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Origin, Domestication, and Dispersing of Pear (Pyrus spp.)

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Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Advances in Agriculture
Volume 2014, Article ID 541097, 8 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/541097

Review Article
Origin, Domestication, and Dispersing of Pear (Pyrus spp.)

G. J. Silva, Tatiane Medeiros Souza, Rosa Lía Barbieri, and Antonio Costa de Oliveira
Plant Genomics and Breeding Center, Federal University of Pelotas, 96001-970 Pelotas, RS, Brazil

Correspondence should be addressed to Antonio Costa de Oliveira; acostol@terra.com.br

Received 11 March 2014; Accepted 29 April 2014; Published 9 June 2014

Academic Editor: Innocenzo Muzzalupo

Copyright © 2014 G. J. Silva et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which
permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

The pear (Pyrus communis L.) is a typical fruit of temperate regions, having its origin and domestication at two different points,
China and Asia Minor until the Middle East. It is the fifth most widely produced fruit in the world, being produced mainly in China,
Europe, and the United States. Pear belongs to rosaceous family, being a close “cousin” of the apple, but with some particularities
that make this fruit special with a delicate flavor. Thus, it deserves a special attention and a meticulous review of all the history
involved, and the recent research devoted to it, because of the economic and cultural importance of this fruit in a range of countries
and cultures. Therefore, the purpose of this literature review is to approach the history of the origin, domestication, and dispersal
of pears, as well as reporting their botany, their current scenario in the world, and their breeding and conservation.

1. Introduction such as Iran, Uzbekistan, China, Japan, Korea, and Bhutan.

Commercially, it is divided into two major groups: European
Pear, a typical fruit of temperate climates, with delicate and Asian pears. The first, with elongated and full-bodied
pleasant taste and smooth, has a wide acceptance throughout texture, and the second, with sandy texture and rounded
the world. By its shape, it inspires designers and architects. body, make this fruit the ninth in world production, being
The fruit pleases generations; already in 1661, Jean-Baptiste de mainly a commodity in China [2–4].
La Quintinie, lawyer and botanist, responsible for the gardens
of the Versailles palace, passionate about the cultivation of
pears, wrote in reports: “It must be confessed that, among all 2. Taxonomy, Origin, and Speciation
fruits in this place, nature does not show anything so beautiful
nor so noble as this pear. It is pear that makes the greatest The name pear is derived from Latin, pera or pira, with some
honor on the tables. . .” variants like in French as poire, in German as peer, and in
The pear is mainly consumed in natura, pies, cakes, Greece as acras as wild type and apios as cultivated pear.
accompanying strong cheese or carpaccio, risotto, jams, and It belongs to Equisetopsida C. Agardh class of vascular
ice creams and is a great fruit to be consumed in diets because plants, Magnoliidae Novák ex Takht subclass, characterized
of its low caloric value. It has high nutritional value with by plants that have ribbed leaves and flowers. Belonging to the
reasonable amounts of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, and C and Rosales Bercht. & J.Presl order, and Rosaceae Juss family, with
minerals like sodium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, mag- hermaphrodite flowers, polypetalae and perigynics stamens,
nesium, and iron. It has a lot of fiber, giving excellent results the pear, of Pyrus L., gender is a fruit of big importance for the
in the treatment of constipation and intestine inflammation. agriculture of latitude moderate countries, being cultivated
Many recommend pears to cure anomalies such as cystitis on a large scale in China, Western Europe, and the United
and kidney stones [1]. States [5–7].
Belonging to the genus Pyrus, which originated in the The Maloideae subfamily, where the Pyrus gender
Tertiary period, in Western China, the pear had its dispersion belongs, has a basic chromosome number as 𝑥 = 17, which
from northern Italy, Switzerland, former Yugoslavia, Ger- is fair if compared with other species of Rosaceae, where
many, Greece, Moldova, and Ukraine to the East, in countries 𝑥 = 7 or 𝑥 = 9. Of the three hypotheses that emerged
2 Advances in Agriculture

