Pear Leuven

Pear Leven was obtained in Krasnodar from the NKZNIISiV. A group of breeders consisting of L.M. Sergeev, E.I. Kostetskaya and N.V. Mozhar worked on the breeding of the variety. And the "parent varieties" are pears "Douliar" and "Bere Napoleon". The variety was accepted for testing in 1993, and after testing the Leuven pear was recommended for cultivation in the North Caucasus region, Krasnodar Territory, Stavropol Territory and Rostov Region. It is successfully cultivated not only on personal plots, but also on farms.

Pear Leuven: description of the variety and characteristics

Pear Leuven: photo of the variety

Trees of the Leuven pear variety are not tall, their crown has a spherical shape and medium density. The main powerful branches that make up the "skeleton" of the plant are located almost at right angles to the trunk. The brown bark on the branches and trunk has a smooth surface. Young shoots are colored in a brighter reddish-brown color.

Dark green oval leaf plates are slightly bent along the central line, along their edge are the smallest denticles, leaves are attached on short thin petioles. Snow-white pear flowers with oval petals are of medium size.

The Leuven pear belongs to the early-growing, since the first pears can be tasted already in the third or fourth year after planting the tree. The tree does not need to be interrupted, so you can harvest it annually.

Leuven pears are rather large, weighing from 150 to 240 grams, although sometimes there are real giant pears weighing 400 grams. The fruit shape can be characterized as "wide pear-shaped" with a somewhat bumpy surface. The color of the fruit is yellow-green with an obligatory deep red "blush", the shiny skin is quite dense. There are many brown subcutaneous dots, rust can sometimes be found near the calyx (not every year and not on all fruits).

Juicy white pulp of a pear, has a fine-grained structure and a rich, slightly sour, but mostly sweet taste.

As we said, the Leuven pear variety is a winter variety. Despite its rather large size, the fruit does not fall off the tree. The harvest is harvested in the last days of September or at the beginning of October and put into storage (in a private household, this can be a cellar, a basement, a glazed balcony). In order to extend the shelf life of the fruit, they should be removed from the stalked tree. By the end of November, the fruits are ripe and you will be provided with fresh pears throughout the winter.

Pear Leuven: advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of the Leuven pear variety include:

• Early maturity - you will not have to wait long for the first harvest.
• Weak growth - harvesting from a compact tree is much easier and more convenient than from a tall one.
• Annual fruiting and good yield.
• Excellent taste of fruits, long shelf life. The ability to consume fresh vitamins in winter.
• Good indicators of frost resistance and drought resistance.
• Phenomenal scab resistance - according to this indicator, a score of 1 point out of four (the lower the score, the higher the resistance).

And the disadvantages of the Leuven pear variety have not yet been identified. Of course, you can find a number of disgruntled gardeners who were unlucky, and their trees were still struck by scab, but their percentage is minimal.

Conclusion

Summing up, it is safe to say that the Leuven pear is one of the most successful varieties, the characteristics of which consist only of advantages. The excellent immunity of the tree, its ability to withstand adverse weather conditions will greatly facilitate the gardener's care of the plant.And the high taste of fruits and the opportunity to enjoy fresh pears in winter, when the body is acutely aware of the lack of vitamins, make the Leuven pear especially popular among summer residents and farm owners.