A high-density system using nursery trees is the most economically viable system for a new pear orchard, despite the high cost of the trees and trellis at planting, a study in California shows. Rachel Elkins, pomology advisor with University of California Cooperative Extension in Lake County, said an economic analysis based on a systems and rootstock trial shows that a high-density planting of fresh pears, using a precocious rootstock, becomes profitable sooner than either a standard orchard or a high-density orchard planted as sleeping eyes. Speaking during the International Fruit Tree Association’s annual meeting, Elkins described how she began her […]