from the 1920s to explain the event, the most accepted (Table 2). Studies indicate that there is a large genetic distance
theory [8] suggests an allotetraploid or allopolyploid from between these two groups [21]. The first is focusing on
the cross between two primitive forms of Rosaceae family, most cultivated pears, found in Europe, North Africa, Asia
Prunoideae with 𝑥 = 8 and Spiraeoideae with 𝑥 = 9. This Minor, Iran, part of Soviet Central Asia, and Afghanistan.
theory was based on the observation of a predominance of The second group includes species that are concentrated in
univalent (unpaired chromosomes) and not from multivalent East Asia, the Tien-Shan and Hindu Kush mountains, and
chromosomes during meiosis. Subsequently, isozyme studies Japan. In the latter, there is a very large group of cultivars
supported this theory [9]. Most cultivated pears are diploid in China and Japan [11, 22]. Currently there are several
(2𝑛 = 34), but there are a few polyploid cultivars of P. works that aim to estimate the genetic distance among the
communis and Pyrus × bretschneideri. According to some different cultivars, concentrated in gene banks and breeding
authors [9], the speciation of Pyrus occurred without a programs.
change in chromosome number. It is believed that gender Researchers at the University of Lleida (UDL-ETSIA)
Pyrus originated during the Tertiary period (65 to 55 million could estimate the genetic distance of 141 Spanish accessions
years ago) in the mountainous regions of western China of P. communis (past and current) through eight SSR markers.
where a very large number of species of the gender Pomoideae Thirteen well-known Spanish cultivars that represent their
and Prunoideae are concentrated. Taking into consideration diversity were also used, but all thirteen were grouped into
the areas of distribution of the various genres of Pomoideae, a single cluster, showing the narrow genetic base of cultivars
it is likely that the common ancestor of these was widely P. communis in Spain, mainly caused by market demands
distributed in that territory during the Cretaceous or Pale- [23].
ocene and prior to the Tertiary. Evidence suggests that pear Another study was conducted by a group of Chinese
dispersion and speciation followed the mountain ranges to researchers, in which, through six SSR markers, it was possi-
both the east and the west [10, 11]. In this period, only ble to verify the genetic distance of 98 species of Pyrus, includ-
few traces of leaves in some localities from eastern Europe ing 51 Pyrifolia, Japanese and Chinese Pyrus, 11 P. ussuriensis,
and the Caucasus were found, as the village of Parschlug, 24 Chinese white pears, six wild types, two Korean species,
Austria, and the Kakhetia mountains, where Pyrus theobroma two P. communis cultivars, and 2 unidentified types. The
fossils were found. Whereas in eastern Georgia, Horizon results showed the grouping of these cultivars in 10 groups,
Akchagyl, Azerbaijan, and Turkey, Pyrus communis L. fossil with 4 groups composed of white and sandy pears of Chinese
leaves were also found. In postglacial records, traces of and Japanese origin. The results showed that Japanese culti-
fruits were found in lacustrine deposits in Switzerland and vars have as parents, Chinese sandy pear. Western cultivars
Italy [12]. It is believed that the process of domestication formed separated and distant groups from the eastern pears
followed what is currently seen in the Caucasus, where one [24].
can find many types of pear trees that grow abundantly Many studies have been conducted in the context to
[13]. identify genetic variations and clustering of populations of
There are two domestication centers and primary origin cultivated pear in China, since the fruit is a commodity of
of the genus Pyrus: the first is located in China, the second great importance to this country, as a study of 233 landraces
located in Asia Minor to the Middle East, in the Caucasus of P. pyrifolia, the “sandy pear,” was able to determine the level
mountains, and a third secondary center located in Central of genetic diversity and relatedness of companies by 14 SSR
Asia [14, 15]. markers [25].
The number of cataloged species varies greatly according In 2013, the pear genome sequencing was completed
to the interpretation of each author, 20 to 75 species [16]. by combining the illumina sequencing technology and a
There are 23 wild species cataloged, all native to Europe, BAC by BAC (bacterial artificial chromosome) strategy in an
temperate Asia, and northern mountainous regions of Africa Asian pear named “Suli” [26]. This strategy minimized the
[7, 17, 18]. Pears are classified into three groups according limitation of the sequencing of a heterozygous genome. The
to the number of carpels and fruit size: small fruits that results showed a frequency of 1.02% of SNPs and 53.1% of
have two carpels known as Asian pears, large fruits with repeated sequences in the pear genome. It was verified that
five carpels, and fruits with three to four carpels that are the genomic portion of pear and apple is very similar, and the
hybrids of fruits mentioned above. Asian pears have a major differences between them are the repeated sequences
crisp texture, while the European pear has a buttery and that are actively transposing.
juicy texture, with characteristic flavor and aroma. Pears are The pear genome sequencing project concluded that the
propagated by grafting, where the graft is adapted against average density of genes is one per 12 kb in at least 42,812 gene
stresses such as soil alkalinity, drought, cold. Species diversity loci, a similar number comparing to other plants, and that the
is concentrated in western Eurasia to eastern Asia and espe- pear and apple genome are almost equal in gene numbers. The
cially in China (Table 1), but several species are mentioned project also showed that the lignin content found in pear is
by many authors, without a consensus, which hampers an similar to that of poplar, indicating that this lignin content is
organization, as many are hybrids between species, and involved in the stone cell formation [26]. From the genomic
in some cases, different regions use different names for approaches used in this project, a better understanding of
the same cultivars [10, 19, 20]. In these two regions, two this fruit crop has been achieved, which will reflect on future
distinct groups of species, eastern and western, are formed improvements.
Advances in Agriculture 3

