Introduction to the Red Fragrant Crisp Pear Variety and Its Fruit Characteristics

Crop type: Pear

Variety name: Hongxiangsu

Breeding institution: Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Variety source: Korla Fragrant Pear x E Pear (crossed in 1980)

Provincial approval status: Approved by the Henan Provincial Crop Variety Approval Committee in 1997, and by the Shanxi Provincial Crop Variety Approval Committee in 1999

Characteristics: A mid-season variety. The tree canopy is medium-sized, round-headed, with moderate vigor and relatively spreading branches. High budbreak rate and fairly strong branching ability. Bears fruit mainly on short fruit spurs. Leaves are ovate, with finely serrated margins. The corolla is pink. The fruit is spindle-shaped or long ovate, with an average single-fruit weight of 220 g. The fruit surface is clean and smooth, with medium-sized, fairly dense lenticels. The skin is greenish-yellow, with red on the sun-exposed side. The flesh is white, with relatively few stone cells, juicy, sweet, and aromatic. Soluble solids content is 12-14%. It ripens from late August to early September in the Zhengzhou area. At room temperature, the shelf life can reach 2 months.

Yield performance: In a production trial in Gongyi City, Henan Province in 1992, under a planting density of 2 m x 4 m between plants and rows, 30% of plants flowered and fruited in the third year after planting, and the yield at full bearing stage could reach more than 2000 kg per mu.

Key cultivation techniques: (1) The usual spacing between plants and rows is 2 x 5 m. (2) Suitable pollinizers are Dangshan Su, Xuehua, Chonghuada Pear, and Yali. (3) Young trees should be lightly pruned and left unpruned for extension, with measures such as branch bending, branch pressing, and scoring used more often to promote early fruiting and early high yield. (4) During the full bearing period, flower and fruit thinning should be strictly carried out, with yield controlled at 2000-2500 kg per mu.