Trials of New Quince Rootstocks for Pears

The performance of two pear varieties, Conference and Beurré Hardy, on eleven vigorous and three dwarfing quince rootstocks, was compared with that on Quince A in a field trial lasting 14 years. The rootstocks gave a wide range of control over tree size, from less than 50 % to more than 130 % of that on Quince A. Crop yield per tree was roughly proportional to tree size and there were no marked differences in rootstock efficiency expressed as yield in relation to crown area. The most vigorous rootstock, C84, is considered to be of commercial interest.