Breeding of a new red pear cultivar Cuiguifei

Cuiguifei is an early-season pear cultivar derived from the well-regarded Hongxiangsu pear in 2011 at a cultivation demonstration orchard. It was initially selected for its unique flower color. A 70 cm long branch growing at 40 cm from the central trunk of a five-year-old Hongxiangsu pear tree with a compact, sparse crown, produced nine flowers which were pure white, contrasting with the surrounding pink blossoms. By the end of 2015, a total of 4320 seedlings had been successfully propagated. Regional adaptability testing was conducted at three sites: Zhoukou Municipal, Pingdingshan Municipal, and Nanyang Municipal, in Henan Province over the period of 2016—2019, and the cultivar was finally selected in 2020. The trunk bark of mature trees is grayish- brown and rough. The average internode length of one-year-old branches is 4.99 cm. The plant bears flowers with five petals that are round to ovate and free from the calyx. The anthers are reddish-brown and produce a medium-to-high amount of pollen. The flower has five to six pistils and 20 to 26 stamens. The leaves are ovate to long-ovate, slightly upward-curled, and dark green, with crenate leaf margins. The fruit is spindle-shaped with a prominent calyx end. The peel is yellowish-green with minimal russeting. The surface is waxy and smooth, displaying a striped dark red blush on the sun- exposed side and conspicuous lenticels. The flesh is white, crisp, sweet, juicy, and fragrant. The average fruit weight is 280 g, with a maximum of 375 g. The fruit shape index is 1.32. Each fruit typically contains six seeds, which is relatively stable. Fruit characteristics of the cultivar are as follows: juice yield 90%, soluble solids content 11.60%; monosaccharides constitute 70% of the total sugar, whereas disaccharides account for 30%. Additional key quali-ty indicators include: total sugar 6.51%, total acid 0.06%, soluble sugar 6.51%, titratable acid 0.06%, sugar-acid ratio 108.5, firmness 5.20 kg · cm- 2 , and vitamin C content 5.77 mg · g- 1 . The comprehensive quality of the fruit is rated as superior. Fruit maturation occurs in late July in Liupo Village, Shangshui County, Henan Province (114.725° E, 33.525° N), with an average development period of 110 days. Each inflorescence has 6-9 flowers. The cultivar has strong germination ability and moderate branching ability. Exhibiting strong stress resistance, this cultivar is relatively less susceptible to late spring cold in northern China. Additionally, it possesses prominent disease resistance, with high- level resistance to pear scab, ring rot, black spot disease, and pear psyllid. The fruit has a shelf life of 20 days at room temperature, while refrigeration extends its storage period to a maximum of 2 months. It is suitable for cultivation in plains, mountainous areas, and hills in the old course of the Yellow River, Shanxi Province, and Shaanxi Province. This cultivar flowers and fruits in the second year after planting, with high-yield potential. This cultivar is preferably cultivated in fertile loam or sandy loam soils with an organic matter content exceeding 1%. Mechanized orchard establishment is implemented at a planting density of 1.5- 2.0 m × 4.0-5.0 m (plant × row spacing). Pruning practices include thinning, heading-back, and slowing-down, aiming at controlling tree size and maintaining tree vigor.