Evaluation of Pear (Pyrus communis L.) Hybrid Combinations for the Transmission of Fire Blight Resistance and Fruit Characteristics

Fire blight is one of the most destructive diseases of pome fruits, especially pears. In current conditions under increasing demand for organic products, improvement of resistant rootstock and varieties is becoming important due to the lack of an effective disease management method against fire blight caused by Erwinia amylovora as well as the harmful effects of chemicals on environment, human and animal health. The findings of the researchers as to which variety performs well in terms of the transmission of fire blight resistance are important for new breeding programs. In the study, three varieties with high commercial value (Magness, Santa Maria and Williams) were identified as the maternal parents and 21 hybrid combinations were made with seven varieties (Akca, Ankara, Conference, Guz, Kaiser Alexandre, Kieffer and Tas) as pollinators. The maternal parent Magness was found superior when compared with the other maternal parents for the susceptibility level to fire blight. Apart from the differences in the susceptibility level of 21 different hybrid combinations to fire blight, the commercially superior ten hybrids (I-15-24, II-13-1, II-13-19, II-13-34, II-13-73, II-27-21, II-27-55, II-32-44, III-22-638, III-27-590) were selected by the weighted ranking of disease resistance and different fruit characteristics based on commercial preferences such as fruit quality, attractiveness, size, firmness and rustiness.