Nashi Pear Tama - Pyrus pyrifolia 'Tama'

Nashi Pear ‘Tama’ - Pyrus pyrifolia 'Tama'

Main Benefit

The Nashi Pear 'Tama' represents an excellent opportunity for gardeners wishing to harvest high-quality exotic fruits from the end of summer. This cultivar stands out for its exceptionally fast fruit bearing and high productivity, guaranteeing abundant and regular harvests from year to year. The fruits, often described as apple-pears, offer a white, ultra-juicy, crunchy, and fragrant flesh. Furthermore, its structured silhouette and its white spring flowering make it a remarkable ornamental tree, while its natural resistance to diseases considerably simplifies its health management in the orchard.

Origins and Characteristics

Botanical Family:

The Nashi belongs to the great Rosaceae family and to the Pyrus genus, which encompasses all pear trees worldwide. This family includes the majority of fruit trees in our regions, sharing common characteristics regarding flower structure and fruit formation. This relationship explains its grafting compatibility and its growing requirements, which are similar to those of our common pear trees.

Origins:

The type species Pyrus pyrifolia is native to the temperate regions of East Asia, mainly China, Korea, and Japan, where it has been cultivated for millennia. The specific 'Tama' variety comes from a modern and rigorous selection programme, combining the qualities of traditional Japanese cultivars. This genetic work has created a tree perfectly adapted to the demands of contemporary orchards in Europe and North America.

Notable Particularities:

The 'Tama' variety is the result of a complex and high-quality cross between the Gion variety (itself derived from 'Shinseiki' x 'Chojuro') and the famous Kosui variety. This prestigious ancestry gives it a balanced flavour profile, combining the sweetness and crunchiness of its parents. Botanically, the nashi differs from European pear trees by its round fruits and its less dense grit cells, offering a unique texture when bitten.

Description and Particularities

Adult Height:

At maturity, this Asian pear tree typically reaches a height of between 3 and 4 metres. Its development remains moderate, which greatly facilitates picking operations and routine maintenance without the need for large ladders. This intermediate size allows it to be easily integrated into medium-sized orchards or family gardens.

Adult Width:

The spread of its crown extends over approximately 2.50 to 3.50 metres at maturity. The tree develops a well-balanced framework of branches that naturally widens with age and the weight of successive fruiting. This spread allows optimal light penetration into the heart of the tree, an essential factor for fruit coloration and ripening.

Habit:

The habit is initially upright and then opens up to become semi-spreading as the tree enters into production. The main branches are solid and arch slightly under the weight of the fruits at the end of the summer season. This natural architecture lends itself very well to different training methods, whether free-standing or trained as an espalier against a wall or fence.

Bark:

The bark of the trunk and main branches is greyish-brown to light brown in colour, dotted with numerous clearly visible horizontal lenticels. With age, it becomes slightly rough and cracks superficially, providing an excellent natural barrier against external threats. It maintains a clean and healthy appearance that reflects the general vigour of the plant.

Foliage:

The foliage is deciduous, composed of large, oval, finely serrated leaves of a shiny dark green, turning to a textured orange-yellow in autumn. The leaves are generally larger and more leathery than those of the common pear tree, which limits transpiration in summer. They form a dense green screen that beautifully highlights the golden fruits at the end of the season.

Growth:

The growth rate is moderate, with the tree quickly concentrating its energy on establishing its fruiting spurs and producing flower buds. It responds very well to training pruning during its first years, which allows its structure to be formed without triggering excessive growth of water sprouts. Its fruit bearing generally begins by the second or third year after planting.

Hardiness:

This fruit tree displays excellent cold hardiness, tolerating minimum winter temperatures down to -20 °C without any damage to the wood or dormant buds. This strong hardiness secures its cultivation in the majority of temperate regions of Europe, including areas with prolonged winters. Its spring budburst, however, remains sensitive to extreme late frosts, like most fruit trees.

Flowering and Fructification

Flowering Period:

Flowering manifests itself in early spring, generally in April, clustering a multitude of white flower bouquets on the previous year's shoots. This nashi is self-fertile, but to improve pollination, it can be cross-pollinated with 'Hosui', 'Kosui', or 'Shinseiki', which will increase the yield of this fruit tree.

Description of the Flowers:

The flowers are simple, composed of five petals of a brilliant, pure white surrounding stamens with very decorative pink anthers. They appear just before or at the same time as the first leaves, transforming the tree into a highly aesthetic floral dome. Their open structure facilitates access for pollinating insects.

