Balance between pollination and parthenocarpy in the pear (Pyrus communis) variety Conference in Belgium

Pear (Pyrus communis) is the first fruit growing in Belgium and the variety Conference represents 90% of the pear production. Our research project aims to better highlight the Conference pear tree reproduction on three complementary aspects: 1) S-alleles identification for the main Belgian varieties; 2) pollination by insects; 3) parthenocarpy induced by phytohormones. As a self-incompatible species, pear tree requires inter-variety cross-pollination to develop fertilized fruits. However, blooming occurs early in the spring and climatically unfavorable conditions (frost, low temperatures, rain... Mehr ...