ARS | Publication request: 'BLAKE'S PRIDE' PEAR

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: February 17, 2002
Publication Date: July 1, 2002

Interpretive Summary: Fire blight is the most serious disease of European pears, and is now endemic in most production regions of the northern hemisphere. All cultivars of major commercial importance, as well as most of those available to home orchardists, are highly susceptible to this devastating bacterial disease. Infections result in serious loss of fruit and trees. A new pear cultivar, 'Blake's Pride', which combines a high degree of resistance to fire blight with attractive, aromatic, juicy fruit and consistent yield, was developed. It was approved in 1998 for joint release by the U.S. Department of Agriculture & The Ohio State University, as a fresh market pear for commercial growers and home orchards. The fruit are mature for harvest about two weeks after 'Bartlett', the major pear cultivar in North America and many of the other temperate fruit producing regions. 'Blake's Pride' will allow production of high quality fruit without the substantial economic losses due to fire blight.

Technical Abstract: 'Blake's Pride' pear (Pyrus communis L.) is a new cultivar which combines a high degree of resistance to fire blight with attractive, aromatic, juicy fruit and consistent yield. Fire blight is the most serious disease of pears, and is presently endemic in most production regions of the northern hemisphere. All major cultivars of commercial importance, as well las most of those available to home orchardists, are highly susceptible to this devastating disease, which is caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora (Burr.) Winsl. et al. The high degree of resistance observed in response to epiphytotic infections have been confirmed by artificial blossom and shoot inoculation tests in the orchard, in which it was compared to 'Bartlett', the major commercial pear cultivar, as a susceptible standard cultivar. 'Blake's Pride' was approved for joint release by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and The Ohio State University yin 1998 as a fresh market pear for commercial growers and home orchards.