Pear Bere Bosc

Pear is one of the most popular fruit plants in the world, and the history of its cultivation goes back millennia. In the modern pear variety, a special place is occupied by the ageless classics: the famous European varieties, for example, Beurre Bosc.

In the 19th century, the pear was the queen of the orchards of Europe, especially France and Belgium. The seeds from which this variety was grown are of unknown origin, and the first information about Beurre Bosc dates back to the early 1800s and is associated with the settlement of Apremont in the Loire Valley (France). It is believed that it got its name in honor of the French botanist and naturalist-explorer Louis Augustin Guillaume Bosc. The prefix Beurre ("butter") came from the melting pulp of the fruit.

There is a version that the famous Belgian pomologist Professor Jean-Baptiste Van Mons, who created about 40 pear varieties, bred Calabasse Bosc back in 1807, which was later (in 1835) renamed Beurre Bosc.

Such a long-standing origin caused the appearance of several more "names" of this pear and some confusion with them: Bosc bottle pear (Bottle), Emperors crown, Alexander pear, Kaiser Alexander, Beurré d "Apremont, Paradis d" Automne, Cannelle (Cinnamon).

The variety has been tested at the Krasnodar Fruit Experimental Station. Bere Bosk was entered into the State Register of Breeding Achievements in 1947 and was approved for use in the southern territories of Russia and in many republics that were part of the USSR at that time (except for the Baltic ones, which did not fit the climate). Today, the variety is widely grown in Ukraine, it has proven itself well in the Krasnodar Territory, in the Stavropol Territory, in the Crimea.

Bere Bosc has become the basis of many very popular modern varieties.

Bere Bosk is a self-fertile, fruitful, disease-resistant variety of late autumn ripening. It is characterized by weak frost and drought resistance. The pear tree is vigorous (up to 4 m), with a spreading asymmetrical crown and strong, long branches with grayish-brown wood. The leaves are dark green, oval, glossy. The flowers are white, large, with wide-open oblong petals.

The fruits are large (average weight 180 g), rough to the touch, elongated bottle-shaped and golden in color with a pronounced dense mottled rust. The variety conquers with its dessert taste: pears are very sweet, slightly spicy with a hint of almonds. Good transportability, storage no more than a month.

The fruit of the Bere Bosc pear can vary in shape and size even on the same tree. Most often they are bottle-shaped with an elongated, sometimes curved, thick stalk. Fruit weight from 150 to 220 g, sometimes up to 250 g. The surface is rough, varying in color from golden to rusty-bronze. Rusty, cinnamon-colored fruits become at full maturity on the tree and ripen during storage.

The skin is thin but firm. The seeds are small, brown. The pulp of the fruit is white-creamy, aromatic and very juicy. Unripe pears will be slightly crispy but juicy; ripe pears have a buttery, melting flesh texture.

Pear Bere Bosk has earned very high tasting marks: 4.4-4.8 points. Its wonderful dessert taste is called marmalade, rich and complex: with hints of spices and almond notes. They eat fresh pears, make jam and preserves.When stored for a long time in the refrigerator, the taste can deteriorate: juiciness and aroma go away.

Bere Bosk begins to bear fruit 6-7 years after planting on the site. One brush can form from 1 to 5 ovaries. Fruit ripening occurs from the first days of September and lasts until October. Pears hold on tightly and do not crumble even in a gusty wind.

Bere Bosk gives good yields for many years (up to 35-40 years). The highest fruiting activity in trees occurs after 15 years of growth. A mature tree can produce 80-100 kg of fruit per season. Indicators of collection in the Kuban per hectare: about 100 centners from a plantation of trees up to 20 years old.

Planting is preferable in the fall. Choose a sunny (southwest), flat area without stagnation of melt and rainwater. Dig up the soil, prepare a hole 1 m deep and 80-100 cm in diameter. Mineral additives, organic matter are introduced into it, and a 1-2-year-old sapling is placed without deepening its root collar.

Plant care requires mandatory agrotechnical measures:

• strong and asymmetrical growth of branches must be regulated by pruning;

• young growth at the roots should be removed;

• after winter, sanitary pruning of affected and frozen shoots is carried out;

• the variety does not tolerate drought - especially young trees are demanding for regular watering.

The variety is undemanding to the soil; a light, rather loose soil will be an ideal choice.

Bere Bosk can be grafted onto quince or forest pear rootstocks.

The recommendations of the State Register and more than half a century of experience in using the variety in Russia show that Bere Bosk is not in vain zoned for warm territories. It is hard to endure recurrent spring frosts, early frosts in autumn and low (about –25 ... 30 ° С) winter temperatures. Under such conditions, the death of a large percentage of generative buds can occur, and the wood is damaged.

The variety resists fungal diseases well, is rarely affected by scab, and is resistant to pests.