US (MI): Pears a hit at apple growers convention

One of the most exciting new prospects for the apple industry isn’t even an apple. A pear stole the show at this week’s Minnesota Apple Growers Association annual convention at the La Crosse Center. Researchers have been working on a breed of Asian pear at the University of Minnesota, according to David Bedford, an apple breeder with the university’s Department of Horticultural Science. Asian pears are also commonly referred to as apple pears, not because there’s a genetic connection with apples but due to the fruit’s round, apple-like shape, which is unlike the more common European pears. “They’re certainly very crisp and juicy. That’s the thing that’s always attracted me to them,” Bedford said. “I always consider them kind of like the Honeycrisp of the pear world.”

In 1988, Bedford crossed several Asian pears that were on the market — they can be found in grocery stores — with heartier pears that grow in northern climates. From the 25 hybrid seeds he got from the cross, he’s continued to narrow that pool down in order to find “some outstanding ones,” he said. Breeders initially ran into problems with the pear’s durability — it generally wasn’t hearty here, but for the most part, that’s been improved. Another encouraging finding is that researchers haven’t had to use chemical pesticides on them to control insects or disease.
“That might be partly because we’re isolated and we don’t have so many pears in the state,” Bedford said. “Maybe if we become a pear-producing state, that will change, but for right now they can be grown in some manner of organic production.”
The pear season aligns closely with apples, and Bedford found that they tend to ripen early in the season between the third week in August and the second week of September. They keep for three or four months after they’re picked.

He also noted the range of flavors. Some are sweet like honey, he said, while others resemble the taste of butterscotch or vanilla. “There’s quite a range of interesting flavors we’ve found,” Bedford said. The university may introduce a pear variety in two or three years, he said. Bedford doesn’t suggest growers replace their apple trees with pears, but they could provide some variety at the beginning of the season to attract customers to their stands. For retail growers, that could be a great possibly, said Ralph Yates, secretary and vice president of the state apple association and manager at Fruit Acres Orchard in La Crescent. “It’s another option for retail growers if we can put a plump, delicious pear in the hands of the consumer,” he said. “It’s more of a challenge for the bigger growers, but I think the more options out there for the smaller growers, go for it.” People love pears, Yates said, and many times, they can’t find “that ripe pear they picked off the tree in the backyard” commercially. “Maybe we can now,” he said.

Source: lacrossetribune.com