Pear Masterclass Session 2 – experiences with new varieties

September 2020 | Presented by Dirk van Hees, Fruitconsult | Future Orchards® Pear Masterclass

Dirk van Hees reviews commercial experience with new pear varieties in the Netherlands. Conference remained dominant, but growers and marketers were testing alternatives such as QTee®, Early Desire®, Migo®, Sweet Sensation® and Xenia® to address market opportunities and the limitations of traditional varieties.

The presentation explains that a new variety needs more than attractive fruit. Productivity, thinning requirement, colour, skin finish, susceptibility to damage, shelf life, harvest concentration and consumer acceptance all affect whether a cultivar can generate a sustainable return. The Dutch experience also highlights the importance of matching varieties to target markets, including demand for red-blushed pears, smooth-skinned fruit and pears with strong storage performance.

Van Hees describes the role of demonstration trials and commercial observation in understanding how a variety behaves before planting at scale. This is important because variety-specific weaknesses may only become clear once growers have experience with crop load, harvest timing, storage and packing.

For Australian growers, the session provides a structured way to assess new varieties. Market opportunity should be considered alongside agronomic performance, labour demand and postharvest behaviour, with small-scale evaluation used to reduce the risk of large commercial plantings.