Verification of Technology to Reduce Flowering Disorder in Open Field Cultivated Japanese Pear by Improving Fertilization Timing

Abstract

Due to recent global warming, the occurrence of flowering disorder is increasing in the open field cultivation of Japanese pear in warm regions such as Kyusyu. In the present 5-year study, we verified the effectiveness of spring fertilization, which is expected to reduce the occurrence of flowering disorder in ‘Hosui’ and ‘Kosui’ cultivars. In both cultivars, changing the fertilization season from autumn to spring improved the freezing resistance and reduced flowering disorder steadily over 5 years, while not affecting the fruit quality. In contrast, fertilizing in both autumn and spring did not improve freezing resistance or reduce flowering disorder. In conclusion, spring fertilization is an effective and practical cultivation technique to reduce flowering disorder.