EFFECT OF PRUNING SEVERITY AND BRANCH QUALITY ON FRUIT SET AND FRUIT DRY WEIGHT OF ‘PACKHAM’S TRIUMPH’ PEARS (PYRUS COMMUNIS L.)

The effect of dormant pruning and the quality of 2-year-old bearing units(BU) on fruit set and mean fruit dry weight of ‘Packham’s Triumph’ pears wasdetermined during the 2002/03 season. Fruit set on short BU (28 cm long) was 20percent higher and mean fruit dry weight were 20 percent more than for long BUs(56 cm). On thick BU (14 mm basal diameter) 70 percent more fruit set than on thinBU (8 mm) and mean fruit dry weight was 20 percent more than on thick BU.