New Pear Cultivar: Akçay 77®

Hybridization studies and natural bud spur mutations have been important in obtaining new pear cultivars. One mother plant carrying a new bud–sport mutation have been found in "Santa Maria" cultivar orchards located in Samanlı, Bursa during observations and investigations. Graftlings taken from this plant were grafted onto quince BA–29 clonal rootstocks and later, they were planted at the Institute of Atatürk Horticultural Central Research in Yalova, Turkey. Following a decade long studies, it was registered as "Akçay 77®" and presented to the growers as a new cultivar in the year of 2011. Its trees show medium vigor and direct or semi–direct orientation on dwarf and semi–dwarf clonal rootstocks. It is an early–yielding, mid–season flowering cultivar with harvest season generally on the first week of August. Fruit are oblate, 242.34g in weight, yellow–green colored, pink on sunny side, crisp and juicy flesh with buttery taste. This cultivar is suitable for high density planting and for cold storage.