Selections of Pyrus syriaca as promising rootstocks for pear cultivars

Pear scion cultivars are usually propagated by grafting onto pear seedling (Pyrus communis) or Quince (Cydonia oblonga) rootstocks, but they are not completely satisfactory because of the lack of compatibility with some cultivars and their susceptibility to lime soils, which are dominant in the typical pear growing area in our country. Pyrus syriaca is a natural genetic resource found in different regions in Syria. This wild pear appears tolerant to lime and drought conditions. Seedlings of six clones of Pyrus syriaca selected from different climatic conditions (wet, dry, cold, lime and poor soils) of Syria were used as rootstocks to study the compatibility with several cultivars of pear ('Spadona', 'Coscia', 'Santa Maria' and 'Starkrimson') in nursery. Results obtained indicate a very big growth variation of different clones. The best time of budding was found to be from 20 July to the end of August. The observations made demonstrated very good compatibility between scion and stocks. The percentage of successful budding obtained ranged from 80% to 100% in the nursery. These investigations indicate the possibility of using Pyrus syriaca as rootstocks of pear to improve pear culture in lime soil areas. More research is necessary to confirm the compatibility of Pyrus syriaca as rootstocks and different cultivars of pear in the field for several years.