A brief history of pears
Pears have come a long way in the 25–65 million years since their evolution in the mountains of western China. By Anna Mouton. Pears are woody trees and shrubs in the genus Pyrus. No one is sure how many Pyrus…
All about pears
The highlights of the panel discussion about the South African pear industry’s status and prospects. By Anna Mouton. The panel covered topics ranging from rootstocks to netting. The edited transcript below summarises the main points, and the entire session can…
An international perspective on pear production
Prof. Stefano Musacchi has been working on pears for more than three decades. He started his career at the University of Bologna and currently holds the Endowed Chair in Tree-fruit Physiology and Management at Washington State University. He also chairs…
An interview with Christo Strydom
Christo Strydom of specialist pear-packhouse Wolfpack is unusual in the South African deciduous-fruit industry because he focuses mainly on pears. He spoke to Fresh Quarterly about the challenges and opportunities facing our industry. By Anna Mouton. Q. You started in…
Buchuland
Christo Strydom of specialist pear-packhouse Wolfpack and Buchuland production manager Henk Rossouw discuss two top-performing pear orchards. By Anna Mouton. Buchuland lies just outside Ceres in the Warm Bokkeveld — an area that Strydom describes as Forelle heaven. Their best…
Past research on packaging options
Past and present project. By Dawie Moelich and Anna Mouton. The Post-Harvest Innovation Programme and the Deciduous Fruit Producers’ Trust — now Hortgro — funded a project on internal packaging for Golden Delicious and Pink Lady apples, Bon Chrétien and…
South African pear production and exports
We are growing more pears — what happens to them? And where will we sell them in the future? By Anna Mouton. Total South African pear production has increased from just over 200 000 tonnes to very nearly 500 000…
The six-legged hitchhiker
The tiny grain pest catching a ride on our fruit. By Grethe Bestbier. The grain chinch-bug — Macchiademus diplopterus — is a grain pest that feeds on cereals and grasses. This tiny critter has made a nuisance of itself by…