“Coscia” Pear on a Mono-Axis Wall in Licodia Eubea (Ragusa): Building Structure to Produce Quality

In the territory of Licodia Eubea, on the border between the provinces of Ragusa and Catania, a “Coscia” pear orchard trained as a wall under the mono-axis system is currently under development.

The video documents the situation as of August 2025. The orchard was established in February 2024 just over a year and a half of vegetative growth, with no forced production. The first significant yields are expected from the second full year (summer 2026). The sole priority thus far has been structural development.

The initially slender trees were subjected to a drastic heading cut at approximately 40 cm above the collar. From this post-transplant reform pruning, several vigorous shoots emerged; among them, a single shoot was selected to form the central axis. It is on this axis that the entire productive architecture is built.

Video

The planting layout is 2.80 m × 0.60 m. The support structure was created by reusing posts and wires from a former vineyard, integrating only bamboo stakes for tutoring. A rational choice technically effective and economically sustainable.

Management follows precise criteria:

·        The first 60 cm of trunk remain free of branching.

·        Weak shoots are retained.

·        Vigorous lateral shoots are intercepted through short spur pruning at 6–8 cm.

Spur pruning of vigorous shoots induces weaker, potentially fruitful secondary emissions positioned close to the axis. If a new dominant shoot emerges during summer, corrective intervention is carried out again. It is a continuous process of vigor regulation.

Video

The technical principle is balance: counteracting the apical dominance of the leader through a system of vegetative weights and counterweights, thereby encouraging lateral fruit-bearing branches.

With this approach, fruiting will concentrate along the central axis, where sap flow is direct and constant. The expected outcomes include:

·        Improved fruit nutrition

·        Uniform fruit size

·        High light interception

·        Greater photosynthetic efficiency

·        Enhanced overcoloration

At present, the orchard remains in its construction phase. The objective is not to anticipate production, but to establish a stable, well-illuminated, and easily manageable fruiting wall.

The mono-axis system in pear growing is not a passing trend, but a structural agronomic choice. When the architecture is properly established, quality becomes a technically predictable result.

Official Editorial Note:
Original content curated by Agronomist Vito Vitelli, developed and optimized with the support of artificial intelligence tools for educational, informational, and technical dissemination purposes.

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