Pear tree withered branches, fat and water disorders
Tianjin Alcoa International Trade Co., Ltd. , https://www.tjalcoa.com
July 11 14:04:56, 2025
Last week, the author visited Shen Jinbing’s pear orchard in Hanchuan City, Hubei Province. Shen used to work as a farmer group employee at Jidong Farm, but now he runs his own 2.5-acre pear garden with 140 trees that are over 20 years old. According to him, the average yield per tree is around 100 kilograms, and with an average price of 1 yuan per kilogram, the annual income is approximately 14,000 yuan. However, this is 4,000 yuan less than what he earned in 2011. When asked why his income has dropped, he mentioned that some of the trees have dead branches, but he isn’t sure why this is happening.
During the field visit, Shen explained that five old pear trees were removed last year due to severe branch dieback. There are still several trees with varying degrees of dead branches, and it remains unclear whether they will be replaced or left as is.
As we observed the orchard, we tried to identify the underlying causes. Based on our experience with similar pear orchards, the issue of dead branches in older orchards is quite common. The main reasons include:
First, calcium deficiency in the soil. When pear trees lack calcium, their root growth is hindered, leading to root tip deformation and drying. This can cause partial or total dieback of branches. Although Shen applies phosphate fertilizer, the quality is low, and it's only applied in spring, neglecting winter application. Second, the soil has high sediment concentration and low boron levels. Boron deficiency leads to bark sores and dry shoots. Third, potassium deficiency can cause leaf scorching and affect branch development. Potassium chloride is often applied too late and in insufficient amounts. Fourth, the soil is compacted, and there hasn't been deep tilling for five years, making it difficult for roots to grow properly. Fifth, there are no deep ditches or large channels around the orchard, making it prone to waterlogging after heavy rains, which harms the root system.
Similar issues have been reported in other old pear orchards across different regions. After discussing with Shen, we decided to implement several improvement measures: enhancing the root environment, optimizing fertilization structure, improving drainage systems, and replanting new trees.
First, during the winter and spring off-season, we drained the ditches around the orchard to ensure that even 100 mm of daily rainfall doesn’t cause water damage, allowing roots to absorb nutrients effectively. Second, we manually deep-turned the soil between the trees to a depth of 60–70 cm, since mechanical plowing isn't suitable for large-crowned trees. Third, we applied base fertilizer along with the deep-turning, especially organic manure—8,000 kg per acre. For high-yield pear trees, the ideal ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is 1:0.5–1. We used high-quality phosphate fertilizer with 16%–18% P₂O₅ and mixed it with organic fertilizer. Potassium fertilizer with 60% K₂O was applied, along with boron fertilizer containing 15%–20% B, at least 2 kg per mu. All these applications should be completed before the end of spring. Fourth, when applying fertilizer, it should not be placed too close to the trunk, at least 1 meter away. Lastly, we applied herbicides in early spring to control weeds, reducing competition for nutrients and improving the symbiotic relationship between the trees and the soil.