Premature fruit drop can cause 20 percent or more yield loss in pears without intervention. Natural drop signals fruit maturity and the onset of tree dormancy. Losses are  incurred directly via fruit drop and indirectly due to the need to harvest before attaining maximum potential fruit size and soluble solids. NAA (napthaleneacetic acid) has been used for many years as a stop-drop in both pears and apples. In recent years, AVG (aminoethoxyvinylglycine hydrochloride) has largely replaced NAA in some major apple-growing areas. If efficacy issues can be worked out for pears, AVG could become a valuable new tool, along with […]