The Spanish pear sector is facing an unprecedented challenge, especially with the Conference variety, which accounts for 53% of the country's pear production and is predominant in Catalonia. From mid-March to early April 2024, there was an alarming lack of flowering in this variety, according to agronomist and fruit specialist Ignasi Iglesias, of the Agromillora Group. This phenomenon does not affect all regions uniformly, but it is particularly noticeable in key areas such as Lleida and from the Lower Ebro to Navarre, with exceptions in Rioja Alta and Bierzo (León).
Iglesias warns that, despite the fattening that may occur later, the shortage of flowering could translate into a reduction of more than 50% in production compared to an average year, a situation that will be confirmed by the end of June 2024. Some pear varieties, such as Blanquilla or Ercolini have shown normal flowering. In contrast, the Williams and Limonera varieties have presented lower production in some plots. The situation of the Conference is dire.
The problem seems to originate from a physiological disorder that prevents the transformation of flower buds into flowers, affecting plantations of all ages and on different cultivation patterns. This issue has been observed in plantations with normal irrigation and those with reduced irrigation during 2023.
The sector considers that the key factors that negatively affected flowering were the extreme weather conditions during the summer of 2023 and January of 2024, including temperatures above 40 degrees for a week in August and anomalous temperatures of 28ºC at the end of January in Lleida. In addition, in recent years the accumulation of cold hours has been shorter and more irregular, which could have contributed to the problem.
According to Montse Baró, president of the Fruit Business Association of Catalonia (Afrucat), the flowering issues are most probably due to the extreme weather conditions, the heat stress during summer, and the unusually long autumn. Technicians continue to investigate the specific causes of this troubling phenomenon.
Source: lavanguardia.com