Pear ‘Alessia®’ – attractive, delicious, stores well!

‘Williams’, ‘Alexander Lucas’, ‘Conference’ – those three varieties have made up the German pear market for decades. Until now, no pear variety was able to compete with those cultivars. Alternatives are more than ever in demand!
The first pear variety originating of the breeding programme of the Bavarian Centre of Pomology and Fruit Breeding comes right on cue. Years of hard selection with the following selection criteria have paid:

high-performing and robust in the field,
uncomplicated storage,
fast-selling item.

‘Alessia^®’ complies with all those demands.
Due to its red overcolour, the consumers can clearly distinguish the fruit from all the other important pear varieties. At first glance, the consumers know that the outer quality of this pear variety corresponds to the inner quality. Most of the young consumers love it prior to softening, fully ripe it stands with its delicious aroma for the ideal juicy pear.
‘Alessia^®’ is a typical winter pear: it cannot be eaten directly from the tree. But that is not a problem, as there are plenty of autumn pears on the market. Varieties for the marketing season starting in December are much more valuable. Then it is time for ‘Alessia^®’. Its fruits are a great pleasure. They store until February in a pear cold storage and until May in a CA storage. In a CA storage they can be stored together with apples.

Facts:

Breeder: Dr. Michael Neumüller, Bavarian Centre of Pomology and Fruit Breeding, Hallbergmoos, Germany.
Application for plant variety protection under the name ‘Bay 6474’.

Tree: Weak growth. On quince rootstocks only with interstems. Flower buds mostly terminal on medium long shoots. Lateral branches weak, therefore cutting of the lateral branches at plantation and in the first years recommended. Dense plantation.

Yield: Early starting, high and very regular, rarely alternate bearing. Thinning required. Flowers are relatively frost tolerant according to previous experiences.

Flower: Diploid. Late flowering time. Good pollinator varieties are for example ‘Conference’ and ‘Abate Fetel’.

Fruit: Late to very late ripening, picking about three weeks after ‘Conference’.
80 % of the fruit skin with red overcolour. At picking time brightening of the original violet overcolour.
Winter pear, can therefore not be eaten directly from the tree. Prior to marketing, cold storage for a minimum of three weeks required. It is recommended not to start selling fruits before mid of November.
Fruit large to very large, short-round-conical to conical.
Can be eaten prior to softening. When fully ripe, melting, juicy, sweet and highly aromatic (reminds of ‘Doyonnée du Comice’).

Storage: Stores until mid February in the cold storage (– 1 °C).
CA storage (1.5 % O₂, 1.5 % CO₂) prolongs storage until May at least; experiments with long-term storage are carried out currently.

Diseases: Until now, only little data for fire blight susceptibility available, therefore no conclusive statement possible. Tolerant to scab.

Rating: Attractive, red skinned winter pear with very good taste. High bearing tree.