Pingxiangli Pear

It is a new cultivar bred by the Fruit Tree Research Institute of the Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences. The parents are Pingguoli (Apple Pear) × Yanbian Xiehuatian, crossed in 1956. It has been promoted in Jilin, northern Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, and the Bashang area of Hebei, and has been introduced and trial-planted on a certain scale in **, Guizhou, Jiangsu, Gansu and other provinces (autonomous regions).

The fruit is medium to large, with an average single-fruit weight of 120 g and the largest reaching 216 g. The fruit is nearly round or oblate, the skin is greenish-yellow and turns yellow after being stored for some time, some have red dotted blush, and the appearance is relatively attractive. The fruit surface is smooth, with a waxy luster; the fruit dots are small and numerous, not obvious. The fruit stalk is 2.48 cm long and 3.25 mm thick; the calyx basin is shallow and narrow, with grooved lines, and the sepals are persistent, medium to large, and upright; the stalk cavity is shallow and moderately wide, with wrinkled skin. The core is medium to large, with 2-5 locules. The flesh is white, fine, firm and crisp in texture, becoming soft after ripening, with few stone cells, abundant juice, a sweet-sour taste, and a strong aroma; quality is superior. It contains 12%-15.7% soluble solids. In Xingcheng, Liaoning, the fruit is harvested from late August to early September, and it is an excellent mid-season cultivar. The fruit is mainly used for fresh eating and does not store well; it can be kept at room temperature for about 30 days.

The plant has strong vigor; a 10-year-old tree is 3.87 m tall, with a trunk circumference of 32.3 cm and a canopy diameter of 3.4 m × 3.53 m; budding ability is strong, with a bud-break rate of 82.0%, and branching ability is medium, generally producing 2-3 long shoots below the pruning cut.

The age at which it begins to bear fruit is mid to late; generally it begins bearing 4-5 years after planting, mainly on short fruit spurs. According to surveys, short fruit spurs account for 87%, long fruit spurs 4%, medium fruit spurs 5%, and axillary flower buds 4%. The fruit-setting rate of inflorescences is 84.9%, generally 3-4 fruits per cluster. Fruit spur shoots mostly bear fruit in alternate years. It is relatively high-yielding and stable, with a 12-year-old tree producing 120 kg. If management is poor, there is a tendency toward alternate bearing and the fruit is uneven, but no pre-harvest fruit drop has been observed.

In Xingcheng, Liaoning, flower buds break in mid-April, first flowering and full flowering occur in early May, flowering ends in mid-May, the fruit is harvested in late August or early September, and leaves fall in late October or early November. The fruit development period is 110 days, and the vegetative growth period is 204 days.

Pollinizer cultivars: Nanguoli, Pingguoli (Apple Pear), Xiehuatian.

This cultivar has strong adaptability to climate and soil, tolerates extensive management, and is not demanding regarding soil and cultivation conditions; it grows well on lightly salinized soil. It has strong cold resistance, relatively strong resistance to scab and brown spot, and is wind-resistant.

The fruit quality is relatively good and it is relatively high-yielding, so it can be developed in appropriate amounts in colder areas.