HORTICULTURE

PEARS

 

Pears are a minor crop in Michigan about 1000 acres of pears are scattered between 230 fruit farms.  Most of Michigan's pears are sold to Gerber's and used for baby food.  There are local sales of fresh fruit.  Barlett is the major variety with over 900 acres.  Bosc, the next most important variety, is used as a pollenizer.   Oceana county is the foremost pear county and has over 250 acres.  Allegan, Berrien and Van Buren counties rank second, third and fourth, respectively.
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Barlett is the most popular Michigan Pear

Pear Pests:
Codling Moth is a pest which attacks pears as they ripen. Only the second generation attacks pears.

Pear psylla is a pest which is usually controlled by natural predators on unsprayed trees, but sprays to control codling moth reduce the predators so that psyllas build to levels which injure the tree.  Sooty black honeydew on the leaves and fruit are symptoms of this pest. Pear psylla becomes a major pest when it develops resistance to insecticides.

Grape mealy bug is becoming a pest in some pear production areas. It is normally a minor pest in both grapes and pears but seems to be becoming resistant to common insecticides.

Pear leaf blister mite and pear rust mite can cause extensive damage to the fruit. They to can quickily develop resistance to miticides.

Pear slug or pear sawfly is a pest of minimally sprayed trees.

Black pear leaves due to ERM
European red mite turns the leaves black when the numbers get too high.

Pear Related Sites

Curious about Pears ? Oregon Washington California Pear Bureau

National Clonal Germplasm Repository. USDA/ARS Corvallis, Oregon

Fireblight Web site

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Last modified: August 10, 2007