance. When soil salt content is below 0.2%, growth is normal; when it reaches above 0.3%, root growth is damaged and growth is obviously poor.

Establishment of a pear orchard  

1. Site selection: Choose a place with convenient transportation, good sun exposure, and far from cypress trees to establish the orchard. Pear has very strong adaptability to soil, but deep, fertile slightly acidic sandy loam with strong water and fertilizer retention and a pH of about 6-6.5 is still best.  

2. Orchard soil improvement: Because pear roots are relatively shallow and fibrous roots are well developed, the soil should be improved. Planting holes 0.6 m long, 0.6 m wide, and 0.6 m deep can be dug, green manure can be pressed in, and base fertilizer can be applied to improve soil aeration and fertility. For flat land or clay soil, drainage ditches 40 cm wide and 50 cm deep should be opened every 4 rows.  

3. Raising seedlings and planting  

① Raising seedlings: Grafting is mostly used, either bud grafting or stem grafting. The rootstocks are mainly Pyrus betulifolia and Pyrus calleryana. Rootstock seedlings grow relatively slowly in the early stage, and when bud grafting in the current year, the rootstock thickness is required to be at least 0.6 cm or more. In production, measures such as frequent application of fertilizer and water to rootstock seedlings, timely pinching, and spraying a 50 ppm gibberellin solution can be taken to promote faster thickening of rootstock seedlings and increase the grafting rate.  

② Planting: For nursery stock, autumn planting after leaf fall is preferable. Autumn-planted nursery stock has a high survival rate, a short recovery period, and vigorous growth the following year. If there is winter drought and lack of water, spring planting is preferable. Select nursery stock that is robust, has a straight trunk, is more than 80 cm tall, and has more than 8 plump buds on the shaping zone. Cut off the main root, distribute the root system evenly, place it into the hole, and cover with soil up to the root collar. Water thoroughly to settle the roots. If drought persists after planting, continue watering. Planting density varies with canopy size.

Pear trees are relatively commonly planted in northern China. Before planting fruit trees, you must first understand their growth habits. Only in a suitable environment can they bear abundant fruit. Although there are many planting methods, these external conditions are also very important.