High temperatures produce sweeter pears, but a shorter season

The South Australian pear harvest began in early February. Warmer weather has led to a slightly earlier start to the season than last year. The pear season is also forecast to finish sooner. FreshPlaza reports. “The heat encourages pears to ripen faster and we’ve had some extreme heat here in South Australia which has seen them ripen a bit faster,” said Penny Reidy, marketing, BD and communications manager for The South Australian Produce Market. She added that South Australia has also had less rain in the spring and summer, followed by some unusually hot days. As a result, there are more small fruits. “Limited irrigation creates a higher sugar content in the fruit. Although Nashi pears are grown all over Australia, we like to think that ...