In Brazil, the commercial cultivation of the Japanese pear, is recent, having initiated less than 15 years ago. The planted area is still very small and it is concentrated in the south, in the states of Santa Catarina (major producer), Rio Grande do Sul, Sao Paulo and Parana. The main cultivars are 'Housui', 'Kousui' and 'Nijisseiki'. 'Housui' produces large fruits (285g), few flowers in areas with 500 at 700 hours < 7.2degreesC, however, the productivity is good (37 t/ha) and it is the most planted one. 'Kousui' is well adapted in warmer areas, where chilling accumulation is over 400 hours. It has excellent blooming and fruit set, but the fruits are small (150g) and the plant is very susceptible to Dothiorella sp. The most common disease is the one caused by Entomosporium mespili. 'Nijisseiki' produces well only in the coldest area of Brazil, with more than 700hs of cold. The Brazilian consumer's preference is for fruits with brown skin color. The most important pest is the fruit fly (Anastrepha fraterculus). The procedure of bagging the fruits helps protecting against this insect and it is largely used, even for 'Housui'. The prices paid to the growers are considered very good, varying from US $0.69/kg for smaller fruits to US$1.57/kg for larger and selected fruits. The Japanese pear ("Nashi") is a fruit still unknown by the majority of Brazilian consumers and for this reason an intense marketing effort needs to be done in order to increase its popularity. However, taste panels have been showing that most people like the Japanese pear.
