British pear growers have been removing pear orchards at an alarming rate because they’ve not been profitable. Now, the East Malling Research Center in the United Kingdom is trying to demonstrate the feasibility of growing pears using modern systems. It’s been reported that U.K. pear acreage dropped by 40 percent between 1997 and 2006 as growers removed unproductive orchards. At the same time, pear production in the Netherlands, across the English Channel, has been increasing, as growers plant new high-density pear orchards using techniques borrowed from apples. Dutch growers have proven that it’s possible to have good production—say, 55 bins […]