A Conference pear is a variety of

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the Family (biology), family Rosacea ...

. It is an autumn

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

(cultivated variety) of the

European pear ''Pyrus communis'', the common pear, is a species of pear native to central and eastern Europe, and western Asia. It is one of the most important fruits of temperate regions, being the species from which most orchard pear cultivars grown in Euro ...

(''Pyrus communis''). This variety of pear was developed in Britain by Thomas Francis Rivers from his Rivers Nursery in

Sawbridgeworth Sawbridgeworth is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, close to the border with Essex. It is east of Hertford and north of Epping. It is the northernmost part of the Greater London Built-up Area. History Prior to the Norman ...

, Hertfordshire. It owes its name to the fact that it won first prize at the National British Pear Conference in London in 1885.

Description

A medium-sized pear with an elongated bottle shape, the 'Conference' pear is similar in appearance to the ' Bosc pear'. A table pear, it is suitable for fresh-cut processing. The fruit skin is thick greenish-brown, becoming pale yellow when ripe. The flesh is white, but turns pale yellow when the pear is ripe. The texture is very fine and soft, and the flavour is sweet. The brown part of the skin is called russet or russetting; it is more or less apparent depending on weather conditions.

Cultivation and production

The 'Conference' pear adapts to a variety of conditions, and is widely grown in Europe. It thrives on land that is sunny, rich and not too chalky. In France, the production areas of this variety are mostly in the north (

Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhôn ...

, North Picardy) and the Alps (

Savoie Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè'' or ''Savouè-d'Avâl''; English: ''Savoy'' ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located in the French Alps, its prefecture is Chambéry. In 2019, Savoie had a population ...

and the little Southern Alps). It is grown commercially in many areas of the United Kingdom. Production will be enhanced by the nearby presence of pollinating varieties such as the

Williams pear The Williams' bon chrétien pear, commonly called the Williams pear, or the Bartlett pear in the United States and Canada, is the most commonly grown variety of pear in most countries outside Asia. It is a cultivar (cultivated variety) of the s ...

. It is a particularly resistant fruit, especially against scab. The Conference pear can be eaten until January if kept cool in a refrigerator or cellar ventilated. There is strong sales competition in Europe from neighbouring countries (in order: Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Italy). The flavour of 'Conference' pears grown in

, was recognized in 1996 by a PGI (a

Protected Geographical Indication Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG), promote and protect nam ...

) in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

, and 2012 it was the only PGI obtained by a pear in France.

References

Royal Horticultural Society - Pear Conference *
Agreste
- Ministère de l'agriculture Information sur la production en France *
INAO
- PGI/IGP SAVOIE. {{Pyrus Pear cultivars