“Almost half of our orchard – an area of around 7 to 8 hectares – consists of trees grafted on Q-Eline, a fairly productive rootstock that yields more pears per branch than trees grafted on Adams quinces. The rootstock also produces a fairly high percentage of large, first-class pears. And that’s what counts for fruit growers.
A disadvantage is that, in the propagation phase, Q-Eline quinces don’t grow as fast as Adams quinces, so the first few years you harvest fewer kilos. The trees also have to be supported with bamboo canes as they grow, implying more work in the first years.
What’s more, Q-Eline is no less susceptible to frost damage than Adams quinces. In my experience, the flowers and fruits are more frost-resistant than the trees themselves. That’s really odd.
Besides Conference we also have Lucas trees grafted on Q-Eline. Although we have only a few years’ experience with them, we are pleasantly surprised by their vigour and great production. They also take fairly little time to prune. So all in all the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.”