Table 1: Pyrus species and hybrids from Asia.

Species Site of origin Crop

Pyrus alnifolia (S. and Z.) Franch. and Sav. Russian Far East, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan ∗
Pyrus armeniacifolia T. T. Yu China ∗
P. aucuparia var. randaiensis Hayata Taiwan ∗
Pyrus baccata L. Russia, Mongolia, China, Korea ∗
Pyrus baccata var. aurantiaca Regel Russia, Mongolia, China, Korea ∗
Pyrus baccata var. himalaica Maxim. China, Bhutan, India, Nepal ∗
Pyrus baccata var. mandshurica Maxim. Russia, China, Japan, Korea ∗
Pyrus betulifolia Bunge China, Laos ∗
Pyrus × bretschneideri Rehder China ∗
Pyrus calleryana Decne. China, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam USA, Canada
Pyrus calleryana var. dimorphophylla (Makino) Koidz. Japan ∗
Pyrus calleryana var. fauriei (C. K. Schneid.) Rehder Korea ∗
Pyrus calleryana var. koehnei (C. K. Schneid.) T. T. Yu China ∗
Pyrus cathayensis Hemsl. China ∗
Pyrus delavayi Franch. China ∗
Pyrus discolor Maxim. China ∗
Pyrus doumeri Bois China, Taiwan, Laos, Vietnam ∗
Pyrus folgner (C. K. Schneid.) Bean China ∗
Pyrus foliolosa Wall. Burma, Bhutan, India, Nepal, China ∗
Pyrus glabra Boiss. Iran ∗
Pyrus gracilis Siebold and Zucc. Japan ∗
Pyrus harrowiana Balf. f. and W. W. Sm. China, India, Nepal, Burma ∗
Pyrus heterophylla Regel and Schmalh. Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China ∗
Pyrus hondoensis Nakai and Kikuchi Japan ∗
Pyrus × hopeiensis T. T. Yu China ∗
Pyrus hupehensis Pamp. China, Taiwan ∗
Pyrus indica Wall. South Asia and Far East Asia ∗
Pyrus japonica Thunb. Japan ∗
Pyrus keissleri (C. K. Schneid.) H. Lev. China, Myanmar ∗
Pyrus kansuensis Batalin China ∗
Pyrus lanata D. Don Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Pakistan ∗
Pyrus matsumurana Makino Japan ∗
Pyrus nussia Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don Far East, South Asia ∗
Pyrus × phaeocarpa Rehder China ∗
Pyrus pohuashanensis Hance Russia, China, Korea ∗
Pyrus prattii Hemsl. China ∗
Pyrus prunifolia Willd. China ∗
Pyrus pseudopashia T. T. Yu China ∗
Pyrus pyrifolia var. pyrifolia China, Laos, Vietnam ∗
Pyrus ringo Wenz. China, Korea ∗
Pyrus ringo var. kaido Wenz China ∗
Pyrus scabrifolia Franch. China ∗
Pyrus scalaris (Koehne) Bean China ∗
Pyrus × serrulata Rehder China ∗
Pyrus sieboldii Regel China, Japan ∗
Pyrus sikkimensis Hook. f. China, Bhutan, India ∗
Pyrus sinensis var. maximowicziana H. Lev. Korea ∗
Pyrus × sinkiangensis T. T. Yu China ∗
Pyrus spectabilis Aiton China ∗
Pyrus taiwanensis Iketani and H. Ohashi Taiwan ∗
4 Advances in Agriculture

