Mutation in Medford Orchard Gives Birth to DâAnjou Pear
The pear has a long and significant history in Oregon, especially in Medford. The fruit can be traced back to grafting experiments 7,000 years ago by Feng Li, a Chinese diplomat interested in commercial crops. Pears soon became a valuable commodity on the ancient worldâs trading routes.
Early colonists brought the first pear trees to America, and pioneers carried them west on the Oregon Trail. The green d âAnjou [dahn-JOE] pear, one of the major varieties grown in Southern Oregon, seemed to thrive best in the agricultural conditions and volcanic soil of the Pacific Northwest.
In the 1950s something remarkable happened in one sprawling orchard near Medford. The owners, Harold and Edward Gebhard found a naturally occurring bud mutation or variation, known as a bud sport, on a green dâAnjou tree. Such mutations generally go unnoticed, but this one was an exception. It gave birth to the red dâAnjou pear, originally called the LeRoi [lay-ROY] pear. Apart from its red skin, the variety was similar to the popular green variety. The red dâAnjou was patented in the 1960s and can now be found in markets around the world.
Ref. (Jefferson Public Radio June 20, 2013)
This isnât worth a separate topic so Iâll stick this hereâŚ
