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 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…
Best practices to prevent superficial scald
The following applies to all scald-susceptible fruit. Preharvest risk factors Hot and dry weather in the weeks before harvest. Increased risk could be the result of drought stress. Both increase ethylene and α-farnesene — important precursors of superficial-scald promoting compounds…
Cross-pollinator considerations
How to think about cross-pollination when planning orchards. By Anna Mouton. Effective cross-pollination is crucial for maximising productivity of self-incompatible deciduous-fruit orchards over their lifetime. This article shares insights on cross-pollinator selection and management from horticultural adviser and plant breeder…
De Rust
Attention to light management sustains high yields and pack-outs in a 27-year-old Packham’s Triumph orchard. By Anna Mouton. The trees produced 120 tonnes per hectare in 2022 with an average fruit size of 73 millimetres and Class 1 pack-outs of…
Low-oxygen strategies against scald
Initial and repeated low-oxygen stress can extend the scald-free storage life of Packham’s Triumph pears. By Anna Mouton. Packham’s Triumph remains South Africa’s biggest pear cultivar by area planted and volume exported — nearly 40% of pear cartons we shipped…
New project tackles shrivel in pears
Finding the causes and cures for moisture loss. By Grethe Bestbier. Moisture loss in pears is the subject of a new project that started in April this year. The project team includes Anél Botes of the Agricultural Research Council’s division…
New study on water needs of pears
Good news for the pear industry – a project to quantify the water requirements of high-performing pear orchards has been approved for funding by the Water Research Commission. By Engela Duvenage. The project is set to begin in April 2022,…
Polyphagous shot-hole borer update
This invasive pest was featured in the September 2023 Fresh Quarterly. What have we learnt since then? By Anna Mouton. Polyphagous shot-hole borers are wood-boring beetles that establish and cultivate fungal gardens in their host plants. The beetles feed on…