Table 1: Continued.
Species Site of origin Crop
Pyrus ussuriensis Maxim. Russia, China, Japan, Korea, Brazil Brazil
Pyrus × uyematsuana Makino Japan, Korea ∗
Pyrus vestita Wall. ex G. Don China, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Myanmar ∗
Pyrus vilmorinii (C. K. Schneid.) Asch. and Graebn. China ∗
Pyrus xerophila T. T. Yu China ∗
Pyrus yunnanensis Franch. China, Myanmar ∗
Pyrus zahlbruckneri (C. K. Schneid.) Cardot China ∗
Pyrus tschonoskii Maxim. Japan ∗
Pyrus cydonia L. Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkmenistan ∗
Pyrus germanica (L.) Hook. f. Middle East and Northern Asia ∗
Pyrus korshinskyi Litv. Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan ∗
Pyrus kumaoni Decne. Middle East, Far East and South Asia ∗
Pyrus salicifolia Pall. Iran, Armenia, Turkey, Arzebaijão ∗
Pyrus trilobata (Poir.) DC. Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece ∗
Pyrus turkestanica Franch. Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan ∗
∗
The same origin.
Source: USDA (2012) [5].

3. Domestication and Breeding reported more than 40 cultivars existing in the 1st century BC
and described methods of cultivation similar to the practiced
Domestication has as a consequence the change in gene currently [2, 28]. Little is known about introducing pear in
frequencies regarding to the original populations. A fully France, but in the mid-800, the cultivation has developed
domesticated species is dependent upon man for its survival; very well on site, making the country in the sixteen and
in other words, it cannot reproduce in nature itself. The seventeen centuries the world’s largest producer of the fruit.
domestication of fruits began only around 6,000 years ago, During the eighteenth century, Belgium developed numerous
through vegetative propagation, due to high rate of het- cultivars, including some that are important even today, as the
erozygosity in them. As a consequence, self-fertility in pear varieties “Beurre Bosc,” “Beurre d’Anjou,” “Flemish Beauty,”
and peach trees, hermaphroditism in grape, parthenocarpy, and “Winter Nelis” [2].
seedless fruits on banana, and absence of spines in some The pear improvement happened in Europe from two
fruits [27] emerged. During this period, ancient Mediter- species: Pyrus communis and P. nivalis. The first, European
ranean fruits such as grape, olive, fig, and pomegranate Common pear, is completely barren and has in its gene pool
have been domesticated. Even citrus, banana, apple, pear, an influence of other species such as P. eleagrifolia, P. spinosa,
quince, medlar, almond, apricot, cherry, peach, and plum P. nivalis, and P. syriaca [29]. The second, used to make wine,
were domesticated in Central and East Asia. Some fruits such has been of great importance in Britain and France for over
as kiwi, blueberry, and pecan were domesticated only in the 400 years. Most cultivars released in Europe were developed
19th and 20th centuries. The earliest mention of growing via open pollination and fruits were selected according to
pears in Europe was made by Homer in ancient Greece, a little their softness and buttery aspect.
less than three thousand years ago, who wrote that “Pears are a In Asia, the cultivation began over 2500 years ago, with
gift of God” [2]. It was then that breeding started and also the the main species Pyrus pyrifolia, Pyrus serotina, and Pyrus
history of the pear as a cultivated plant. Theophrastus (371– ussuriensis. The result was reported in written Chinese (Shi
287 BC), another Greek, also made important reports on pear. Jing) and other books for at least 1500 years [30]. In Japan,
The same distinguished the wild forms from cultivated ones pear seeds dating from the years 200–300 were found. During
and suggested that bred genotypes received a special name the Edo period in Japan (1603–1868) over 150 cultivars were
