PEAR BREEDING FOR FIREBLIGHT RESISTANCE PROGRAM AND FIRST STUDIES IN FRANCE

In 1975 a pear breeding program was started in order to obtain some pear varieties with a late picking date (30 to 50 days after Bon Chrétien Williams) and resistant or less susceptible to fireblight, caused by the bacteria Erwinia amylovora (Burr.) Winslow et al.

The first crosses were made between a parent of good quality, but susceptible (General Leclerc, Notaire Lepin) and a parent with good resistance to fireblight (Maxine, Mac, Dawn etc.).

For the last year the crosses are made only between resistant or less susceptible varieties mainly belonging to the genus Pyrus communis.
A half diallel cross will be realised with 7 parents.

Testing the resistance is made either outside in the south-west of France (Dax) or in a greenhouse (Wageningen, the Netherlands) in the framework of the C.E.E. cooperation.

The first results are presented.

II Symposium on Fire Blight

B. Thibault

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1981.117.9