Shape Alteration of ‘Geumchonjosaeng’ Pear Fruit by Removing Calyx

The fruit shape of ‘Geumchonjosaeng’ (Pyrus pyrifolia var. culta Nakai) which was released in 2001 is obovate owing to perpetual calyx naturally existed till harvest time. Thus, this experiment was conducted to determine the effect of calyx removal on shape alteration of ‘Geumchonjosaeng’ pear fruit. The calyx was removed manually at 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 60 days after floral abscission (DAFA) respectively. Removing calyx during floral abscission period affected fruit shape. The calyx removal at 5 and 10 DAFA produce round type fruit. The fruit that calyx removed at 20 and 30 DAFA form long-round shape with a projecting part at the fruit apex. The extent of protrusion at calyx end increased as the treatment was delayed. The calyx removal at 45 and 60 DAFA was not effective for improving fruit shape of ‘Geumchonjosaeng’ pear. The calyx removal-treated fruits during floral abscission period were smaller than those of other treatments. Thus, it concluded that the existence of calyx affect the fruit shape and growth at the early stage of fruit development.