Summary: | A pear rootstock trial was undertaken with ‘Conference’ and ‘Doyenné du Comice’ scions onto five
OHxF and two quince selections, as well as on a seedling rootstock for ‘Conference’.
After nine crops (1995 – 2003) of ‘Conference’, the highest cumulative yield was obtained on OHxF 69,
OHxF 40 and OHxF 87, and the lowest on Adam’s 232. Among the OHxF clones, OHxF 282 and OHxF
333 produced the lowest yield, whereas seedling and BA 29 were intermediate. The vigour on seedlings
was significantly larger than on any other rootstock. All OHxF clones produced trees of similar
vigor, intermediate between seedling and quince. The productivity (cumulative yield/TCSA) was higher
on both quinces, intermediate on OHxF 69, OHxF 87 and OHxF 40, lower on OHxF 333 and OHxF 282,
and the lowest on the seedlings. The average fruit size was better on both quinces than in any other
rootstock in the period 1995 – 1997, but the average fruit size from 1998 to 2003 was different, with
fruits on BA 29 and seedlings slightly larger than on the other rootstocks.
After seven crops (1996 and 1998 – 2003) of Doyenné du Comice, the highest cumulative yield was on
Adam’s, followed by BA 29, both significantly higher than on all the OHxF clones; OHxF 333 produced
the lowest yield of the trial. The highest vigour was obtained on BA 29 and the lowest on OHxF 333,
with a significant difference between them. The productivity (cumulative yield/TCSA) was higher on
the quince Adam’s, intermediate on BA 29, lower on OHxF 87, OHxF 69, OHxF 40 and OHxF 282, and
the lowest on OHxF 333. The best behaviour of Adam’s as a rootstock for this variety is clear. In the
crop of the year 2002, considered optimal for this variety, the average fruit size were similar on all
rootstocks. |