Must-know! 10 key techniques for high-yield pear tree cultivation

The pear tree is one of the main fruit trees in our country, bearing fruit early; generally it begins production in 2-3 years, and by 6 years it can enter the full bearing period, during which it can stably yield more than 2000kg per mu. Below, let me introduce the 10 key techniques for high-yield pear tree cultivation.

1. Pear orchard selection

Pears are highly adaptable. Choose gentle slopes and hilly land with a slope of less than 15 degrees, and plant in sandy loam soil that is loose and well-drained. Establish the orchard in environmental conditions with sufficient sunlight, good air circulation and good drainage, and dig planting holes 60cm deep, long and wide in preparation for planting.

2. Nursery stock selection

Select superior nursery stock free from pest and disease damage, with a good root system and a plant height above 60cm as planting stock.

Planting density is generally 4 m × 5 m to 2.5 m × 4 m under conventional planting density, with 33-67 plants per mu; on flat land and for vigorous varieties, the density should be sparse, and vice versa dense. For medium-vigor varieties such as Huanghua and Cuifu pear, 41-56 plants per mu; for weak-vigor varieties such as Xiangnan and Changshilang, 56-67 plants per mu. At the same time, because pears have weak branching ability, planned dense planting can be implemented, with 110-148 plants per mu. At present, some foreign countries use wide-row, narrow-plant hedge-type dense planting of 4 m × 1-2 m (83-167 plants per 667 sq m), which can achieve rapid and high yields, but the planting density must not be too high, and it is advisable not to exceed 210 plants per mu.

3. Planting density

Generally 3 m × 4—5 m, or 2—3 m × 4 m, with 44—48 plants per mu, depending on specific local conditions.

4. Planting period

Planting can be done from after leaf fall to before spring bud break (late November to early March), but winter planting (November to December) is preferable.

5. Cultivation method

First prune and tidy the root system of the nursery stock, dig a planting hole about 30cm deep in the already backfilled planting hole, place the seedling in the center, spread the root system flat, bury the mixed fertilizer soil over the root system, and gently lift the seedling upward so that the roots and soil are fully in close contact, then press firmly with the foot, cover with soil and level it, without burying the graft union, and form a tree disc with a diameter of 1 m that is more than 10cm above the planting hole opening, and promptly water thoroughly to settle the roots, set up a support stake, and tie the seedling securely.

6. Fertilizer and water management

Pear trees are mainly fertilized with organic fertilizer, applied as base fertilizer in trenches opened below the drip line of the canopy. Organic fertilizers include human and animal manure and urine, barnyard manure, farmyard manure, green manure and cake fertilizer, etc. The amount of base fertilizer is equivalent to 60—70% of the pear's total annual fertilizer requirement. The annual base fertilizer application per tree should be no less than 100 kg, and it should be applied together with 1—1.5 kg of superphosphate, or 50—100 kg of human manure and urine, or 1 kg of urea.

7. Training and pruning

Pear tree pruning can be carried out in summer and winter.

1. Summer pruning, also called growing-season pruning, is carried out from March to October throughout the pear tree's annual growth cycle. The pruning methods are as follows: bud removal, pinching, girdling, branch bending, and branch propping. Training: pear trees grow vigorously, have a strong central leader, and a tall canopy, so several tree forms can be used:

(1) Open-center stratified form: generally trunk height 10—50 cm, with 6—7 main branches in the whole tree, arranged in three tiers, with an obvious central leader. The first tier has 3—4 main branches, the second tier has 2 main branches, and the third tier has 1—2 main branches, with a canopy height of 3—3.5 m.

(2) Double-tier low-trunk open-center form: suitable for densely planted orchards with medium vigor and light-loving varieties. Trunk height 40—50 cm, with 5 main branches in the whole tree, 3 main branches in the first tier and 2 main branches in the second tier.

(3) Multi-main-branch natural stratified form: trunk height 50—60 cm, with a central leader, and 2—3 tiers in the whole tree. The first tier has 3—4 main branches, the second tier has 2—3 main branches, and the third tier has 1—2 main branches. The main branches are distributed naturally, staggered from top to bottom, without overlapping. After entering the full bearing period, the extension head of the trunk is removed to limit tree height.

2. Winter training and pruning: carried out from November to February of the following year. Pruning methods:

(1) Heading back: cutting off part of the current year's new shoots and cutting branches back.

(2) Thinning: removing excessively dense branches and multiple branches with no useful value.

(3) Leaving unpruned: not treating one-year-old long branches, as leaving them unpruned can moderate growth, increase the number of medium and short branches, help the branches accumulate nutrients, and promote flower bud differentiation.

8. Protecting flowers and fruits

1. Strengthen management and improve the nutritional level of the tree

Strengthen fertilizer and water management at each growth stage of the pear tree, adopt measures such as applying base fertilizer early, applying heavy fertilizer after fruit harvest, integrated pest and disease control, preventing autumn drought, and protecting autumn leaves.

2. Configure pollinizer trees: pears are self-incompatible varieties and must be pollinated by pollen from other pear varieties to set fruit. In production, pollinizer trees are generally planted at a ratio of 3—4:1 between the main variety and the pollinizer variety.

3. Carry out artificial supplementary pollination to protect flowers and fruits. Keeping bees in the orchard is one of the main methods; in addition, pollen can be collected and then applied by methods such as chicken feather duster pollination, sprayer pollination, and liquid sprayer pollination. If there are many flowers, flower and fruit thinning should also be combined.

9. Fruit bagging

The purpose of fruit bagging is to improve the external quality of the fruit, reduce pesticide residues, and enhance the storability of the fruit. Method: carry it out 15—20 days after pear flowering, and finish bagging within about 10 days. Generally, only one fruit is bagged per inflorescence, from top to bottom. Open the paper bag, hold the paper bag with one hand, grasp the fruit stalk with the other hand, gently place the young fruit into the middle of the bag, then fold the bag opening from both sides toward the middle fruit stalk and tie it. Remove the outer layer of the double-layer bag 20 days before harvest. The bag removal time is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For pear varieties whose fruit does not need coloring, do not remove the bags.

10. Pest and disease control

The main pests and diseases of pear trees are pear scab, pear rust, pear black spot, and pear ring rot. Control methods: 1) Agricultural control: promptly remove diseased leaves, buds and shoot tips, diseased flower clusters, diseased fruits, etc., and avoid planting hosts with the same disease sources around the pear orchard, such as Sabina chinensis, dragon juniper, Chinese juniper and other plants. Strengthen technical measures such as pruning and training to improve ventilation and light conditions. 2) Chemical control: options include 70% mancozeb 1000-fold solution, chlorothalonil 1000-fold solution, 70% thiophanate-methyl 800-fold solution, 50% carbendazim 800-fold solution, etc. The principle of medication is to treat the disease specifically, apply medication at early onset, apply multiple times, and achieve thorough control.

The main pests of pear trees are the oriental fruit moth, the pear fruit borer, the pear weevil, the fruit-sucking noctuid, and the pear longhorn beetle, etc. Control methods: 1) Agricultural control: combined with winter orchard cleaning, eliminate pest sources. During production, the pest-damaged branches and fruits that are pruned or picked off should be centrally destroyed. Trap and kill adults by using black light lamps or synthetic attractants. 2) Chemical control: pesticides that can be used include 20% fenvalerate emulsifiable concentrate 3000-fold solution, 90% crystal trichlorfon 500-fold solution, 50% fenitrothion emulsion 1000-fold solution, and 80% dichlorvos 1000-fold solution. For spray control, spray once every 10—15 days, for 2—3 consecutive sprays.