Consequences of pear damage by spring light frosts in Crimean conditions

Abstract

The article presents the study results of 23 pear variety and rootstock combinations for 2009-2011 years according to a degree of flowers damage by spring frosts. The studies were conducted in the orchards of the Crimean Experimental Station of Horticulture. Now it is the Institute of Agricultural Sciences of Crimea of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences. As a result the conclusions about the relative resistance of certain pear variety and rootstock combinations such as Maria, Izumrudnaya and Tavricheskaya on KA 53, KA 86, KA 92 rootstocks (station‘s selections) were made. Damage by spring frosts varied depending on their duration and temperature indices. The article also presents a comparative estimation of the rootstocks impact on the cultivars yield of own breeding in comparison with a standard control. As a result of the five-year study it was found that the KA 53, KA 61, KA 86, KA 92 pear rootstocks appeared to be the most effective and highly adapted to the agro-ecological conditions of the southern Ukraine, especially to the soils with high content of carbonate (up to 40 %).