Oriental Pear Breeding for High Fruit Quality and Adaptation to Subtropical Lowland in Taiwan

Abstract

The breeding objective of pear is to develop varieties with high fruit quality but low chilling requirement for table use. Hybridizations of 9 combinations started in 1976 were made from a native, very low-chilling required variety 'Hungshan' and 7 introduced varieties with high-chilling requirement but high fruit quality. Hybrid progenies were planted with a highly dense spacing of lMx4M at TARI's experimental orchard which is about 100M above sea level. Five hybrid progenies with early maturing, high fruit quality and low-chilling requirement in characters were selected out of more than 1,500 hybrid seedlings after 1 to 5 years juvernile period by the culture of single trunk training and heavy fertilization. Top-working of these selected progenies onto bearing 'Hungshan' trees was followed at various lowlands for preliminary evaluation. Data showed that the genetical deviation of fruit color and size appeared in random, however, fruit quality and; date of sprouting and flowering appeared in the middle range of parents. Fruit maturing, on the contrary, earlier than both of parents. The sugar content of sleeted individuals is superior to their parents. A further evaluation is being carried out for fruit quality, yield and adaptation to various environments in different areas. 為開發適合低海拔種植之高品質東方梨品系，本所於1976年，以平地之橫山梨與自日本引進之東方梨系:幸水、長十郎、新世紀、二十世紀及西方(洋)梨:拉法蘭西及巴梨高山梨，分別在本所果園及梨山進行互交，共行九個雜組合，得雜交苗逾1,500株，經行4公尺Xl公尺之寬行密植，配合以重肥及單幹整枝，以求快速生長縮短其幼年性，經6個月至1年之育苗後植於本所果園選拔，植後1-5年陸續開花結果，並選出具高糖度，香味濃，質脆多汁，石細胞少不變色及低溫需求量低之後代計有SH-033,SH-085,SH-078,HC-089,HC-O15等五品系，爾後進行低海拔較成年樹之高接觀察，發現果色、果實形狀及果實大小之變化甚大與親本無顯著相關;果實品質，發芽期與開花期近於兩親之中間;果實成熟度因親本特性及生長期之高溫反較兩親為早，目前正就選出之優良品系進行區城之適應性觀察。