Yield and response to the main diseases attack of pear cultivars and heritability of the traits

Abstract

In order to identify potential genitors for pear breeding, 17 varieties of European and Asian origin were tested for productivity and their response to pear scab (Venturiapirina) and septoria (Septoriapyricola) attack. During two consecutive years, the highest yields of pear trees were recorded for two Romanian varieties, Adria and Napoca.The best response to the pear scab and septoria diseases was recorded within Asian varieties, most of them being registered with a low degree of attack or without symptoms of attack. Some European varieties (i.e.. Doyenné du Comice, Jubileu 50), or interspecific variety Kieffer Seedling, presented also a good response to diseases.The correlation between pear scab and septoria degree of attack statisticallyconfirmed that the susceptible varieties to scab were also sensitive to septoria, and vice versa.The broad-sense heritability coefficients for yield and response to the diseases attack varied depending on the two algorithms used, but the lowest value was registered for the trees’response to the pear scab attack, this trait being more difficult to manage in pear breeding.