EFFECT OF SOME CULTURAL PRACTICES ON FLOWER BUD FORMATION, FRUIT SET AND YIELD OF 'LE-CONTE" PEAR TREES

Ten-years-old "Le-Conte" pear trees on Pyrus  communis rootstock  at El-Kanater Horticultural Research Station, Egypt, were treated as follows: (1) Shoot bending (tying shoots down to be  nearby at horizontal position, (2) Tip pruning (removal a distal portion of the long shoots), (3) Shoot bending +  tip pruning,(4) defoliation (removal of all leaves by spraying  trees with 10% urea solution, (5) Shoot bending  + defoliation., (6) tip pruning + defoliation,   (7) Shoot  bending  +  tip pruning + defoliation, (8)  Girdling the limbs with  9 mm width,  (9) Control.    Shoot bending and girdling were carried out 7 days after full bloom tip pruning was done at the beginning of June, while  defoliation treatment was done in the end of November.
All treatments decreased shoot length especially  treatment of shoot bending  + tip pruning + defoliation, however, number of leaves and leaf area increased.  The combined treatments were better than single ones.  The treatments caused an increase in spur percentage, fruit set and yield.  The best treatment was shoot bending + tip pruning + defoliation followed in descending order by treatments of shoot bending + defoliation, tip pruning + defoliation, and shoot bending + tip pruning.  Girdling treatment gave the best fruit weight, volume, height and diameter followed by the combined treatment, however, differences of the resulted values of fruit firmness, total soluble solids and acidity were insignificant.