Breeding report of a new early-mid ripening pear cultivar Xinshiyu

Xinshiyu is an early-mid ripening pear cultivar (Pyrus bretschneideri×pyrifolia‘Xinshiyu’) bred from a cross between Yuluxiang and Shinseiki. The crossing was made in 2012. 1371 hybrid seedlings were raised in 2013. It was initially selected in 2016 for its bright colors and early ripening time. The regional adaptation test and cultivar compasion trial were conducted at multiple locations in Hebei Province, including Weixian (Xingtai), Yixian (Baoding), and Yutian (Tangshan), following top-grafting propagation. It was finally selected in 2023. The tree exhibited moderate growth, an open tree gesture, and moderate branching ability. Young branches were glabrous yellowish- brown in color. The leaves were orbiculate. The leaf shape index was 1.28. The leaf apex was long- caudate, the leaf base was round, the leaf margin was sharply serrated with awned teeth, non-lobed. The flower was white, with petals orbicular. The fruit is mainly round or oval in shape, and had a green-yellow ground color and a light red overcolor. The flesh was white, crispy, and juicy, with a balanced sweet-sour flavor and a pleasant aroma. The average fruit weight was 250.67 g, the maximum fruit weight was 257.82 g. The fruit shape index was 0.99. The content of soluble solid was 14.10%, the soluble sugar content was 10.60%, the content of soluble acid was 0.15%, the sugar-acid ratio was 70.67, the hardness was 4.77 kg · cm- 2 , and the content of Vitamin C was 33.00 mg·kg-1 . The quality was excellent. The fruit development period was 125 d and the fruit matured in early August in the southern-central region of Hebei Province; Itexhibits high phenotypic plasticity to diverse soil and environmental conditions. The field trials confirmed the absence of scab (Venturia nashicola), anthracnose leaf blight (Glomerella cingulata), and gray spot (Stemphylium vesicarium) under ordinary orchard management. The fruit had a long storagelife, the cold storage (-1-0 ℃) life was 7 months. The suitable cultivation areas should be major pearproducing areas in China. The variety had high yield potential. The suitable pollinizers should be Huangguan, Xueqing, Qiuyue and Yali. The Spacing would be (1.00-2.00) m × (4.00-4.50) m. The simplified light pruning protocol would be recommended. During blossom thinning, the outer florets and pendent-positioned flowers should be kept to ensure fruit shape uniformity