How to Grow & Harvest High-Yielding Pears in India?

Pear from the Rosaceae family is the most important crop that grows in a temperate region. This highly tasty and nutritious crop grows 1,700-2,400 m above sea level. Being rich in protein and vitamins, these fruits have great demand in India.

And due to this fruit’s adaptability in various climatic & soil conditions, they are relatively easy to grow in subtropical and temperate regions. Pear is popularly cultivated in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, U.P. Whereas, other low-chilling varieties cultivate in other subtropical regions.

Thinking of growing this high-yielding crop? Make sure to arrange high-quality tractors like Massey Ferguson tractor 1035 to start this farming while following the below-mentioned factors.

Technical Factors to Sow, Plant & Harvest Pear

1. Soil Requirements for Pear

Pear are suitable to grow on sandy or clay loam. You get a high yield when you grow them on well-drained soil that’s fertile and has no hard pan up to a depth of 2 meters. However, the pH of the soil shouldn’t exceed 8.7.

2. Planting & Sowing Requirements

One-year-old plants are suitable for planting during the month of January.

• Ideal Spacing

Ideal distance for planting pear plants is 8 x 4 m. Prior to planting, de-weed the land and remove the residue of previous plants. Level and plough the land thoroughly and create a slope to drain water.

• Sowing Depth & Method

A pit size of 1x1x1 is ideal for sowing. Moreover, fill pits 1 month before November. Layer the pit with topsoil and add well rotten farm yard manure.

Further, the pit should be filled with subsoil and 10-15 kg of well-decomposed cow dung, 500 kg SSP. In addition, damp the pit with 50 ml Chlorpyriphos per 10 litres of water in each pit. Irrigate the field after planting.

Moreover, either square or rectangular planting is suitable to opt. However, in hilly areas, contour farming is highly recommended. Have powerful tractors like John deere 5310 or any other efficient hp tractor that can help prepare the land.

3. Propagation of Pear

Knaith is the used seedling rootstocks are called Kainth. Gather mature seeds of Kainth from the end of September to the 1st-week crops of October.

In December month, collect all the seeds in a wooden box with an alternate layer of moist sand for 30 days. Moreover, in January month, sow them in the nursery. Within 10 days, the seeds will start germinating. Seedlings become ready for grafting in January of the following year.

Place seeds in a wooden box containing a moist sand layer for proper germination. The seeds germinate within 10-12 days. Once done, place seedlings in the field while maintaining a distance of 10 cm. Ensure a distance of 60 cm after every 4 lines. During December-January, the seedling is ready for grafting during the December-January months.

4. Intercropping With Pear

During the Kharif season, you can intercrop pear with crops like moong, mash, toria. However, wheat, pea, and gram can be suitable for mixed cropping during the rabi season.

5. Fertilizer Schedule

6. Irrigation Schedule

Average rainfall of 75–100cm divided throughout the year is suitable for pear cultivation. After transplantation, it’s important to supply regular irrigation during the growing season.

During the summer season, irrigate the crop at an interval of 5-7 days and keep irrigating the land at an interval of 15 days during winter. However, in January month, you can stop irrigating trees. Once the tree sprouts in the summer month, providing flood irrigation will help increase fruit size and overall quality.

7. Harvesting of Pear Fruit

Hard peach variety is ready to harvest within 145 days, while semi-soft peach varieties mature in about 135-140 days from sowing.

For local markets, the fruits are harvested at the fully mature stage. While for distant markets, green and firm fruits are picked so they can ripen while in transit. However, note that picking and harvesting processes reduce the fruit’s storage life, causing tasteless and unappealing coloured fruit. So, make sure to pick and harvest the fruits quickly once they appear fully ripe and green.

8. Post-harvesting of Pear

After harvesting, pears can be stored for 60 days at 0-1°C temperature with a relative humidity of 90-95%. After harvesting, sorting and grading of fruits are done next. The fruits are packed in cartons for ripening, storing, and marketing pears.