and other important observations on breeding in general documented; this time the pears were planted in the corners,
[28]. A large contribution to pear cultivation was made like a talisman to avoid the “evil eye.”
by the Romans. Portius-Cato (235–150 BC) described the One of the main characteristics of Asian pears is the
methods of propagation, grafting, and caring for fruit and crispy, sweet, and juicy acid pulp. The pulp is characterized
also described six cultivars of pear. Another great writer of by having “stone cells” which are sclerenchyma cells that differ
ancient Rome, Terentius Varro, dedicated some of his work from fiber because they are very elongated. They also offer a
to agriculture (116–27 BC), describing grafting methods and sandy texture to the fruit [2]. The sizes vary from rounded as
storage. Among the Roman historians, the most important apples, these being the most cultivated, until pears to the top
of all was Pliny the Elder (23–79 AD), who described in and bottom elongated bulbous pears, similar to the European
detail almost all varieties of the season, in a manuscript with pears. The fruits are very sensitive to physical damage, both
more than sixty editions. In summary, the ancient Romans at harvest and in the classification as storage and marketing.
Advances in Agriculture 5

Table 2: Pyrus species and hybrids originating in Europe and Southern Africa.

Species Geographic distribution-site of origin Crop

Pyrus aria (L.) Ehrh. Canary Islands, North Africa, All of Europe ∗
North Africa, Middle East, Central Europe
Pyrus aria (L.) Ehrh. var. cretica Lindl. ∗
Oriental and Southern and Turkmenistan
Pyrus aucuparia var. dulcis (K.) A. and G. All Europe North America
Pyrus boissieriana Buhse Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Iran ∗
Pyrus korshinskyi Litv. subsp.
Former Soviet Union ∗
bucharica (Litv.) B. K.
Pyrus bulgarica Kuth. Western Europe, Central Eastern and
∗
and Sachokia (Pyrus × nivalis Jacq.) Southern
Pyrus caucasica Fed. Eastern Europe and Central Greece ∗
Western Europe, Central Eastern and
Pyrus chamaemespilus (L.) Ehrh. ∗
Southern
Eastern Europe Central, South and West,
Pyrus communis L. All Europe
and South America
P. communis var. cordata (Desv.) H.f. UK, Portugal, Spain, France ∗
P. communis subsp gharbiana (T.) Maire Algeria, Morocco ∗
P. communis subsp.
Morocco ∗
marmorensis (Trab.) Maire
Western Europe, Central Eastern, and
P. communis subsp. pyraster (L.) Ehrh. ∗
Southern
Pyrus × complexa Rubtzov Former Soviet Union ∗
Pyrus cossonii Rehder Algeria ∗
Turkey, Albania, Serbia, Greece, Italy,
Pyrus crataegifolia Savi ∗
Macedonia
Pyrus cuneifolia Guss. Central Eastern Europe, South and Central ∗
Pyrus decipiens Bechst. All Europe and North Africa ∗
Algeria, Cyprus, Eastern Europe Central
Pyrus domestica (L.) Sm. ∗
West and Meridional
Turkey, Ukraine, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece,
Pyrus elaeagrifolia Pall. ∗
Romania
Pyrus elaeagrifolia subsp. kotschyana Turkey ∗
Middle East, Eastern Europe, Central,
Pyrus germanica (L.) Hook. f. ∗
Southern and Northern Asia
Pyrus gharbiana Trab. Algeria, Morocco ∗
Pyrus intermedia Ehrh. All Europe ∗
Pyrus malus subsp. paradisiaca (L.) Schubl. Western, Eastern, and Central Europe and
∗
and G. Martens Greece
Pyrus minima Ley UK ∗
Pyrus nebrodensis Guss. Italy - Sicily ∗
Pyrus pinnatifida Ehrh. All Europe ∗
Pyrus praemorsa Guss South of Italy, France ∗
Pyrus sachokiana Kuth. Georgia ∗
Pyrus spinosa Forssk. Central Eastern Europe, South, and Central ∗
Western Europe, Central Eastern, and
Pyrus sudetica Tausch ∗
Southern
Pyrus syriaca Boiss. Caucasus and Middle East Region ∗
North Africa, Middle East, South Caucasus,
Pyrus torminalis (L.) Ehrh. ∗
whole Europe
Pyrus trilobata (Poir.) DC. Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, Israel, Lebanon ∗
∗
The same origin.
Source: USDA (2012) [5].
6 Advances in Agriculture

