What did your research in Randwijk focus on?
‘We research the pear’s cultivation and consumption qualities. Some of the things you test are productivity, vulnerability to disease, taste and shelf life. That can easily take ten years. We identify and describe the characteristics but we don’t promote new varieties. That is done by the market organization, in this case Fruitmasters.’
Are you doing research on a lot of varieties?
‘We have about 50 pear varieties in our orchards and about 80 apple varieties. This variety research is funded by a consortium of parties in the fruit chain. It is not often that a new pear variety is introduced – on average about once every ten years. A pear orchard has a lifespan of 25 to 30 years so the trees are not replaced very often.’
How important is the new variety Migo?
‘The Conference pear is still the biggest pear variety because its productivity is high and it is well-adapted to our climate. The Migo could be a good addition. The most significant characteristic of this new variety is that it doesn’t leak juice.’