DEPENDENCE OF THE LENGTH OF THE JUVENILE PERIOD OF PEAR HYBRIDS ON THE BEGINNING OF FERTILITY OF THE PARENT CULTIVARS

The length of the juvenile period (the time between sowing and first flowering) was ascertained in 908 pear seedlings from 11 cross-pollinated and 4 open-pollinated progenies.
According to the parents, different progenies came into bearing at different rates from the 6th to the 10th year.
The length of the juvenile period depended upon the length of the vegetative period of the parents.
Seedlings of early-bearing cultivars (‘Comtesse de Paris’, ‘Président Drouard’, ‘Clairgeau’) and of Pyrus serotina Rehd. have shorter mean juvenile periods than those of late-bearing cultivars (‘Doyenné du Comice’, ‘Beurré d’Hardenpont’, ‘Hardy’). Seedlings of ‘Madame Verté’ and ‘Beurré Bosc’ have a medium-long juvenile period.

The length of the juvenile period has a quantitative basis.
In prog enies of late-bearing cultivars, some seedlings with a shorter juvenil period segregate.
Early-bearing seedlings generally have higher yields Selection of seedlings with short juvenile periods is recommended.

Symposium on Juvenility in Woody Perennials

J. Vondrácek

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1976.56.25