PEAR (Pyrus communis L.)

The work on pear breeding started in 1950 by crossing the most superior pear cultivars of the time. The main objective of pear breeding is developing cultivars of different ripening times (very early and winter cultivars) characterized by high cropping potential and fruits that meet market demands in respect of quality, size and shape. A most significant aim of pear breeding is resistance to causal agents of diseases, which especially refers to Venturia pirina Aderh., causal agent of pear scab and Erwinia amylovora (Burrill) Winslow et al., causal agent of bacterial fire blight. Special attention has been devoted to tendencies in developing red skin pear cultivars.