Which pesticide works well to turn male pears into female pears

Everyone knows that when picking pears, you should choose female pears, as they taste better. But some people say that certain fungicides on the market can turn male pears into female pears. What is this really about? What pesticide is used to turn male pears into female pears?

In fact, there is no such pesticide that turns male pears into female pears. The so-called difference between male pears and female pears is simply a folk term. In reality, it is because the sepals of male pears do not fall off, while the sepals of female pears fall off relatively cleanly.

Why can the sepals of some pears fall off after flowering while others cannot? This is related to the quality of flower bud differentiation. The more thorough and higher the quality of flower bud differentiation, the more completely the sepals fall off.

On a single tree or a single branch, because the buds are located in different positions, they receive different amounts of nutrients, so the quality of differentiation varies from high to low. This is called bud heterogeneity. Buds in inferior positions undergo incomplete and imperfect flower bud differentiation and are most likely to become “male pears”.

You can see on the tree that two adjacent pears, one male and one female, are caused by the buds being in different positions. Therefore, when pruning, it is essential to balance tree vigor and renew fruiting branches in time. Branches in inferior positions, such as downward-facing branches, and aged fruiting branches are best not retained.

 In some pear orchards, “male pears” are more numerous in one year and fewer the next. This is related to fertilization and climate. Insufficient fertilization or abnormal climate during the flowering period affects flower bud differentiation, and the following year there will be more “male pears”. Therefore, strengthening fertilizer and water management is also an effective means of reducing the proportion of “male pears”.

 It is quite normal for pear trees to have “male pears” and “female pears”. Like most fruit trees, poor flower bud differentiation quality leads to deformed fruit. A “male pear” is actually a type of deformed fruit. When the number is small, it is best to thin them out; when the number is large, you need to work on fertilizer, water and pruning

Male pears are not caused by pathogen infection, and no pesticide can turn male pears into female pears.There is one situation where, after flowering, a certain fungicide is used, and the cells in the calyx depression area of the original “male pear” divide rapidly, gradually changing from pointed to round, indeed showing a “male-to-female” phenomenon.

The greatest possibility is that the fungicide used caused physiological and biochemical reactions inside the tree, promoting cell division in the calyx depression area of the fruit. For example, the American Red Delicious apple is originally a New Red Star variety, but after using elongation hormone, the fruit becomes tall and columnar with five prominent ridges.

In conclusion, the claim that using fungicides can make “male pears turn into female pears” currently has no definitive conclusion, and one cannot rely entirely on fungicides to reduce the proportion of “male pears”.