The Greek nursery Farm Hellas has introduced a new pear cultivar called Sissy, developed over a period of 15 years from the crossing of an older American variety with two local varieties through crafting, whose main feature is tolerant to pear psylla (Cacopsylla pyricola) and resistant to fire blight (Erwinia Amylovora).
According to Agricultural Engineer Sofia Kebapidou, “After our initial tests, we conducted some experiments in different areas of Greece and we saw that it retained the same characteristics, after which we decided to register it to CPVO.
The tree is medium sized, upright to spindle spreading and it produces heavy crops which are consistent from year to year. It requires around 700 chilling hours and grows well in warmer areas. It is suitable for dense planting schemes with optimum distances, 1.2m x 3.8m. It is pollinated mostly by Coscia and Santa Maria, although Abate fettel is a probable pollinator."
In addition to it being more resistant to diseases, Kempapidou describes this new pear as sweet, crisp with an even more excellent flavor than others.“Those who tried the Sissy pear will no longer want to eat any other pear. This pear looks beautiful both inside and outside. Due to its appearance, my father named it after Empress Sissy of Austria which was known for her beauty.
A great advantage for the growers is that, given its resistance, it is not necessary to spray as much against pests, thus reducing the production costs. “A big grower working close to our area, who has many commercial varieties, reported that while other varieties had to be sprayed 20 to 24 times per year, the Sissy only required 4 to 6 times.”
Fruit can be kept at -0.5 to 1.0oC until February (6 months in RS) and up to mid-May (9 months in CA storage), retaining all it´s great characteristics while other varieties are only for 4 to 5 months.
In Greece, Sissy pears are harvested in the first week of August, when they reach 13 to 13.5 brix level. “The fruit is then stored where it reaches its optimum level of sweetness, with 16 to 17 brix level. The only issue so far is that the entire production suits more the canning industry. But because of its great quality this year, we are planning to distribute it to the fresh market as well, and it is likely to be introduced between December this year and January 2017.”
