A TEN-YEAR HORTICULTURAL AND ECONOMIC COMPARISON OF THREE TRAINING SYSTEMS IN THE HOOD RIVER VALLEY: HORTICULTURE

A ten-year comparison of the Tatura and Lincoln Canopy trellises and a conventional system with d’Anjou and Bartlett pears demonstrated that the Tatura Trellis out yielded the conventional system by almost 70 t/ha for d’Anjou and 64 t/ha for Bartlett.
The Lincoln Canopy was about half as productive as the Tatura for d’Anjou and similar to the conventional system for Bartlett.
Fruit size averaged approximately 15% larger in the Tatura system for both cultivars.
Harvest maturity was delayed in the Tatura and Lincoln Canopy systems.
Harvest efficiency was increased 40% in the Tatura and 26% in the Lincoln Canopy.
Nine tree densities ranging from 598 to 1281 trees/ha were included in the trial.
In the Conventional system tree densities greater than 850 trees/ha resulted in yield reductions by year eight.
This was not a problem with the Tatura Trellis.
Increased fruit size and quality increased grower returns over $40/ton for d’Anjou and $80/ton for Bartlett.
The Tatura system cost an additional $10,000/ha.
However, the earlier yields and higher fruit value offset the additional establishment costs.

VII International Symposium on Pear Growing

E.A. Mielke, C.F. Seavert

Pyrus communis, Tatura Trellis, Lincoln Canopy Trellis, Bartlett, d’Anjou

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1998.475.26