Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/717894
www.goodfruit.com Good Fruit Grower SEPTEMBER 2016 7 dieback issues on the new shoots, but they do grow back. "We've had no fire blight strikes on this one," he said. —A David pear tree shows good form, has spreading and well-angled branches. It also shows some resistance to blister mite. —Krylov produces a vigorous and healthy tree with fair form. It shows no cold damage. No pear decline has been evident and it shows signs of blister mite resistance. —Two of his own local varieties also show promise: Hill and Walden Large. They both exhibit excessive vigor with upright growth and form, making them hard to manage. They are moderately susceptible to blister mites. Having reviewed Parlo's list of varieties, Joseph Postman, curator of USDA's National Clonal Germplasm Repository Collection in Corvallis, Oregon, agreed about the varieties' astringency. "But a number of these could make some good rootstocks," he said. • Courtesy of u.s. Department of agriCulture/agriCultural researCh serviCe Developed in 1933 by the South Dakota Experiment Station, the female parent of Krylov pears hails from eastern Siberia. The variety is fire blight resistant. Courtesy of u.s. Department of agriCulture/agriCultural researCh serviCe The Stacey pear mother tree is believed to be nearly 300 years old and measured 108 inches in circumference in 2006. It produces a small, sweet fruit that should be picked in mid-August before it ripens and placed in cool storage. Courtesy of umn ag experiment station Summercrisp pears have good resistance to fire blight, ripen early and store for six weeks in refrigeration. Flesh is crisp, juicy and has a mild flavor, but browns internally when allowed to ripen before storage.