European Pear
Cultural pears (Pyrus communis ), illustration
The common Pear (Pyrus communis ) is a plant that belongs to the pome fruit crops ( Pyrinae ) from the rose family ( Rosaceae ). It is an ancient crop and is cultivated in many varieties as a fruit tree.
- 9.1 Literature
- 9.2 Notes and references
Features
The deciduous tree displays depending on rootstocks, cultivar and cut into very different growth forms and reaches heights of growth between 3 and 20 meters. Classic pear trees show steep, oval to pear-shaped crowns with marked stem elongation. The bark is dark gray-brown and pulls in large sheds or fields. The bark of the branches is initially shiny brown and gray-brown later. You can be spined or unbedornt depending on the variety. The chromosome number is 2n = 34 Processed pear trees are on average about 70 years old, Mostbirnbäume but partly also 200 years. Pears sites should have deep, rich soils with good, waterlogging free water supply and a rather dry and warm climate.
The ovate to elliptic leaves are 5-8 inches long and 4.5 to 5.5 inches wide. You are alternate and mostly arranged stalked 4-8 inches long. The leaf margin is finely serrated or notched, the lower half of the leaf is often entire. The leathery leaves are initially hairy and bald later. Their color is glossy dark green. In the fall they take on a yellow to orange-red color.
Flower and Fruit
The pungent flowers are borne in inflorescences doldentraubigen. The hermaphrodite, radial symmetry, five petals have a diameter of 2 to 3 centimeters. The five white petals are about 2 inches long. The anthers are usually red. Bloom time is depending on the variety April and May. The flowers are pollinated by insects and are rarely self-fertile. The fruits are picked, from July to October. The edible apple fruit, with typical pear shape, 5-16 cm long and 4-12 centimeters wide. They are juicy and sweet. A distinction pear varieties in regard to the best possible use of its fruits in table, cooking or musts.
Bark
The light to dark gray bark forms a so-called Würfelborke because it has sharp transverse and longitudinal cracks and divided them into cube-shaped fields. This condition makes the pear tree in winter easily recognizable.
Ecology
The Pear tree is a winter- bare deciduous tree. The autumn brown coloration of their leaves is formed by oxidation of hydroquinone to quinone. The species forms a deep -reaching taproot with VA mycorrhiza.
The flowers are nectar vorweibliche leading disk flowers. When flowers open the scars are already receptive capable. The flowers smell unpleasantly of trimethylamine, like herring brine. The scar tissue smells different and stronger than the petals. The flowers are self-sterile. Pollinators are honey bees, particularly collect the pollen beetle, Fly etc. Bloom time is depending on the variety April and May.
The fruits are apple fruit; its flesh has semolina grain-like clusters of stone cells. There is digestive and Speicheraubreitung by birds, mammals and humans. In some cultivars fruit to develop without maturing seeds; this is called Jungfernfrüchtigkeit or parthenocarpy.
Vegetative propagation is by root sprouts.
For refining cultural pears are usually on quince rootstocks, Cydonia oblonga, grafted in our latitudes, where the quince transmits certain characteristics, such as a more intense flavor of the fruit.
Ingredients of the fruit
Pears to consist of 83% water and contain about 10 % carbohydrates ( including pectins ), 3% fiber, protein, fat, minerals, vitamins and fruit acids.
Source: EU Nutrition Labelling Directive (EU NWKRL 90/496/EEC )
History
It is in the common Pear is an old, hybridogene crop that originated from several widely used in Europe and western Asia wild species, probably mainly of Pyrus syriaca ( Southwest Asia ), Pyrus pyraster ( Central Europe) and Pyrus nivalis ( südmediterran ). Originally it was first cultivated in Western Asia, and came early to Central Europe, where it is occupied for the Neolithic in the area around Lake Constance. In Greece it is cultivated since about 1000 BC, the Romans took over the culture. After the end of the Roman period the cultivation declined, but it was grown increasingly back from 600 AD of monasteries and nobles. From about 1750 a golden century began for the cultivated pear and it created numerous new varieties.
The first publication of Pyrus communis in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum, 479
Varieties (Selection)
- ' Alexander Lucas '
- 'Conference'
- ' Forelle pear '
- ' Early of Trévoux '
- ' Gellert butter pear '
- ' Big cat's head '
- ' Gute Luise '
- ' Dr. Jules Guyot ', named after Jules Guyot
- ' Karcher pear '
- Knaus pear
- ' Delicious from Charneux '
- ' Mostbirne '
- ' Packham's '
- ' Palmischbirne '
- ' Swiss Water Pear '
- ' Williams Christ '
See also List of pear varieties.
Dwarf fruit
Very popular bulbs are nowadays also known as fruit dwarfs, where normal bar varieties are grafted on a slow-growing base, so that the final height of the sapling is less than 1.50 m, but a crop of several kilograms per year is possible.
Diseases and Pests
- Pear rust ( Gymnosporangium sabinae ), a rust fungus
- Pear sucker ( Cacopsylla pyri ), a psylla ( Sternorrhyncha: Psyllidae )
- Pear buds Stecher ( Anthonomus piri )
- Pear decline (caused by phytoplasmas )
- Fire blight
- Pear leaf blister mite
- Black spot disease
Use
The climacteric fruits have a limited shelf life and therefore mainly supply fresh fruit. They are processed or canned in syrup also dried fruits ( Kletzen ), syrup ( pear syrup ), jams, juice and alcoholic beverages ( fruit brandies ). The wood is used as a durable and valuable carpenter wood and musical instruments.
Due to the comparatively low sugar production (sugar value: 0.05-0.30 mg / day / flower at 5-48 % sugar content in the nectar ) the pear in Europe is imkerlich despite their frequency no significant main costume.