Fruits:

The fruits are round, apple-like, featuring a thin skin that is golden yellow at maturity and dotted with typical fine russeting. The white flesh is extremely crunchy, juicy, and reveals a mild flavor with low acidity. Harvesting begins from late August, placing 'Tama' among the essential early varieties for extending the fruit season.

Melliferous or Attractive Characteristics for Wildlife:

The spring flowering is particularly nectar-rich, producing high-quality nectar and pollen that attract bees and bumblebees from the first fine days. Fruits left on the tree at the end of the season can feed frugivorous birds and small mammals before winter. It is an excellent link for strengthening functional biodiversity within the orchard.

Exposure

The Nashi Pear 'Tama' requires a full sun exposure to guarantee optimal ripening and a high concentration of sugars in the fruits. A well-lit situation also promotes rapid drying of the foliage after rain, thereby limiting the development of fungal diseases. A location sheltered from prevailing winds is recommended to protect the spring flowering and prevent the premature drop of nashi fruits.

Plantation

Advice for Soil Preparation:

The soil must be worked deeply to a depth of at least 60 centimetres to facilitate the establishment of the taproot system. It is highly recommended to incorporate a good amount of well-decomposed organic matter, such as manure or compost, to enrich the planting zone.

Spacing Between Plants:

For row planting or within a family orchard, allow a distance of 3 to 4 metres between each tree. This space is necessary to allow optimal development of the crown and ensure good air circulation between the trees. Adequate spacing also facilitates pruning and harvesting operations.

Soil Type:

This nashi prefers deep, fertile, cool, and well-drained soils, preferably neutral to slightly acidic. It dislikes excessively calcareous soils which can cause iron chlorosis and block the assimilation of certain nutrients. A soil that retains good freshness in summer ensures large and juicy fruits.

How to Plant:

Dig a hole two to three times wider than the root ball, drive a solid stake facing the prevailing winds, and then place the tree, taking care that the graft union remains above ground level. Fill in with the original soil enriched with compost, tamp firmly with your feet to eliminate air pockets, and then secure the tree to the stake with a flexible tie. Finish with a generous watering and apply an organic mulch to preserve moisture.

Watering

Water Requirements at Planting:

Regular, copious, and weekly watering is imperative during the entire first growing year, particularly during the summer period. This continuous supply of water helps the new roots to colonise the surrounding soil beyond the initial root ball. The earthen basin created around the trunk allows the root zone to be effectively targeted.

Water Requirements at Maturity:

Once mature, the nashi pear tree displays a good tolerance to temporary drought thanks to its deep root system. However, to obtain good-sized fruits and prevent them from splitting, regular watering remains highly recommended during the entire growth phase of the nashis, from July to August. Prolonged water stress can alter the taste quality of the year's harvest.

Pruning

When and How to Prune:

Fruiting pruning is carried out in winter, from January to March, outside of periods of heavy frost. It consists of removing dead wood, thinning out the centre of the tree to let light in, and shortening overly vigorous branches. Manual thinning of the fruits is also recommended in June if the crop load is too heavy, in order to prevent branch breakage and guarantee a homogeneous size.

Multiplication

The multiplication of the 'Tama' variety is carried out exclusively by budding or cleft grafting onto an adapted rootstock. Cuttings or sowing do not allow the specific characteristics and productivity of the original cultivar to be preserved. The choice of rootstock directly influences the final vigour of the tree and its tolerance to lime.

Uses in the Garden

This tree finds its ideal place in a diversified orchard, combined with other fruit varieties to create a staggered production space. Its beautiful spring silhouette and autumn colours also allow it to feature prominently in an ornamental garden or a forest garden. Trained as an espalier, it can elegantly dress a south or west-facing wall.

Protection Against Diseases and Pests

The Nashi Pear 'Tama' benefits from a good natural tolerance to scab, a common fungal disease that often affects European pear trees. It remains, however, sensitive to aphid attacks in spring and to the codling moth (pear worm) in summer, which can alter fruit quality. Providing bird nesting boxes, pheromone traps, or applying preventive treatments helps maintain pest populations below the threshold of economic damage.

Advice for Good Development

To support its high productivity, apply an organic amendment rich in potash or mature compost beneath the crown every autumn. Be sure to combine this variety with other nashi cultivars nearby to optimise cross-pollination and maximise the fruit set rate. Closely monitor the fruit load in early summer and do not hesitate to remove excess fruits to preserve the health of the tree.