- Authors: France
- Name synonyms: Abbate Fetel
- Fruit weight, g: more than 200
- Ripening terms: autumn
- Fruit picking time: in the beginning of September
- Appointment: fresh
- Growth type: medium
- Yield: high
- Transportability: Yes
- Marketability: high
The pear of French selection by Abbot Vettel, also known as Abbate Fetel, has been cultivated since the end of the 19th century, during which time it has gained wide popularity among European gardeners and has successfully acclimatized in Russia. The fruits of this variety are especially good fresh, in desserts and salads, have excellent commercial qualities, and tolerate transportation well. Harvested pears can be stored for up to 4 months.
Description of the variety
The tree is medium-sized, no more than 3-4 meters in height. Abbot Vettel's pear is characterized by a wide-pyramidal crown, densely covered with large light green foliage.
Fruit characteristics
The thin peel with a slight roughness of these pears is colored greenish-yellow; it can have a slight blush on the surface from the sunny side. Fruits are oblong-pear-shaped, reach a mass of 200 g or more, are considered large. The pulp is melting, juicy, has a pure white or slightly creamy shade.
Taste qualities
Pears of this variety have a sweet taste with spicy notes. There is a characteristic exquisite aroma.
Ripening and fruiting
The fruits ripen in autumn, early September. The first pears appear as early as 3 years after planting. The variety reaches its maximum yield after 8 years.
Yield
Abbot Vettel belongs to the high-yielding pear varieties.
Growing regions
The tree demonstrates the best fruiting in warm and humid climates, close to the Mediterranean. In Russia, it successfully plants in the Central Black Earth Region, as well as in the subtropical zones of the Krasnodar Territory.
Self-fertility and the need for pollinators
The variety is self-fertile, does not need additional pollination. But planting a number of other varieties of pears helps to increase the yield of the fruit tree.
Landing
Pear seedlings of this variety are usually placed on light, nutrient-rich soils with neutral acidity. It is important to choose a place for them with a low groundwater table - no closer than 3 m from the soil surface, sunny, protected from through winds. Lack of lighting will lead to a decrease in yield, slow down the ripening of fruits.
Planting of fruit trees is carried out in the spring or autumn. You should select healthy young plants aged 1-1.5 years. Seedlings with a closed root system, strong shoots and healthy elastic leaves take root better. They are placed in rows, with a distance of 6 × 5 meters.
The pits are prepared with a diameter of 1 m and a depth of 80 cm; a small pyramidal embankment is being built at the bottom. If the seedling has an open root system, it is pre-cleaned of dry shoots, dipped in a mixture of clay and ash. Then the plant is placed in a prepared hole, covered up to the level of the sod, leaving the root collar above it, and the soil is compacted. After that, the tree is watered abundantly, the trunk circle is sprinkled with mulch.
Growing and care
Pears may require a garter during cultivation. It is especially important for young trees during the ripening period of the crop. But you can tie up a seedling right away, even when planting. In the first 3 years, plants are provided with moderate but regular watering. Mature trees need additional moisture only during the period when the fruits are gaining mass.
And also pears will benefit from loosening the trunk circle, renewing the mulch layer in spring and autumn. Particularly much attention is paid to top dressing in autumn. In the pre-winter, after the foliage is dropped, the trunk circle is saturated with a mixture of manure, humus, peat. In the spring, the tree accepts nitrogen fertilization with urea well - 50 g per 10 liters is enough, then after 2 weeks potassium and phosphorus can be added.
Formative pruning is not required for Abbot Vettel. But in the spring, during the swelling of the kidneys, it is recommended to perform sanitation. All dead, dry, pest-affected shoots are removed. Places of cuts on large branches are disinfected, then covered with garden pitch.
The trunk is whitewashed 2-3 times from spring to autumn to provide protection from pests. In winter, such precautions will scare away rodents. Young seedlings are completely covered with a solution of 1.5 kg of clay and 2 kg of lime per 10 liters of water. Mature trees are whitewashed down to the lower branches.
Disease and pest resistance
The variety shows a high degree of resistance to most diseases of fruit trees. Spring treatment of the crown with fungicides against scab is recommended.
Like any other fruit trees, the pear needs protection from various diseases and pests. When planting a pear on your site, you need to know in advance what diseases you should beware of. For a successful struggle, it is first necessary to correctly identify the cause of the problem. It is important to distinguish signs of disease from manifestations of the presence of insects, mites, caterpillars and other types of pests.
Resistance to soil and climatic conditions
The pear Abbot Vettel has high winter hardiness. She is able to endure frosts down to -17 degrees without shelter. The variety is well adapted to drought.
Review overview
Gardeners who grow Abbot Vettel pears note the excellent taste of the fruit. They are good both fresh and in compotes or syrup. Pears do not disintegrate, they have a bright aroma and taste when canned. The main disadvantage of the variety is the low threshold of frost resistance. In cold regions with short summers, it does not please with productivity; in winter it can die even in a shelter.