Contents
Pear Concord is a winter variety, very popular with amateur gardeners and actively grown on an industrial scale in Europe, but so far little known in Our Country. Although all the prerequisites for its distribution are not only in the warm southern regions, but also in areas with a temperate climate. The variety is relatively unpretentious in care, cold-resistant, the fruits are distinguished by outstanding taste, keeping quality and transportability.
History of occurrence
Pear Concorde (Concorde) – a variety originally from Great Britain, appeared in the late 70s of the last century in Kent, specifically – at the East Malling research station. He was the result of crossing the long and well-known both to specialists and amateur gardeners of pears Conference (Conference) and Decanka du Comis (Doyenne du Comice).
Description pear Concord with photo
Outwardly, the fruits of the Concord pear are very reminiscent of one of its “ancestors” – the Conference. The tree itself cannot boast of its original “appearance”.
Tree
Concord pear is a low (maximum 3 m, most often 1,8-2 m) tree, characterized by medium growth rates. The crown is not sprawling, quite compact.
The shoots are relatively powerful and strong, densely leafy, the leaves are dense, leathery to the touch.
Concord pear blossoms quite late. For gardeners, this is a definite plus – there is less risk of buds and fruit ovaries falling under return frosts in a temperate climate.
Fruit
The fruits of the Concord variety look very presentable: they are one-dimensional, symmetrical, of a classic “pear-shaped” shape, slightly elongated. The average fruit weight is 200-220 g. Some specimens gain weight up to 350 g.
The skin of the Concorde pear is thin, not hard, but strong enough, of a dull yellowish-green color, slightly “fatty” to the touch. Where the sun illuminates it, it turns yellow, a layer of beige “rust” appears.
Subcutaneous dots on fruits are multiple, well visible
Characteristic of the variety
The combination of the dessert taste of fruits with other characteristics makes it possible to classify the Concorde pear as a valuable industrial variety. However, it is willingly planted not only by professional farmers, but also by amateur gardeners.
Palatability
The taste qualities of the Concord pear are outstanding: the pulp is pronouncedly sweet, but not insipidly sugary, but with a slight “balancing” sourness. In texture, it is homogeneous, oily, very juicy, with a barely noticeable crunch. The color of the pulp varies from snow-white to yellowish-cream, sometimes there is a greenish undertone.
The pulp is characterized by a delicate sweetish aroma that persists after heat treatment in homemade preparations.
Terms of maturation
According to the ripening period, the Concorde pear belongs to the category of late-ripening. Fruits reach technical maturity by the last days of October. They can be stored without loss of consumer properties for at least four months, more often this period is six months.
Productivity
Pear Concord comes into fruiting for 3-4 years after planting a seedling in a permanent place. Based on this, the variety belongs to the category of precocious. The approximate yield of an adult tree is 90-100 kg of fruit. It reaches such “indicators” by 8-10 years. The total period of productive life is 18-20, maximum 25 years.
Frost resistance
The cold resistance of the Concord pear is about -30 ° С. Accordingly, it is able to winter in Our Country not only in the North Caucasus and the Black Sea region, but also in the middle lane, in regions with a temperate climate, where summer can be quite cool, and the weather is somewhat unstable. However, there is still no extensive practice of its cultivation, which makes it possible to assess the presence and degree of frost damage depending on temperature, the duration of cold weather, the thickness of the snow cover, and other factors.
Concord pear pollinators
Pear Concord belongs to the category of diploids, that is, self-infertile varieties. If there are no other trees nearby, a maximum of 10-15% of flowers turn into ovaries. The following varieties are used as pollinators for it:
- Clapp’s favorite;
- Good Louise;
- Verdi;
- Abbot Fettel;
- Williams summer.
Growing regions
In Europe, the Concorde pear is distributed almost everywhere. Its “plantations” occupy quite large areas in Belgium, France, Italy, Spain. In Our Country, this variety is cultivated by individual enthusiasts, mainly in the Black Sea region.
The Concorde pear is also known on the territory of the former Soviet republics, but it also does not enjoy popularity as an industrial variety there.
Resistance to diseases
Concord pear has “innate” immunity only to scab and moniliosis. But the experience of its cultivation shows that the overall endurance of the tree includes successful resistance to fungal diseases and other pathogenic microflora, including bacterial leaf blight.
