Agromorphological and Chemical Characterization of Pear Cultivars Grown in Central–West Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

Seventeen traditional pear cultivars grown in the Central–Western Iberian Peninsula, all of them clearly in decline or close to extinction, have been characterized from the point of view of agromorphological and chemical. A total of twenty-one agromorphological and chemical traits, mainly defined by the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, were used to describe the fruits during a 3-year period from 2020 to 2022. Some of the genotypes showed distinctive and interesting agronomical characteristics from a commercial point of view, such as high yields and fruit quality. This was the case of the pear cultivars called “Pera Temprana”, “Muslo de Dama”, and “Pera de Cristal de Peñacaballera”. Their fruits were quite heavy (125.32–142.56 g) and had a good sweetness/acidity balance (12.67–14.92° Brix/2.76–3.42 g malic acid/L). The rest of the pear cultivars, with the exception of the “Cermeños” group and “Pera Canela” genotype, also presented interesting commercial characteristics given that their fruits had equatorial diameters greater than 6 cm and total soluble solids levels close to or above 13° Brix. The results of the PCA and cluster analysis showed that agromorphological and chemical analysis can provide reliable information on the variability in pear cultivars. The loss of these traditional crops has enormous significance given that they have unique characteristics and are perfectly adapted to the edapho-climatic conditions of the region. This work constitutes an important step in the conservation of genetic pear resources in the Central–Western Iberian Peninsula.