Pruning and flower thinning influence the storability of CH201/FRED® pears

The published data are part of a study conducted on the CH201/FRED®pear cultivar. This novel red-blush pear cultivar has a long-term storage potential and prolonged shelf life. However, it is prone to controlled atmosphere (CA)-related disorders, particularly cavities. The objective of this study was to explore the impact of the balance between vegetative growth and crop load on the development of CA-related disorders during storage. Treatments involving the removal of two-thirds of floral bouquets (Fl_Th) and the shortening of branches by two-thirds (Pr) at the bud stage promoted the growth of 1-year-old shoots, which correlated with an increased incidence of cavities and reduced calcium levels in the pears. The Fl_Th treatment resulted in larger fruits with higher total soluble solid content, a greater force required to puncture the skin and flesh, and a higher incidence of cavities than the Pr treatment. These findings demonstrate that both crop load and the leaf area-to-crop load ratio significantly influence the susceptibility of CH201/FRED® pears to CA-related disorders during storage. The datasets illustrate the influence of the treatments on (i) tree performance (crop load, leaf area, vegetative vigor, fruit weight and fruit size), (ii) quality parameters (firmness, total soluble solids, acidity starch, color and textural parameters), (iii) physiological disorders, (iv) acid ascorbic content and (v) mineral content.