Table 3: Pyrus species and hybrids originating in the Americas.

Species Place of origin Crop

Pyrus americana DC Greenland, USA, Canada ∗
Pyrus angustifolia Aiton USA, Canada ∗
Pyrus arbutifolia (L.) L. f. USA ∗
Pyrus arbutifolia (L.) L. f. var. nigra Willd. USA Northern and Eastern Europe Center
Pyrus coronaria L. Canada, USA ∗
P. coronaria var. ioensis Alph. Wood USA ∗
Pyrus diversifolia Bong. USA, Canada ∗
Pyrus floribunda Lindl. USA, Canada Korea, Russia, Sweden, Czech Republic,
Slovakia, Germany, Latvia, Bulgaria
Pyrus fusca (Raf.) C. K. Schneid. USA, Canada ∗
Pyrus sanguinea Pursh Canada, USA ∗
∗
The same origin.
Source: USDA (2012) [5].

Pear was introduced by the English and French settlers Table 4: World production of fruit crops in the years 2010 and 2012
in the United States and Canada, and in 1629, there was in tonnes.
record of its cultivation in New England [28]. Unlike Europe, Type of fruit 2010 2012
which grew via grafting pears, pear in the United States was
Watermelons 101,342,555 105,372,341
initially cultivated by seeds, which resulted in a much higher
Banana 105,726,175 101,992,743
genetic variability than in Europe [31], resulting in a number
of different varieties in America. Currently, many European Apples 70,581,492 76,378,738
pears are well established in North America; however, the Orange 69,045,495 68,223,759
U.S. genotypes cannot adapt to the climate and European Grape 67,460,130 67,067,129
soil (Table 3). In the United States, in the latter half of the Melon 31,495,365 31,925,787
nineteenth century, breeders have used the pear wild type Fruit fresh nes 29,414,585 31,447,977
(crosses between Asian and European pears) to their crosses, Tangerines 23,867,076 27,060,756
in order to obtain greater resistance to cold and “fire blight” Pears 22,705,619 23,580,845
disease caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora that is Pineapples 20,377,660 23,333,886
widely spread, though causing a large reduction in the quality
FAO 2010 and 2012.
of the fruit, which was repaired with successive backcrosses.
The most notable difference between these junctions is
undoubtedly the texture [31–33]. Wild type pears are used pear type. Together, the top ten producers occupy an area of
today as a rootstock because of their cold tolerance and 1.360.230 HA annually (Table 5).
adaptability to different environments [31]. The European pear (P. communis) is grown into five
major regions: Europe, North America, South America,
4. Production and Economic Importance South Africa, and Oceania, while production of Asian pear
(P. pyrifolia) is concentrated in Asia.
A medium-sized fruit has about 58 calories, 6 grams of fiber, China’s pear production has increased steadily during the
and 7.0 mg of vitamin C, besides being free of fat and sodium 1980s and early 1990s because of the expensive planting. This
and possessing significant amounts of calcium, iron, mag- rate of growth generated an amount of 7.74 million metric
nesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, tons of fresh pear in that time. Data show that China produces
and phytosterols [5]. Pears, because they are part of the more than twice the total world production, making the crop
family Rosaceae, have sorbitol as their main translocated a commodity of great importance to this country [4].
sugar that is converted into glucose, fructose, and sucrose.
The sugar content varies greatly among Japanese, Chinese, 5. Conclusion
and European pears [34]. Japanese and Chinese pears are
those with higher and lower sucrose content, respectively, and Documentation of botanists and biologists over the last
the European pears are those with a high content of fructose. hundred years was of great importance to collect the available
Pear is used mostly for fresh consumption or for the data in this review.
production of jams [35], being the ninth most important Undoubtedly, a fruit that produces around 24 billion
cultivated fruit in the world (Table 4). China is the world’s tonnes per year is considered a great success in the world
largest producer (Asian pear) and the United States is the market. This success is mainly due to the wide commercial
second largest producer, being the first producer of European acceptance around the world, its nutritional importance, and
Advances in Agriculture 7

