Pear (Pyrus communis L.)
Rosaceae

Varieties
Common pear, Kieffer, New Pear, William and Jargonelle are the commonly cultivated Pear varieties in Tamil Nadu.

Soil and climate
Red laterite soil with good drainage and high organic matter content is ideally suited for commercial condition. This can also be grown at an elevation of above 1200 m with a soil pH 5.8 to 6.2.

Planting material
Plant one year old grafts/rooted cuttings.

Planting season
The ideal planting season is June to December.

Spacing
A spacing of 5 x 5 m or 6 x 6 m is adopted for commercial planting. Pits of 60 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm size are taken and the grafts are planted at the centre of pits.

Application of fertilizers
Apply FYM 25 kg, N 500 g and 1 kg in each of P and K per bearing tree/year.

Training and pruning
Remove stock sprouts regularly and train the plants to open centre system and prune every year in November – December. Top working on country pear with choice varieties can be done during December - January with cleft grafting.

Plant protection
No serious pest and disease are noticed in this crop. Prophylactic spraying with a copper fungicides and methyl demeton after pruning can be given.

Harvest
Early varieties will come to harvest in May – June and late varieties in July – October.

Yield
The common pear yields 100 to 120 kg per tree per year, New Pear and Kieffer yield 70 to 80 kg per tree per year and Jargonelle and William pear yields 30 to 40 kg per tree per year.