Pruning and Training - Growing Organic Orchard Fruits - page 622

described earlier for apples and shown in figure 12.11 ➔ . These designs
use from three to five or more horizontal wires. Newly formed leaders and
branches are tied to the wires to hold the desired shapes until enough wood
and stiffness develop to hold the shapes. Depending on the size of the tree
and the training system, the supporting wires may or may not be left in place
permanently.
High-Density Pear Systems
In 2008, California researchers reported on 13 years of trials comparing
freestanding pear trees to those in high-density Tatura and parallel
hedgerow systems. They found that the Tatura system was the highest-
yielding. The high-density systems came into bearing sooner than the freest-
anding trees and would have become profitable in the sixth growing season,
compared with the ninth growing season for the standard planting. At full
production, the high-density plantings produced about 50,000 pounds of
fruit per acre, compared with 40,000 pounds for the freestanding trees. The
researchers estimated that a grower would recover establishment costs in
year 10 if using the high-density systems and year 21 if using the freestand-
ing trees. These results are similar to those found in pear trials conducted in
other countries.
Several divided canopy designs are available for pear growers. These sys-
tems train four leaders per tree, or train alternate trees to lean one way or
the other in a V-shaped row. The four-leader systems are used because they
reduce the number of trees needed per acre compared with single-trunk,
single-leader trees.
V-Hedge
This design ( figure 12.14 ➔ ) uses single rows of well-feathered trees spaced
4 feet apart in rows that are spaced 11 to 12 feet apart. Four leaders are deve-
loped at the top of a short trunk, about 18 inches above the ground. Wooden
stakes or bamboo poles position the leaders and are supported by horizontal
wires about 6 to 7 feet above the ground, creating a double V shape about 4