Table 5: World production of pear in 2012 (tonnes) and the area (ha) [9] N. Weeden and R. C. Lamb, “Genetics and linkage analysis of
harvested in the ten most productive countries. 19 isozyme loci in apple,” Journal of the American Society of
Horticultural Science, vol. 112, pp. 865–872, 1987.
Production Area harvested
Position Country [10] Q. B. Zielinski and M. M. Thompson, “Speciation in Pyrus:
(tonnes) (ha)
chromosome number and meiotic behavior,” Botanical Gazette,
1 China 16,266,000 1,136,700 vol. 128, pp. 109–112, 1967.
2 USA 778,582 22,015 [11] G. A. Rubzov, “Geographical distribution of the genus Pyrus and
3 Argentina 700,000 26,500 trends and factors in its evolution,” American Naturalist, vol. 78,
4 Italy 645,540 35,195 pp. 358–366, 1944.
[12] A. C. Zeven and P. M. Zhukovsky, Dictionary of Cultivated
5 Turkey 439,656 34,067
Plants and Their Centres of Diversity, vol. 2, Centre for Agri-
6 Spain 400,600 25,000 cultural Publishing and Documentation, Wageningen, The
Republic of Netherlands, 1975.
7 394,596 14,353
Korea [13] N. I. Vavilov, “The origin, variation, immunity and breeding of
8 India 340,000 38,500 cultivated plants,” Chronica Botanica, vol. 13, 1951.
9 South Africa 338,584 13,000 [14] P. M. Zukovskij, Cultivated Plants and Their Wild Relatives,
10 Japan 299,000 14,900 Farnham Royal, London, UK, 1962, Translated by P.S. Hudson.
FAO, 2012. [15] N. I. Vavilov, Origin and Geography of Cultivated Plants, vol. 15,
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 1992.
[16] W. Erhardt, E. Götz, N. Bödeker, and S. Seybold, Zander.
its adaptability in places with large planting conditions and Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, vol. 1, Eugen Ulmer Ver-
lag, Stuttgart, Germany, 2002.
marketing.
The recent advances achieved in the last year with the pear [17] M. N. Westwood, “Pear germplasm of the new national clonal
sequencing genome project will provide new opportunities repository: its evaluation and uses,” Acta Horticulturae, vol. 124,
pp. 57–65, 1982.
for developing improved genotypes tolerant to biotic and abi-
otic stresses and also high quality fruits regarding nutritional [18] R. L. Bell, “Pears,” in Fruit Breeding, J. Janick and J. N. Moore,
Eds., Tree and Tropical Fruits, pp. 441–514, John Wiley & Sons,
and sugar content.
1996.
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