Pear decline research—Methods of propagating own-rooted old home and Bartlett pears to produce trees resistant to decline

Own-rooted Bartlett pear trees and Bartlett on own-rooted Old Home rootstocks are resistant to pear decline, according to observations in Washington, Oregon, and California. These trees are also vigorous and productive. Bartlett pear, top-budded onto own-rooted Old Home stock, has the additional advantage of blight resistance in roots, trunk, and primary scaffold branches. Practical methods now available for propagating such decline-resistant and blight-resistant trees are discussed in this research report.