Advantages and disadvantages
On an industrial scale, the Concorde pear is grown not only for the sale of fresh fruits. It is actively used for conservation, while the characteristic taste and aroma are preserved.
Pear Concord is great for making any homemade sweets
Pros:
- relative ease of care;
- the presence of immunity against several diseases dangerous for the culture, good resistance to other pathogens;
- cold resistance, sufficient not only for Europe, but also for Our Country;
- annual fruiting, consistently high yields;
- precociousness;
- good transportability, long shelf life of fruits;
- compactness of the tree, its relatively slow growth, thin crown;
- presentable appearance, large size of pears;
- outstanding taste qualities of fruits, versatility of their purpose;
Cons:
- the need to plant a number of pollinating varieties.
Rules of landing
The place for planting the Concord variety is chosen, taking into account the same criteria as for other pears:
- good illuminance;
- possibility for air circulation;
- the presence of protection against sharp gusts of cold wind;
- deep (at least 2-2,5 m below ground level) underlying groundwater;
- both fertile and relatively loose substrate;
- acid-base balance of the soil, close to neutral.
When planted in the shade, the size of Concorde pears decreases, they lose their taste greatly.
The approximate dimensions of the landing pit for the Concorde pear are 70×70 cm. Both spring and autumn planting is practiced, you need to focus mainly on the characteristics of the local climate. A pit filled with fertile soil is allowed to “stand” for at least a few weeks. Planting takes place according to the algorithm common to all fruit trees.
In order to avoid typical mistakes during landing, it is better to study the algorithm of actions and important nuances in advance
Care instructions
Capricious in terms of agricultural technology, the Concorde pear cannot be called. In order to stably and abundantly bear fruit, she needs “basic” care measures:
- Watering. Like any winter variety, Concord pear does not like abundant watering. In the absence of precipitation, mature trees are watered every 12-15 days, young seedlings – weekly. In the heat – twice as often. The approximate norm is 30-50 liters. Stop watering a month before harvest.
- Application of fertilizers. A tree needs one nitrogen top dressing at the beginning of the season and three complex ones – during flowering, a month after it and 12-15 days after harvest.
- Pruning. A sparse-tiered crown shape is suitable for the Concorde pear. It is created in 3-4 seasons, then you just need to maintain the result. The tree also needs sanitary pruning at the beginning and end of the season.
- Preparing for winter. Mandatory activities – cleaning the trunk circle from debris, updating the mulch layer, whitewashing the bole. In young seedlings, it is recommended to additionally insulate the base of the trunk.
- Preventive measures. At the beginning and at the end of the season, insecticide and fungicide treatments are desirable. In spring and summer, they are repeated with “massive” raids of pests on the garden or if the weather is long, favorable for the development of pathogens. When there are no such “threatening” circumstances, you can get by with folk remedies for prevention.
Annual abundant fruiting requires the pear to “pull” a lot of nutrients from the soil, this deficiency must be compensated
Collection and storage
A fairly warm, dry day is chosen for the collection of Concord pears. Wet fruits, even if dried before storage, noticeably lose their keeping quality, and are more prone to fungal diseases.
Fruits are removed from the branches along with the stalks, they must be sorted out. The category of “substandard”, which needs to be thrown away or eaten faster, includes all specimens with mechanical and other damage, even if they are minor.
Even perfectly ripe Concorde pears hold firmly on the branches and do not crumble.
Store Concord pears in any breathable container. It is desirable that the boxes or boxes are low, containing a maximum of 1-2 layers of fruit. They must be “isolated” by sprinkling with sawdust, wood shavings, scraps of newsprint.
The best storage conditions are easiest to create in the basement or cellar:
- temperature 2-3 ° C;
- air humidity 80-85%;
- lack of light;
- good ventilation.
Conclusion
Pear Concord is a variety that is clearly underestimated by gardeners. It belongs to the category of dessert and high-yielding, but at the same time it is not particularly capricious and demanding in care, it is distinguished by sufficient endurance and “stress resistance”. Agrotechnical measures will not take much time and effort from the gardener. The cold resistance of the variety allows it to winter without damage or with minimal damage not only in the southern subtropical regions, but also in areas with a temperate climate.
Reviews of gardeners about pear Concord
