Floral bud disorders of nashi (Pyrus serotina) grown in New Zealand

Abstract

‘Budjump’ is the popular collective term for floral bud disorders occurring in some nashi cultivars grown in New Zealand. On affected trees some floral buds abort, disintegrating when touched. Other floral buds produce fewer flowers, and flower parts may be incompletely developed. Black, shrivelled flower buds can be found among subtending leaves and flowers. Occurrence of the disorder varies greatly between individual trees, cultivars, locations, and seasons. No causal mechanism has been identified and there are no established control methods for budjump.

Keywords:

• Pyrus serotina
• nashi
• budjump
• floral bud disorder
• floral bud abortion
• flower abortion
• flower malformations